Lured by Lore - Skimbaco Giveaway

Note: There are TWO giveaways here this week, so be sure to scroll down one and enter the Beacon Street Girls contest as well!

This giveaway is being sponsored by my blog buddy Katja, and you are going to be blown away by her generosity. First, a little bit about Katja and her gorgeous, upscale boutique, Skimbaco. (I love saying/writing both of those names!)



Here's Katja's "About Me" profile from her blog:

I am a fashion-freak-former model. I am a cinnamon-bun-baking-housewife. I am a marketing-loving-business-woman. I am a "let's-jump-some-more-on-the couch-kids"-mother. I own skimbaco.com, the Upscale Children's Boutique.

Don't you just love her?!

Katja's boutique Skimbaco is LOADED with the most hip and trendy children's designer clothing, shoes and accessories, baby gifts, home deco, toys and women's designer jewelry.

New to Skimbaco is the clothing line Fable and Lore created by Kaia Canales. Canales has designed for companies such as Calvin Klein and Old Navy in the past, and now, her Fable and Lore line is available at Skimbaco!

The line centers around a fairy tale theme, and each outfit comes with its own illustrated storybook. The clothing features color-changing embroidery and hidden pockets to create a magical feel for children. How cool is that?!

You can read an interview with Canales by Katja here.

My favorite from the Fable and Lore line is this gorgeous Peggy Ruby Red Velvet Coat:



How perfect is this for fall? The leaves lining the bottom are just too cute.

Boys can wear the Peter Preppy Navy Coat and look just as stylish as the girls:



A few other favorites of mine from Skimbaco include this Victorian Blouse in Black in the Wati line:



this Custom Silver Child Name Bracelet in the Deanna Cochran Tiny Angel Designs collection:



And this Custom Blanki in brown by Gigi Blanki:



Now that you've fallen in love with Skimbaco as much as I have, I have good news for you! One winner will receive a $100 shopping spree at Skimbaco!

Here are all of the contest details:

Deadline: Enter by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 30. Any entries after that time will NOT be accepted. Winner will be drawn on Monday, October 1 and announced that day.

To Enter: Simply announce this contest on your blog with a link back to this post and to Skimbaco, then leave a comment here (Haloscan and Blogger comment entries are both accepted) on this post with your link.

NO DUPLICATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Non-bloggers are more than welcome to enter by leaving your name and contact information in the comments, along with your favorite item from Skimbaco.

Remember that if you have won a contest of mine in the past month, you are ineligible to enter. Sorry!

Good luck and happy entering!

Win an 8gb Ipod Nano From TechJuicer

TechJuicer is giving away an 8gb Ipod Nano in any color!

And all you have to do to enter is comment. Posting gives you an extra entry and texting into the numbers provided gives you 4 entries.

Check out the contest post for full details. Deadline is November 9.

Win an Ipod Video Nano From Success for Your Blog

Jason from Success for Your Blog is giving away a prize I am drooling over. An Apple Ipod Video Nano.

Success for Your Blog is all about creating a successful blog with great tips, tricks, resources and money makers. The tips and resources can take you to the next level in their blogging career.

Check out all the contest details and rules here.

While you're there, be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you don't miss a single post!

Part of the rules are that you must link to two blogs that you enjoy. That's easy enough, and I like that little twist!

So here are two blogs I think you should check out:

~Bruce Littlefield's Garage Sale America. Bruce is talented, entertaining and a really fun guy! Not to mention easy on the eyes. So is his partner! You'll see what I mean when you check out his dolphin post. *grin*

~Katja, owner of Skimbaco and my current contest sponsor. You'll love her even more than you'll love all of the VERY hip and trendy clothes at her boutique!

Beacon Street Girls - A Review and Giveaway

If you're a woman around my age, you probably remember the Sweet Valley High book series. I so wanted to be one of the blonde twins who seemed to have everything I did not, especially popularity.

Well, today's tweens have something even better to sink their minds into. The Beacon Street Girls series is so hip, so modern and so fun! But more importantly, the goal of the series is to create positive role models for pre-teen girls.



Direct from the company, btween productions:

The company’s mission is to provide engaging, high quality literature for “tweens” so we can impact their behavior in a positive manner. The company is committed to the health and well-being of preteen girls, and we work with various world-renowned experts on how to best present the ideas and issues embedded in each of the award-winning books. The books are heavily influenced by the world’s leading experts in childhood development, adolescence and children’s health and well-being.

Take that, Sweet Valley High! My 17-year-old daughter and I, while looking over the books I was sent to review, both said, "Where were cool books like these when we were tweens?! It makes me want to be 12 again!"

The characters in the BSG series include Maeve (friendly, entertaining and fun), Charlotte (intelligent, worldly, curious), Avery (energetic, optimistic, outspoken), Isabel (artistic, sensitive, kind), Katani (stylish, loyal, cool), and the adorable doggie Marty (fiesty, cuddly, suave).



I was sent two books in the series to review, the special adventure, Maeve on the Red Carpet (how did they know this was right up my alley?!), and book five, promises, promises both by Annie Bryant.

The books are flashy enough to catch your tween's attention and subtle enough in their message that they don't come off as preachy or boring.

You can visit each book's page on the Beacon Street Girls website to download the first chapter, take a quiz, print a poster, and more.

The entire site is as fun as the books, with games, contests, and glitz and glamour. There are three contests currently running, including one based on "Maeve on the Red Carpet." The winner of that contest will win either a one week acting workshop for tweens or a one week film making workshop for tweens.



And the site's shop page has SO many fun products that goes along with the series.

Again...makes me wish I was 12!

The folks at BSG have graciously offered to giveaway THREE books from their series to readers of So a Blonde Walks Into a Review! That means three winners! Yay! Each winner will be able to select the book of their choice from the series.

To enter, head on over to Beacon Street Girls and find out which book you like best. Then, just leave a comment here telling us which book that is. You can always change your mind if you're the winner. Make sure you leave me a way to contact you should you win.

Deadline to enter is 11:59 on Sunday, September 30. Winners will be announced on Monday, October 1.

Good luck and happy entering!

More Contests Around the Blogosphere

Be sure to keep an eye out here for more contests to come! Click here for previously posted contests.


Anton over at the Halloween Blog is offering up a $50 prize to a lucky winner. To enter just post about his new blog and the contest post. Head on over to enter and find all things Halloween while you're there! Winner will be announced on October 1.
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The Pinks and Blues Girls are having a Pinks and BOOs Halloween Guide Giveaway with lots of goodies included! Head on over to find out how to enter. Deadline (no pun intended!) is October 14.
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5 Minutes for Mom is giving away the much-sought after Dyson's DC07 Pink vacuum ! Full details can be found at the contest post. Winner will be drawn on October 1.
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Mr. Fabulous from Pointless Drivel is hosting a contest where the winner will have a choice of three prizes, from an Ipod Shuffle to a $75 Barnes and Noble giftcard! One of the prizes is in the "adults only" category, so tread lightly on over there! :)

All you have to do to enter is vote for his blog as the best humor blog (click the button below):



and then write a post on your blog urging your readers to vote for him. Be sure to visit Mr. Fab's contest post to let him know you've voted and posted (you must provide the link to your post in the comments section of his contest post).

Deadline to enter is midnight (EST) on October 19.

We Have Some Winners!

Thanks to everyone who entered my latest contests! Here are the winners:

For the LaLaLingerie contest:

1st place prize of a $50 credit toward the costume of your choice - Anastasia from MediaMafia!

2nd place prize of the fuschia bustier/thong set - Sarah from Sassyfrazz.

For the "On Borrowed Wings" contest, for a free, hardcover copy of the incredible book:

Mama Zen from The Zen of Motherhood.

(I still don't know if this will be autographed or not, so you'll have to be surprised when it arrives, lol).

I will be forwarding your emails to the sponsors so they can contact you for your information (MamaZen, I can't find your email address, so I'll leave my email in a comment on your blog). Congratulations!

And thanks to LaLaLingerie and MotherTalk for their generosity in sponsoring these contests!

If you didn't win, don't worry! I have plenty of contest lined up!

Keep an eye out for our next two contests coming very soon. And, as always, keep checking back for updates on other contests around the blogosphere.

A Meme and An Award

Thanks to ABookWorm from A Bookworm's Diary for awarding this blog with the Nice Matters Award! I'm to award it to the same number of people as there are letters in my middle name (explanation for that coming up). That would be five.

So, here goes:

~Elizabeth at Table for Five.

~Kailani from An Island Review.

~Katja (I love her name!) from Skimbaco.

~Christine from From Dates to Diapers.

~Laura from Laura Williams Musings.

~Steph from Adventures in Babywearing.

Now for the meme! Bookworm tagged me for the middle name meme, where I list a random fact about myself for each letter of my middle name. Here goes:

"M" - Married for 18 years to my awesome husband Rob.

"A" - Amanda is our first born child.

"R" - Rob is my husband's name (this is too easy, lol)

"I" - I can drink Lactaid milk, but if I take a Lactaid pill, I'll be sicker than Britney in a bar's bathroom stall after a night of partying.

"E" - Easygoing. I'm very easygoing.

Okay, now I have to tag someone for each letter in my middle name. I'm picking:

~Carolyn from Mrs. Mordant.

~Mik from Slightly Mordant.

~Shelli from Shelli's Sentiments.

~Lynda from Lynda's Great Journey.

~Mel from Mel's Meaningless Ramblings.

Have fun!

La La Lingerie!

Note: This post will stay at the top of this site for the duration of the contest. Scroll down for other posts and even more giveaways to come this week! Thanks!



Oh la la! Today I'm pleased to present a contest that everyone can enter! I want to make sure this site is all-encompassing in what you can win so that parents and non-parents alike can all "try something on with me."

And how about trying this on:



Oh la la indeed! This gorgeous and very sexy fuchsia bustier and thong set comes from the glamorous boutique La La Lingerie. Are you swooning along with me?

La La Lingerie has SO much to choose from. Need lingerie, costumes, jewelry, hosiery, pasties, swimwear, clothing or shoes? You can find it all there, with fast, FREE shipping!

With Halloween approaching, La La Lingerie is the perfect place to shop for costumes. Here are a few of my favorites:





This "Uma Thurman Kill Bill" costume is too cute! The costume is a take on the outfit worn by Uma Thurman in the final fight scene of the movie "Kill Bill."




This is my absolute favorite, though! Here's the description from the site:

"This Material Girl Madonna Costume includes the pink strapless gown belt with large rear bow and pink opera length gloves. The dress zips up the side,has sequin trim at the bust and hem and has a thigh high slit."






How about something for the men? Check out the Russell Crowe Gladiator Costume. I know I'd love to see my husband in that one, lol!




All of these costumes come from La La Lingerie's Celebrity Costume line. (Which, of course, immediately caught my eye!)

They have several costume categories so be sure to check them all out!

And La La Lingerie has been generous enough to offer TWO prizes!

First place winner will receive a $50 credit toward the costume purchase of their choice. Many of the costumes are under $50 so you will have a ton to choose from! (And you can always purchase one that's more than $50 and apply the credit to that costume)

Second place winner will receive the gorgeous fuchsia bustier and thong set shown above. Here's the description from the site:

"This flirty fuchsia lingerie set includes the underwire bustier and matching thong panties. The lace bustier top features lightly padded underwire cups, adjustable straps and a hook and eye closure on the back. This bustier is decorated with bows and has corset lacing under the bustline. The cute matching panties also have corset lacing on the front and a thong back."

Here are all of the contest details:

Deadline: Enter by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, September 19. Any entries received after that time will NOT be accepted. Winner will be drawn on Thursday, September 20 and announced that day.

To Enter: Simply announce this contest on your blog with a link back to this contest post and to La La Lingerie, then leave a comment here (Haloscan and Blogger comment entries are both accepted) on this post with your link and with your favorite item from La La Lingerie.

Feel free to use this button in your sidebar or blog post (not required).



Simply copy and paste this code into your sidebar or post:

<a href="http://blondereviews.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/WriteWingNut/blondereview-premade3-1-linkb1.jpg"></a>

NO DUPLICATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Non-bloggers are more than welcome to enter by leaving your name and contact information in the comments, along with your favorite item from La La Lingerie.

New Rule: If you have won any of my contests, either here or on my personal blog in the past month, you are ineligible to enter. Sorry!

Good luck everyone and happy entering!

Contests Around the Blogosphere

Note: Keep checking this post for contest updates.


Emma from It's Write Now is giving away a really cool 8-Gig, Red, iPod, Nano, Video!!! *(You have no idea how much I want to win this one! I'm still stuck in the stone age with my ugly, silver and ORANGE, bulky CD walkman...ugh! And it's falling apart, too). Deadline to enter is midnight on October 31. Click here for full details on entering.



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Carolyn from Mrs. Mordant is hosting a giveaway where you can win a $100 Visa Gift Card!!!! Full details can be found here. Deadline to enter is October 15.
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Steph over at Adventures in Babywearing is giving away Protect-A-Bed bedding protectors for all your children's beds. Click here for full contest details. Deadline to enter is Friday September 21, 10 PM (CST.)
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I Want My Samples is giving away a $25 gift card to Best Buy! Visit the contest post for full details, and check out Free Samples - MillionDollarWiki as well. Winners will be notified by email on October 1.

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5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a sleek Rocketfish Wireless Multimedia Bluetooth Keyboard and Laser Mouse. Click here for full details. Deadline to enter is unknown.
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Naomi at superdumb supervillain is hosting two giveaways right now. You can win a short-sleeved white cotton nursing nightgown in size medium from Boob. Click here for full details. Deadline to enter is October 5th.
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You can also win a Learning Tower and Playhouse Kit valued at approximately $203. Click here for complete details on how to enter. Deadline is September 30.







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Mums the Wurd is giving away a $150 ecertificate to the very hip clothing store Zutano. Click over to their contest post for full details. The winner will be announced September 30th, 2007, at 10 PM CST.
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~Win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com! Jenny and Erin are on a "quest for understanding" and are hosting the giveaway, and all you have to do is answer the following questions:

How big of a role do habits play in your daily life? Do your habits typically form intentionally or unconsciously? What approaches have you found successful in shaping them?

Visit their contest post for full entry details. Deadline to enter is September 21. Here's my answer to the questions:

I believe habits can be formed both intentionally and unconsciously. And habits can be both good and bad. One habit that's played a big part in my daily life is mindless and/or stress eating. I've had to make a conscious effort to think about when and what I eat to break this bad habit I've acquired. Keeping track with a journal has helped me tremendously in that regard (and helped me to lose 15 pounds!). So I formed the bad habit unconsciously and have been breaking it intentionally!

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~MumsTheWord is hosting a giveaway where you can win a $100 gift card to Natural Pod. Worried about all of the toy recalls and lead paint as much as I am? Then you'll definitely want to try out Natural Pod. You can shop with the security of knowing that their products are safe and natural.

Head over to Mums the Wurd to enter the contest and to learn more about this important issue. All comments will be compiled and presented to the FDA in an October 1 meeting with the Bush administration.

Contest ends on Wednesday, September 19th at 10:00pm CST.
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~Love the design of this site as much as I do? How could you not? Well, Mia from The Blog Cafe is offering YOU an opportunity to get a FREE...yes I said free....design for your blog!

Head on over to the contest post at her personal blog "Moms at it Again" for your chance to win. Hurry! Answer will be posted Friday!

Don't worry if you miss it, as she'll be holding this contest every Thursday and whoever answers the trivia question correctly gets put in a drawing for the free design. Winner will be chosen at the end of the month. Good luck!

On Borrowed Wings - Review and Giveaway

There are times when I want a quick, easy, light read. And then there are times when I want something depper, more literary.

I was definitely in the mood for the latter when I started reading "On Borrowed Wings" by Chandra Prasad. You just feel smarter when you carry that book around with you!

If Oprah were still selecting books for her book club, I think this one would've made it in. The writing flows so smoothly with intelligent prose and it leaves you with a deep message on women and history.

The book definitely made me appreciate the opportunities that are availabe to women today that weren't available in the past...things we often take for granted. My daughter being able to go to college next fall being first and foremost, unlike the main character in the book, who must pose as her deceased brother in order to attend Yale.

The characters are so well-written that you feel like you're back in time, hanging out with Wick, Phin and Harry and going on all of their adventures with them.

There are many unexpected adventures, at that, some of which will leave you shouting at the main character, Adele, "What are you thinking?!" Even with some of her questionable choices, you'll still find yourself rooting for her.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to curl up on a cool, fall day with a latte in one hand and "On Borrowed Wings" in the other. Try it in Starbucks and tell me you don't feel hip and all literary-like, lol.

I have one, hardcover copy of the book (gorgeous cover and all) to give away. The book might be authographed, but I haven't confirmed that yet. And to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment here. That's all!

A link back to this post IS NOT required, but if you do link, I'll put you down for a bonus entry. Just be sure to let me know you linked in the comments so I can give you credit.

Deadline to enter is 11:59 PM on Friday, September 21. Winner will be announced the following Saturday.

Good luck and happy reading!

My Little Piggy's Contest Winner

Note: In honor of 9/11, my next contest will not be announced until Wednesday, September 12. Please visit my personal blog to read my 9/11 tribute and memories. Thank you.

Congratulations to Carrie from Carrie and the Koehmstedts! Your name was selected at random through Random.org as the winner of a $100 gift card to My Little Piggy's!

Thank you to all who entered and be sure to check back here on Wednesday as I have another HUGE contest lined up that you are going to looove!

And if you didn't win, don't forget that readers of So a Blonde Walks Into a Review get an exclusive discount! Simply enter the code "BLONDE" (all caps, no quotes) at My Little Piggy's to receive a 10% discount on your entire purchase!

Thank you to our contest sponsor Maria Katsaros for her generosity!

Update: While going through my emails to contact Carrie, I noticed that she won my last two contests (at my other blog)! I've never had to consider not allowing someone to enter a contest of mine before because...well, what are the chances of someone winning three in a row?! But, Carrie, you're going to have to sit the next few out I'm afraid, lol.

I guess from here on out I will institute a new rule. If you win a contest here, you will be ineligible to enter any future contest for a period of one month. Does that sound fair? I hate rules, but obviously I need to start considering them to be fair.

I promise to all that the picks are ALWAYS drawn randomly. I manually type each entrant's name into Random.org and use their list randomizer to select the winner. It just so happens that Random.org seems to like Carrie!

And really...if I was going to rig this I wouldn't be that obvious, lol. AND, I would've chosen my good friend Flip Flop Mama who is giving birth as I type this. Not that I don't love you all, of course, but she IS giving birth after all! :)

Thanks again for entering and remember to come back Wednesday for the next big contest announcement (except you, Carrie...lol).

My Little Piggy's Contest

Note: This post will stay at the top of this site until the end of the contest. Scroll down for other posts. Thank you!



Happy Labor Day, everyone! What better way to celebrate the holiday than to honor those who've "labored"...namely mothers!

I'm pleased to announce So a Blonde Walks Into a Review's first contest sponsor: My Little Piggy's, "where designer style and fine quality meet for a playdate."

This trendy, upscale, high-end boutique has a WIDE range of gorgeous products for those wee ones we spent so much time laboring to give birth to!

Created by mom Maria Katsaros, the site offers products that are high-quality and functional. From Maria herself:

MyLittlePiggys.com is really about saving time. It's about finding hot little outfits and accessories that will last wash after wash, week after week. And because shopping ease is so important to me, I made it important on this site. In fact, my site thinks like you do, so you won't have to walk through the "shoe department" to find "onesies", for example.

You really have to see these products to appreciate how gorgeous they are, so let me take you on a little tour:



These crib and stroller blankets are the perfect accessory for the hip momma and her baby! Don't you just love the patterns?



Your little one can bathe in style with these hooded towel and washcloth sets! The towels have snuggly cotton prints on one side, and deluxe, absorbent terry on the other. Matching washcloths included!



These Sleepy Time Infant Goody Goody Slippers took my breath away! How precious are these? Slip them on your wee one's toesies at night and she'll be the perfect little princess! (Psst...I would SO have my baby wear them during the day, too! Makes me want to have another baby just so she can wear these!)



Expecting a new baby and don't know the gender yet? How about trying out this chic unisex Avery crib bedding? The all-cotton set comes with extra long bumper ties so you can tie double the knots for added safety. Extra-long (16") bedskirt hides away under-the-crib supplies, and the 32-inch square blanket provides plenty of coverage. AND everything is machine washable, including the reversible, zip-out slip-covers on the 12" high bumpers!



And what mommy doesn't need a functional, stylish diaper bag? This Kane Carry All has a sleek, smooth exterior with a funky, purple dot interiror (I heart purple and funky! Can you tell? *grin*)

I could go on and on. In fact, I had such a hard time choosing just a few items to share with you all. So head over to My Little Piggy's and check it out for yourself. There are shoes, outfits, bibs (with sleeves!), sleepwear, and more!

Now for the best part. YOU have the chance to win a $100 gift card to My Little Piggy's!! Are you as excited as I am?!

One lucky winner will get their very own shopping spree at an adorable, high-scale boutique!

Here are all of the contest details:

Deadline: Enter by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, September 10. Any entries after that time will NOT be accepted. Winner will be drawn on Tuesday, September 11 and announced that day.

To Enter: Simply announce this contest on your blog with a link back to this site and to My Little Piggy's, then leave a comment here (Haloscan and Blogger comment entries are both accepted) on this post with your link. Be sure to visit My Little Piggy's and tell us what your favorite product is, too!

NO DUPLICATE ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Non-bloggers are more than welcome to enter by leaving your name and contact information in the comments, along with your favorite item from My Little Piggy's.

That's it! Easy enough, right?

But that's not all! Readers of So a Blonde Walks Into a Review get a special discount, too! Anyone wishing to place an order at My Little Piggy's can use the code "BLONDE" (all caps, no quotes) to get 10% off their order!

Happy entering!
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Not required, but I would be very grateful if you would share my link button when you mention this site:



Simply copy and paste the code below into your post:

<a href="http://blondereviews.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b68/WriteWingNut/blondereview-premade3-1-linkb1.jpg"></a>

Thank you!

Kajeet Cell Phones for Kids

My 11-year-old son Matthew was recently asked by the great moms over at Mom Central to be a Beta tester for Kajeet. Kajeet is an adorable and practical cell phone service for kids.



Matthew got this sweeeeet cell phone, valued at $99.99 for free, along with a $20 gift card for trying out the service. His phone is a Sony Katana and is way nicer than any cell phone I ever owned!

Check out the features:

• Digital zoom camera phone equipped with unique picture effects
  
• Large internal screen (1.3x1.8 inches) delivers sharp, bright and clear images
  
• Bluetooth compatible for convenient hands-free talking valued at 99.99

Since this phone is only for us to keep in touch with Matthew when we need to, Kajeet is the perfect service. We trust Matthew to use the phone in the way that we say it should be used, meaning no text messaging, and any ring tones, games etc., must get our approval before being downloaded.

If, however, we wanted more control over the phone, we could easily log into the "configurator" and input all sorts of restrictions and rules. Parents can have the phone only function at certain times of the day/night to ensure homework is being done instead of phone calls being made!

Parents can also set up a list of who is and isn't allowed to call the phone, and who your child can or cannot call. You can also keep a check on account activity to be sure there isn't a running tab on ring tones or wallpaper purchases that you weren't aware of.

Yet the phone is just as kid friendly, with cute characters on the website, and child voices to greet and guide them through applications (such as setting up voicemail).

Matthew LOVES the phone! He's already set up his ringtone ("You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban in honor of his grandfather who passed away in March), purchased two games and called us a few times while he's been out playing.

Check out Kajeet yourself to find out how kid and parent friendly this service is!

First Contest Tomorrow

Keep an eye out here for my first contest which will kick off on Labor Day. What a way to celebrate the holiday!

You all are going to LOVE this one, so be sure to tune in tomorrow!