GIVEAWAY: WIN a Hallmark Interactive Story Book & Cards for Holiday Gift Giving - ENDS 11/9 (CLOSED)

Hallmark Interactive Story Buddies and Greeting Cards are great tech gifts for the holidays...

While I was attending the BlogHer conference back in August, I was invited to a party in a private suite overlooking the New York City skyline that was hosted by Hallmark. Hallmark has sponsored numerous giveaways on this blog in the past I could not wait to get to the party to see what new products Hallmark was planning to launch for the 2012 holiday season.

It was Christmas in August in the Hallmark Suite at BlogHer12

I wrote a blog post about all the great products that I saw in the Hallmark Suite during BlogHer12.  There were so much many new products that there was no way that I could get to them all.  So Hallmark was gracious enough to send me a few of their new interactive holiday products so that I could try them out for myself - and sponsor a giveaway for my readers.

I was sent a Hallmark Interactive Story Buddy Book set which includes the story "Belle's Big Move" by Tom Shay-Zaplen.

Hallmark Interactive Story Buddies™ help parents experience story time with their kids in a multiple of ways including reading the book, listening to the included audio CD and also playing online and mobile games for iPad, iPhone and iPod with which each Belle Story Buddy plush toy interacts. Bell the dog is Hallmark’s new character for Holiday 2012. And for boys there is Jingle, the Husky Pup.

BUY IT
Hallmark Interactive Story Buddies retail for $34.95.  The first story book and interactive CD are included in the price of the Story Buddy. Coordinating Belle's Big Move iPhone, iPod, and iPad applications are available for FREE on iTunes.

Hallmark is of course known for their greeting cards and for 2012, Hallmark has a collection of Recordable Wish List Cards and Christmas Countdown cards.

With the help of Mickey Mouse or one of Santa’s friendly elves, Hallmark Christmas Countdown Cards double as a holiday greeting and a functioning countdown clock. Display the card and watch the days and hours tick away, bringing you closer to the excitement of Christmas Day. I was sent a Mickey Mouse Countdown Card which I plan to keep on my desk at work.

Hallmark Recordable Wish List Cards enable kids (or kids at heart) to record their wish lists directly in to card to let Santa (ho,ho,ho) know what they’d like to receive for Christmas. Fun for all ages, the Recordable Wish List card is especially perfect for little ones who aren’t yet able to write a wish list for Santa.

BUY IT
Hallmark Christmas Countdown Cards retail for $6.99 each and Hallmark Recordable Wish List Cards retail for $5.99 and are available at Hallmark Gold Crown stores.


30% off at Hallmark.com!!!
Hallmark wants to share another holiday gift with all the FREEISMYLIFE readers: 30 percent off your personalized greetings order at Hallmark.com! Spread holiday cheer with customized greetings and photo cards, and use the code BLOG30 at checkout. The offer is valid through the first of next year, so you’ll have plenty of time to tackle your holiday card list.

GIVEAWAY
One (1) FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a Hallmark Interactive Story Buddy, a Hallmark Recordable Wish List Card and a Hallmark Christmas Countdown Card to start your holidays off right. This GIVEAWAY has a retail value of approximately $48 - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry form per person please. Duplicate entry forms will be removed.

- USA addresses only. No P.O. Boxes.

- The contest ends on Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

- One winner will be selected by random number generation.

- Prizes will be fulfilled to the winner by Hallmark or their PR company.

(6) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Hallmark on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following my "Useful Tech Toys" board on Pinterest.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the Hallmark Holiday question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife GIVEAWAY to WIN $48 Prize Pack with a Hallmark Interactive Story Buddy and Christmas Cards http://ow.ly/eTTVM "

Random.org has spoken!!! Out of 194 entries, Random.org has picked #113. Congratulations to the winner of the Hallmark Interactive Story Buddy Book and Greeting Cards - Kristen V. of Redford, MI!!!!

Enjoy!



Disclosure: I received complementary holiday products to facilitate this review. Hallmark is sponsoring this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY: WIN McDonald's Favorites Under 400 Calories Menu FREE Food Coupons - ENDS 10/26 (CLOSED)

McDonald's President Janice Fields (middle) at BlogHer12 McD breakfast

McDonald's strives to have more healthy menu choices...

While I was attending the BlogHer conference back in August, I attended a breakfast with 50 bloggers as part of a "McDonald's Listening Tour" with McDonald's President Janice Fields. Ms. Fields took candid questions from bloggers as we tried out some of the more healthy McDonald's breakfast choices.

The main concerns of most of the moms was not for McDonald's to rid their menu of every high calorie item, but to have menu choices for everyone - whether for people who are watching their weight, or sodium intake, or for children with food allergies.

So McDonald's has committed to a number of nutrition initiatives which include the following -

- Automatically include produce or low-fat dairy in each Happy Meal

- Develop additional vegetable fruit or low-fat dairy choices for the Happy Meal and roll out over the next few years

- Reduce sodium by an average of 15 percent overall across entire menu, excluding beverages by 2015

- Reduce added sugars, saturated fat and calories with varied portion sizes, reformulations and innovations by 2020

McDonald's Favorites Under 400 Calories Menu
For those looking to watch their weight, McDonald's is marketing their "Favorites Under 400 Calories" Menu. All 5000 BlogHer conference attendees were given a set of FREE product coupons so that we could try out a Premium Chicken Sandwich (350 calories), Egg McMuffin (300 calories) and the Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait (150 calories).

This is my menu favorite - Fruit 'N Yogur Parfait

My favorite out of all the menu items was the Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait. I could not believe that it is only 150 calories because it is totally delicious. And not only can you have it for breakfast, but it is available on the McDonald's menu all day long so I have also ordered it as a snack to eat after dinner.

This was my first time eating an Egg McMuffin - and I enjoyed it 

My second favorite is the Egg McMuffin. Believe it or not, I had never tried an Egg McMuffin before so I did not know what to expect. It was very good and it was again hard for me to believe the low calorie count.

Do you want to try out the McDonald's Favorites Under 400 Calories Menu for yourself - for FREE???  Well keep reading to find out how you can win the same FREE product coupons that we were given at BlogHer....

GIVEAWAY
One (1) FREEISMYLIFE reader will WIN coupons for FREE McDonald's food products including the following -
- One FREE Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich
- One FREE Egg McMuffin
- One FREE Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait
- One FREE Happy Meal of your choice. - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry form per person please. Duplicate entry forms will be removed.

- USA addresses only.

- The contest ends on Friday, October 26, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

- One winner will be selected by random number generation.

- Prize will be fulfilled to the winner via US mail. Not responsible for lost or stolen mail.

(5) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following my "Food Fun" board on Pinterest.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the McDonalds Favs under 400 question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife GIVEAWAY to WIN FREE Fav under 400 Coupons from @McDonalds http://ow.ly/et1mp "

Random.org has spoken!!! Out of 246 entries, Random.org has picked #123. Congratulations to the winner of the McDonald's Fav under 400 calories FREE Product Coupons - Chris K of Bloomfield Hills, MI!!!

Enjoy!



Disclosure: I received complementary FREE food coupons from McDonald's to facilitate this review. McDonalds is sponsoring this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY: WIN 2 Hallmark Text Bands just in time for Holiday Gift Giving - ENDS 10/12 (CLOSED)

Hallmark Text Bands are a low tech version of note passing in school...

Text Bands will be a holiday hit...

While I was attending the BlogHer conference back in August, I was invited to a party in a private suite overlooking the New York City skyline that was hosted by Hallmark. Hallmark has sponsored numerous giveaways on this blog in the past I could not wait to get to the party to see what new products Hallmark was planning to launch for the 2012 holiday season.

Justin Bieber rules...
A huge holiday display of Justin Bieber Greeting Cards greeted us as we walked in the door of the suite, along with a life size cutout of the pop star. No surprise that these cards went over well with the moms at the party who have tween and teen daughters.

New Holiday Gift Bags and paper by Hallmark

The Hallmark party suite featured an atrium with a 3 sided glass view of New York City. And front and center was a Christmas tree flanked by some of their new Hallmark holiday gift bags with coordinating tissue paper.

Hallmark has a new collection of interactive story buddy book sets which include a stuffed version of the animal that the story is about. Everyone fell in love with the Belle book and the huge stuffed version of Belle that sat in the suite's window.

We all got to play with the ornaments on the Christmas tree which included two that I loved - a Santa with a digital display that counted down to Christmas and a 1950's inspired working radio that plays holiday music.

Hallmark is of course known for their greeting cards and the suite was filled with lots of cute cards including my favorite which is a card with a wooden cut out on the front which turns into a Christmas tree ornament. I also love the pop-out cards (like the one above with the pop-out trailer and Christmas tree) because they are so unique.

And if you don't know what to do with all the Hallmark holiday cards you get from your friends and relatives, why not do what the Hallmark reps did - turn them into a holiday wreath with some wire and thumb tacks.

TEXT BANDS RULE!!!

Low Tech note passing with Fashionable Text Bands...
But the hit of the whole party were the new Hallmark Text Bands. Text Bands are a low tech version of text messaging. They allow the wearer to create messages up to ten characters in length and trade the messages with other text band wearers by bumping fists, giving high-5's or shaking hands. The message will scroll across the face of the Text Band, marque style. Text Bands take passing notes in school to a whole new level.

Text Bands come in all sorts of fun colors and styles to match the personality of the wearer. The bands are interchangeable and you can buy additional bands (without the electronic face) for $4.99 each. Imagine setting up a "No Talk Zone" for your kids and having them only communicate using Text Bands - Oh the peace and quiet. But I bet kids will want to wear these just because they are very fashionable.

BUY IT
Hallmark Text Bands are fun and super cool and retail at $14.99 each (you will need to buy at least two) at Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

GIVEAWAY
Two (2) FREEISMYLIFE readers will each win two (2) Hallmark Text Bands so you can try them out before they hit stores for the holidays. This GIVEAWAY has a retail value of $30 per winner - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry form per person please. Duplicate entry forms will be removed.

- USA addresses only. No P.O. Boxes.

- The contest ends on Friday, October 12, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

- Two winners will be selected by random number generation.

- Prizes will be fulfilled to the winners by Hallmark or their PR company.

(6) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Hallmark on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following my "Useful Tech Toys" board on Pinterest.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the Hallmark Text Bands question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife GIVEAWAY to WIN $30 in Hallmark Text Bands http://ow.ly/eaUuR "

Random.org has spoken!!! Out of 185 entries, Random.org has picked the following 2 winners of a pair of Hallmark Text Bands. Congratulations to -

#040 - Laura J. of Detroit, MI
#084 - Ashley T. of Waynesboro, VA

Enjoy!



Disclosure: I received complementary Text Bands to facilitate this review. Hallmark is sponsoring this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY: Zippo 6" Candle Lighters are Beautiful & Practical - ENDS 9/27 (CLOSED)

If a butane lighter can be called sexy, this Zippo lighter would get that title ...

When I was a kid, my mom tried to teach me how to light a match by striking it against the flint on the side of the match box.  I ended up burning my fingers and since then, I have been afraid of using matches.  So for years, I have keep butane candle lighters in my home to light birthday candles instead of using matches.

I have bought all kind of butane lighters over the years, but I have never found one that I thought was anything other than utilitarian. But while I was attending the BlogHer conference in New York, I stopped by the Zippo booth and fell in love - with a butane lighter!

Zippo 6" Mini Candle Lighters are both useful and totally stylish.  If a butane lighter can be called sexy, this Zippo lighter would get that title.  When I saw this red Zippo lighter at BlogHer, I just loved everything about it.  The shape and size are perfect to hold comfortably in my hand.  For safety, there is a large black button on the  bottom that you must hold in while flicking the switch on the front to ignite the flame.  And the intense color combined with the silver accents make this Zippo butane lighter totally stylish and beautiful.

Zippo 6" Mini Candle Lighters are handy for grills, candles, fireplaces, stoves, campfires, lanterns and more! This Zippo lighter features -

·Advanced ignition system
·Adjustable flame dial
·Child-resistant safety button
·Fuel supply window
·Refillable butane tank
·6-1/2" overall
·Tough metal construction with Candle Apple Red™ finish
·Clampacked
·Lifetime guarantee

BUY IT
The Zippo 6" Mini Candle Lighter retails for $14.99 and can be purchased online on Amazon and at convenience stores like Rite Aid.

I always hid my old butane lighter behind a plant in my kitchen because it is so ugly.  My new beautiful Zippo 6" Candy Apple Red Candle Lighter is now front-and-center because there is no need to hide anything this beautiful.

GIVEAWAY
One (1) FREEISMYLIFE reader will WIN a Candy Apple Red Zippo 6" Candle Lighter.  This GIVEAWAY has a retail value of $14.95 - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry form per person please. Duplicate entry forms will be removed.

- USA addresses only. No P.O. Boxes.

- The contest ends on Thursday, September 27, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

- One winner will be selected by random number generation.

- Prize will be fulfilled to winner by Zippo or their PR company.

(6) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Zippo on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Zippo on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the Zippo Candle Lighter question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered to WIN a beautiful red @Zippo 6" Candle Lighter on @FREEISMYLIFE http://ow.ly/dKDC8 "

Random.org has spoken!!! Out of 237 entries, Random.org has picked #68. Congratulations to the winner of the Zippo Candle Lighter - Lori M. of Dearborn, MI!!!


Enjoy!



Disclosure: I received a complementary Zippo 6" Candle Lighter to facilitate this review. I am an Amazon.com affiliate member. All opinions are my own.

GIVEAWAY: WIN a NEW Energizer Flameless Candle to decorate your Home - ENDS 9/24 (CLOSED)

Energizer Flameless Candles look so real...and smell great!

You will swear these flameless candles are real...

I have not used candles for decoration on my home since my son was born.  Before he was born, I used lots of scented candles and set a fire in my fireplace all the time since I loved the ambience of the flames. But when my son became old enough to get out of his crib, all the scented candles and the fireplace tools went into the basement and have never made it back out. I have fears of just one careless action burning down my home so I would rather be safe than sorry.

Energizer Flameless Candle display at BlogHer

But all that has changed since I went to the BlogHer conference in New York and had the pleasure of trying out a new product from Energizer - Flameless Candles. Now when I saw these candles, I was hard pressed to believe they were not real since Energizer Flameless Wax Candles are made from real wax and are available in a variety of scents, colors and sizes.

The minute I opened the package, the smell of the candle drifted straight to me nose. I love the smell of vanilla candles and Energizer Flameless Candles are available in many scents including honey vanilla, driftwood, pumpkin spice, vanilla and pomegranate passion.

The bottom of the Energizer Flameless candle is the only indication that the candle is not real since this is where you insert the 4 batteries and turn on the candle by using the on/off switch. The bottom of the candle also contains an automatic timer where you can set the candle to shut off after 4, 6 or 8 hours.

The first time I used my vanilla flameless candle, I turned it on and set it by my bed while I watched TV. The candle smelled so good and the flicker ambiance was so real, I actually fell asleep and woke up with a start thinking I had left a real candle burning.

If like me, you have kids who get into everything, or even curious housepets, the Energizer Flameless Candles open up the possibilities of how you can decorate your home without worrying about open flames. And if you love to decorate with candles for the holidays, these candles will look great on your dining table, fireplace mantel, and even under your Christmas tree.

BUY IT
Energizer Flameless Candles are now available for purchase in the Amazon Store and you can find more info at Energizer Flameless Candles.

GIVEAWAY
One (1) FREEISMYLIFE reader will WIN an Energizer Flameless 3x4 taupe pillar Candle with the honey vanilla scent along with a 4-pack of Energizer MAX AA batteries containing Power Seal technology which holds power on-shelf for 10 years. So, you have the confidence in knowing you will always have power when you need it most.

This GIVEAWAY has a RETAIL VALUE of around $20 - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry form per person please. Duplicate entry forms will be removed.

- USA addresses only. No P.O. Boxes.

- The contest ends on Monday, September 24, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

- One winner will be selected by random number generation.

- Prize will be fulfilled to winner by Energizer or their PR company.

(7) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Energizer on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Energizer on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Energizer Household Lighting on Pinterest.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for answering the Energizer Flameless Candle question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @Energizer Flameless Candle GIVEAWAY on @FREEISMYLIFE http://ow.ly/dKuhT "

Random.org has spoken!!! Out of 260 entries, Random.org has picked #62. Congratulations to the winner of the Energizer Flameless 3x4 taupe pillar Candle with the Honey Vanilla scent along with a 4-pack of Energizer MAX AA batteries - Susan P. of Pembroke Pines, FL !!!

Enjoy!



Disclosure: I received complementary Energizer Flameless Candles during the BlogHer Conference to facilitate this review. I am an Amazon.com affiliate member. All opinions are my own.

TECH REVIEW: Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

It's a beautiful high tech "James Bond"-like device - with some quirks...

If you read any of the posts in my most recent blogging series called "Blogging & the City 2.0" then you know that I took all my trip photos while in New York for the BlogHer12 conference with the Samsung Galaxy S III loaned to me by Verizon Wireless.

One of the reasons that I used a smartphone to take my trip photos is because I could not find the special charger for my digital camera - which is not a great thing to lose right before a trip.

But the Samsung Galaxy S III took some great photos and is a beautifully designed super fast 4G smartphone with a huge screen which I loved - although some aspects of the phone were not my "cup of tea."

The first thing that you will notice about the Samsung Galaxy S III is that it is beautiful. The phone is super thin with a huge brilliant 4.8 inch HD screen and a white body that makes it stand out among other Android smartphones.

The design of the Samsung Galaxy S III fits in well with my iPad2

I own a white iPad2 and a Mac Air and the Samsung Galaxy S III is one of only a few beautifully designed Android smartphones that fit in perfectly with my stylish Apple electronics. Since I have poor eyesight I really love huge 4G smartphone screens like the one on the Samsung Galaxy S III. And the phone is not only beautiful but tough since I dropped it a few times and there was not a scratch on it.

The Samsung Galaxy S III runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich which gave me all the latest Android OS features like being able to run the Google Chrome browser on the phone. The phone has a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 2 GB RAM so everything was super fast combined with the super fast Verizon 4G network.

The phone has some interesting features like using the "Motion" options to initiate phone calls from a text message my raising the phone to my head and pausing of video by covering the display with my hand. Also I could mute incoming calls and sounds by turning the phone over.

Some things made me scratch my head....
But they say that anytime you travel with someone, we get to know the good and the bad and the Samsung Galaxy S III had a few issues that just baffled me during my trip to BlogHer in New York City.

First the phone had very bad battery life during my trip and died each day around 4pm. Now bad battery life is an issue with all 4G smartphones which is why I always install the Green Power app, which manages the smartphone features to make the battery last longer.

Since I have been using Green Power on the smartphones that I review, I have never had a issue with battery life. But even with Green Power installed, the battery of the Samsung Galaxy S III died mid-afternoon while I was in New York. But once I returned home to Detroit, the battery lasted all day - I don't have a clue why this happened.

The Samsung Galaxy S III also ran hot to the touch - sometimes while charging and other times while just sitting on the table not being used. And the thing that I really did not understand is when the screen auto dimmed every time I tried to use the Internet. I assume it was trying to save battery power.

The one other thing that had me laughing and scratching my head was when the Samsung Galaxy S III took photos by itself. I have at least twenty photos of my feet from when the camera took photos without me pressing any buttons. I found out later that there is a feature on the phone that uses voice commands to take photos when you say words like "cheese" or "smile" - guess I should have read the manual a little more before I started using the camera :)

Samsung Galaxy S III took nice indoor shots - my meal for the Glamorous Moms Luncheon looks yummy :)

Galaxy S III also took great night shots of the NYC skyline

Self portrait taken with Samsung Galaxy S III - the blue of my scarf looks great

Good camera, day and night...
I have to say the Samsung Galaxy S III took some very nice photos both indoors and out and also at night.  And who would not like having a 4.8" HD color view finder on their camera?

Even though I love technology, I just like my smartphones to do basic features well so the Samsung Galaxy S III is a little too high tech for me - although I will miss the big beautiful screen on this phone.

But for someone who are looking for a smartphone to be a beautiful high tech "James Bond"-like device that uses motion and voice features, the Samsung Galaxy S III may be the smartphone you have been waiting for.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is available for $199 from Verizon Wireless with a 2 year contact.


Enjoy!

Disclosure: I was loaned the Samsung Galaxy S III Smartphone by Verizon Wireless for my trip to BlogHer12 in New York.  All opinons are my own.

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Blogging & the City 2.0 (Part 8): @Staples & @UPS are your Swag's Best Friends #BlogHer12

This is the story of how Staples & UPS got 26.5 Ibs of Swag back to Detroit for $20...

This is the last post in my series "Blogging & the City 2.0" where I recounted all my adventures at the BlogHer12 conference in New York City.  And today, I decided to end this series by telling you a funny story about Swag.

When I attended my first Blogher Conference back in 2010, I discovered BlogHer has some great Swag. For those of you who don't know what swag is, in this case, it is FREE items that are given to conference attendees. But what I also discovered is, when you fly to a conference, you better choose your swag very carefully since you will need to pay to ship home whatever you cannot fit in your luggage.

This year, Laura (from LauraInTheMotorCity.com) and I prepared for the possibility of bringing home extra Swag.  Since Laura travels more than I do, she has a Delta SkyMiles Credit Card that allows her and her travel mates to check a bag each on Delta for FREE. So both of us took a big piece of luggage to the conference. When we weighed the luggage at the airport, we found out we could bring home 20 pounds of Swag each without going over the weight requirements for FREE bags.

So I was very selective in what I took home from the conference and my bag was actually way under the weight requirement (see me patting myself on the back).

CoreBody Reformer by Nautilus, Inc.

Sometimes Swag just happens...
During the conference, Laura wanted to attend a special fitness event hosted by Bowflex to introduce their new CoreBody Reformer™ by Nautilus, Inc. During this event, we got to exercise with celebrity trainer Jennifer Galardi who showed us all the ins and outs of using the CoreBody Reformer™.

This unique fitness product combines three popular exercises into one: Yoga for flexibility, Pilates for muscle strength and dance for calorie burn. I have been exercising for years - running, walking, and lifting weights - and nothing prepared me for this machine. Within 10 minutes I was sweating like a pig and was out of breath like I had run a marathon.

Part of working on the machine is that you have to balance yourself like a gymnast in the Olympics - this makes you find your center. I kept falling off (totally embarrassing) and when I finally got my balance, I had to add in the hand straps (which are really 3 to 12 pound weights) and then I started falling off again. By the end of the hour, I was exhausted and every part of my body had been worked out.

After class was over, we were all sitting on the floor recovering when the BowFlex team announced they were ready to start the giveaway for a CoreBody Reformer™.

Did I mention each CoreBody Reformer™ is $250?  HOLLA!

Now the odds of Laura or I winning was good because there were only eight bloggers in the room and they were giving away four CoreBody Reformers. So when my name was called I was over the moon - till I realized I had to get a 26.5 pound exercise machine back to Detroit.

Now if you remember my swag post from BlogHer10 (How UPS Saved my Swag), Laura and I took our swag to a UPS Store two blocks from the Hilton and I paid around $30 total to ship everything home. So I already knew UPS was a great way to ship for a good price.  So I decided then and there we were going to take the CoreBody Reformer to the UPS Store immediately to get it out of the way.

The best laid plans can go wrong quickly....
So I hoisted the 26.5 pound box on my shoulder and carried it two blocks to the UPS Store - but the store was not there - OMG. So here I am in Midtown Manhattan with a 26.5 pound box and no UPS Store.

So Laura pulled out her iPhone and found the nearest UPS store was now another 3 blocks away. I asked if she could walk it to see how far it was since blocks in Manhattan can go on forever. She did not return for 10 minutes - help me!!!

So as we are standing there wondering what to do, Laura looks over and sees the Staples store across the street. Since, unlike me, she is still in her right mind, she remembers that Staples stores have UPS shipping inside. So I put the box on my shoulder and hope this next plan will work out.

I love Staples !!!
We get into the Staples store (with my big lovely box) and go over to the shipping counter. As they are weighing the box, I am praying. And what was my total cost to ship my CoreBody Reformer from New York to Detroit? $20 and change. I could have hugged that Staples store employee.

So if you are going anywhere where swag is king, I suggest you use UPS and that you map out the nearest Staples and UPS stores - before you leave the hotel :)

Thanks Staples and UPS for your reasonable prices, your many convenient locations and your quick shipping. You saved my swag and I love for it!!!

And I hope everyone enjoyed "Blogging and the City 2.0."  Now stay tuned for tons of product reviews and giveaways from brands that I met at the conference.

Enjoy!


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