April issue of ALL YOU

I always buy this magazine, because it's full of useful stuff. :) Recipes, coupons, and more.

My favorite things about this issue:

Online Freebies

1. Test Preparation -- Get your kids ready for the SAT, AT, or GRE with prep courses, vocab builders, tutorials, and more.

2. Business Classes -- I like How to Prepare a Business Plan and Marketing 101.

3. Language Courses -- I checked this one out today and I really like it. You can practice conversational skills in other language with others, and you can help others learn English as well.

4. Text Messaging -- I have unlimited texts, so I haven't used this, but you can sign up for an online account here and then enter your friend's mobile number and carrier so you can text each other. It won't cost you a thing. If you don't know your friend's carrier, you can use gizmosms.com

5. Books -- You can access more than 5,000 full classis online, just scroll to the bottom of the home page and click "Free Books".

6. Medical Advice

7. Legal Advice

You can enter at allyou.com/giveaways for a chance to win a year's worth of veggies and Hidden Valley salad dressings, a portable iPod dock with LCD monitor, and an HP TouchSmart 600 PC.

Some more freebie links (I haven't checked these out yet):

freebies4mom.com -- A stay-at-home-mom started this blog to share giveaways and sweepstakes she finds.

heyitsfree.net -- This site promises that no listed free sample will require the purchase of something else first, meaning these are actually FREE samples.

freestufftimes.com -- No-cost items from across the Web provides user feedback, to help gauge an offer's value.

Teach Kids Money Smarts (p.85-90) was probably the best read in this issue. I liked the money lessons because they are divided between age groups.

Coupons
Weight Watcher's
$5 off any $10 NYC purchase (makeup) - combine this with a local sales ad and save $$
$2 off any La Cross Beauty tool purchase of $4 or more
$2 off Lubriderm
$3 off Neutrogena Cosmetics
and more

smartsource.com
redplum.com
afullcup.com
coupontom.com
consumerqueen.com
dealseekingmom.com

There's also an article titled "Becoming a couponing pro" that gives a few good ideas. Nothing absolutely amazing, but somewhat helpful at least. :)

Quiz -- Assess your risk for diabetes. You choose the answer to each question and it tells you if your risk is low, medium, or high. It also includes a spread "Eat to beat Diabetes". Helps you choose "this not that". I love that type of thing! :)

There are a pair of boots featured from zappos.com that go up to size 13! :) That is very rare. I wear a size 13 and cannot ever find women's shoes! They're $75, so I wouldn't actually buy them.. haha, but they were cute to look at.

Odd enough.

I am hosting my first swap. I'd really appreciate it if you'd take the time to check it out and join if it is something you might like. I would like my first swap to be successful!
http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/52550

Today I started my first journal. I'm participating in another journal swap and it's pretty time consuming! We have to do like 30 entries, it's crazy. But I've had so much fun with it! Um, so much fun that I didn't realize I was sitting on my Caramello candy bar the entire hour I was journaling. Soooo... it was squished and melted. (Did you know that you can squeeze a melted chocolate bar out of a hole in the wrapper and it still tastes good? Trust me on this one.)

I'm excited for tomorrow because it will be my first giveaway on my blog! I have given away about 20 sets of hairbows and 12 tutus so far, since I started in October. I usually give them away on Cafemom or Myspace or Facebook, but I think this is a good place to start giving things away, too! Wouldn't you agree??

To be entered in the contest you just have to leave a comment on tomorrow's entry and be following my blog. Tomorrow, I will also post other ways to get MORE entries for the contest. WEEE!!

I attempted to make a scarf today on my round knitting loom and failed miserably. First, I forgot that you don't do it in a circle, that you stop before the end... and I knitted like 8 rows before I caught myself. Then, I tried knitting just half of the loom and couldn't figure it out - at all. I'm going to continue my search online for a tutorial. Maybe I should make my own on YouTube when I figure it out. I can't stand it when I don't know how to do something!

I will leave you with this journal prompt, feel free to answer it on your blog or even in my comments. I'd love to hear what everyone says.

Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?

I would rather go a week without changing my clothes, but still being able to bathe. Because my clothes don't get THAT dirty and if I can still bathe they will stay even cleaner.

Please join my swap... and don't forget to come back tomorrow and win some hair bows! I will be giving away more than one set -- that means more than one winner!