This contest is over. The first winner did not reply so a new one was picked. The winner now is Heather C. Congrats!

Have you ever wished you learned something?  For me, it is piano.  I can play quite a few instruments, but I never learned piano.  We’ve talked several times about buying a piano, but I was always at a loss of how to get lessons.  I am not real comfortable just answering an ad on Craigslist or in the newspaper.  However, TakeLessons solves everything for me.

TakeLessons is a resource for those looking for private music and voice lessons.  You can quickly and easily register via their site for local private lessons with a TakeLessons Certified Instructor.  It is super easy to do so — all you need to do is enter your zip code, and you’ll get a list of all the instructors in your area.  Since I live close to Chicago, I had two pages full of instructions.  I love that TakeLessons has their own certification process — they check the education background, teaching experience, references, and do a criminal background check.  When the instructor is listed for you to look at, you are able to see all of this information in their profile.  They make it super easy to set up a lesson too.  They even have a guarantee:  if your first lesson is not handled in a friendly, efficient and professional manner, they will gladly find you another instructor or refund any future lessons. All you need to do is contact them within three days after your lesson has taken place and we will set you up with another instructor.

I think this is such a great concept that I am giving away 2 free lessons to one of my lucky readers!  Here’s what you need to do:

Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post. Check out the TakeLessons website and tell me something you learned about them (be it why you should choose them, how many instructors are in your area, etc.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify. Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away2 Music Lessons! http://lisareviews.com/2009/05/19/takelessons-review-and-giveaway

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2. Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4. Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know. For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1. Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark. Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2. Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest is for US residents and will end at June 2nd at noon CST! Good Luck!!!

This contest is now over. The winner is Karen. Congrats!

My kids recently got some fun toys from Story Time Felts that I wanted to share with you all.  With all the toys out there that require batteries, these felt items are awesome.  They require your children to use their imagination which they really can do when allowed.  Madison may love Star Wars, but she does love the stuff that requires her to pretend on her own.

Will has the Animals of the Ark felt activity book.  He loves it!  Each page of this book has him doing different fine motor skill activites.  His favorite page has to the the one with the lion on it.  This page is all about working snaps, and he loves to take off the lions legs and tail and then reassemble it.  This book has already provided countless hours of fun, and Will has yet to figure out how to destroy it (huge plus in my house).  The book is also made from felt, so it is soft when your children decided to throw it at one another or use it as a pillow (not that either have occurred here).

Madison got a felt dress up paper doll set.  Now I remember paper dolls as a kid, and I also remember that they don’t last long.  However, since this set is made from felt, I see this as a nonissue.  Madison also does not play with dolls themselves very often, but she does love this set.  She really enjoys dressing ther doll.  She giggled when she realized that there was a cat outfit for her doll to wear.  Unlike the doll sets from when we were little, there is no pushing tabs down to make the clothes stick.  You just put the clothes on them and you are done (which ends the biggest frustration that I remember as a kid).  All their clothes come with a carry case which makes losing this difficult.  Best of all, the felt is washable too!

Since I love their products so much, I want to offer one of you a $25 gift certificate, so you can join in the fun!  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post.  Head over to Story Time Felts and tell me what you’d spend the $25 on.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your username so I can verify.  Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Story Time Felts! http://lisareviews.com/2009/05/11/story-time-felts-review-and-giveaway

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4.  Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know.  For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1.  Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark.  Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2.  Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest is for US residents and will end at May 25th at noon CST!  Good Luck!!!

This contest is now over. The winners are Terra Heck and Marianna! Congrats!

If you are worried about all the chemical you use in your home, then the Bright Green line of products is right up your alley.  Bright Green household cleaners are biodegradable and don’t have any phosphates, chemicals, or residual toxins that you have to worry about.  I recently tested out two of their products, and we definitely like them.

The first product that we tried was the All Purpose Cleaner.  Since it is dye free, it is a clear solution (which means you have to be careful where you leave it if you have little ones.  I swear Will thought it was water).  It is not tested on animals.  It is lemon scented.  However, when you use it, the scent doesn’t knock you over.  For me, I love the lemon scent, because you can smell that I actually did clean (see, stay at home moms don’t just sit and watch their soaps all day).

The concentrated Dish Washing Liquid was also a hit in our house.  Even though it is has no petroleum solvents, it was still tough on grease.  There was no elbow grease that had to be applied to get clean dishes.  It did all the hard work.  This too has a great lavander scent, so you’ll actually find yourself relaxing a bit while you are doing dishing.

I also was able to try out their reusable tote bags.  The totebag itself is made of 65% recycled bottles (which equals about 4 plastic bottles!).  It is machine washable, and it sure beats using the plastic bags that you get here.  It’s the little things that we can do that really make a difference, and Bright Green allows us to make those little changes.  We all want to save the world, but we have to do it one step at a time.

I have arranged for two of my lucky readers to get one of these fabulous tote bags.  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post.  Check out the Bright Green site and tell me what product you’d like to try.

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your username so I can verify.  Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away 2 Bright Green Tote Bags! http://lisareviews.com/2009/05/09/bright-green-review-and-giveaway/

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4.  Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know.  For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1.  Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark.  Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2.  Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest is for US residents and will end at May 22th at noon CST!  Good Luck!!!

This contest is now over. The winners are Kelly F and One Frugal Girl. Congrats!

I have to admit right off the bat that this is not like any other book you have read.  You also have to buy into reincarnation and psychic ability to get anything out of it (and to be honest, I am not sure how I feel about it all).  Now, with that being said, when you were pregnant, did you just know things about your baby?  How many women do you know were positive that they were having a boy or a girl?  We all know someone who just knew things about their unborn child.  Bond With Your Baby Before Birth explains how and why that happens.  It’s a great book for a new mom, because they will learn how to become more aware of their baby’s presence and connect with their child as early as conception!

I’ll be honest, I was a little sceptic of this until I read about miscarriages.  Having suffered one myself, I was told that it wasn’t time for the baby to be born, and when the soul was ready, we would get pregnant again.  I’ll be honest — I often wonder if Will is the baby I lost.  This book talks about this.  According to the book, during pregnancy, a soul can change its mind about being born and a miscarriage ensues.  The unborn baby’s decision is unrelated to what the birth mother does.  That same soul will be born to the mother it originally chose at a later date.  This helped me get through my miscarriage and I do believe it to be true.

This is definitely a book you have to read with an open mind.  It also teaches you to trust yourself, trust your gut, and that there truly are miracles every single day.

Since I have many pregnant readers, I have gotten 2 of these wonderful books to give away.  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post.  Tell me why you’d like to get a copy of this book.  Have you just known things about your child?

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your username so I can verify.  Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away 2 copies of Bond With Your Baby Before Birth! http://urlbrief.com/91bc9b

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4.  Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know.  For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

Each of these will give you 10 additional entries:

1.  Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark.  Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

2.  Sign up for my free newsletter!

This contest is for US residents and will end at May 20th at noon CST!  Good Luck!!!

This contest is over. The winner is Lily Kwan! Congrats!

If you want a great video series that will get your kids out of the chair and exercising, Hip Hop Baby is the video series for you! It is for ages 2-6, and from the testing I have done at my house, it works every time. Each DVD encourages physical activity, dance, and movement. It also teaches kids to follow instructions.  The songs are about things like healthy eating, exercise, daily routines, ABCs, numbers, and animals.  I personally loved that the kids weren’t chorographed for this.  Each child was able to do their own dance while they were singing the songs.  The songs aren’t the normal annoying high pitched singing either.  It’s just regular kids singing songs that you know like Head Shoulders Knees & Toes and Carrots Peas & Broccoli.  There were some new songs too.  My kids literally got up and danced from the time it started to the end of the video.  The DVD is about 30 minutes long, so it is great for kids of all attention spans. There are 4 DVDs so far in the Hip Hop Baby Series.

Since I know how hard it is to get your kids up and dancing, I have arranged to give away Hip Hop Baby:  All Your Child’s Favorites DVD and CD!  Here’s what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this entry. Check out It’s Hip Hop Baby!: All Your Child’s Favorites, It’s Hip Hop Baby!: Things We Do Everyday, It’s Hip Hop Baby!: Get Healthy, Get Fit, and It’s Hip Hop Baby!: Rockin’ Dance Party!. Tell me which DVD you think your kids would like best!

Each of these gives you one additional entry:

1. Twitter about this contest.  Please leave me your username so I can verify.  Or use something like this:

RT @blm03 is giving away a copy of Hip Hop Baby DVD! http://urlbrief.com/53eff9

2. Stumble this post.

3. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

Each of these gives you 5 additional entries:

1.  Blog about this on your blog.  Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
2.  Add this to any forums you belong too. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
3. Subscribe to this blog using either my email or RSS feed
4.  Add my badge to your sidebar:

<a href="http://lisareviews.com"><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk258/blm03_photos/125ad-1.png" alt="Lisa Reviews" border="0"></a>

If this isn’t working, please let me know.  For some reason, Wordpress seems to be eating the code up when I post.

For ten additional entries:

Join my Spark E Crew at Social Spark.  Click here to find out how to sign up. If you are on my crew, please leave your social spark ID, so I can verify it.

This contest is for US residents and will end at May 18th at noon CST!  Good Luck!!!