Thirsty For Comments Thursday

Welcome to 

Thirsty for Comments Thursday! 

What is it?

This is a blog hop dedicated to giving good comment - please, when you are visiting, actually READ the post that is linked and make a thoughtful comment!  

This is NOT a hop for "I'm here from the hop, follow me back" comments!

Link up your own SPECIFIC POST that you'd like comments on - remember - no giveaways!

*****************************************

The rules are simple - 

1. Link up a SPECIFIC POST (NOT just your blog URL) that you'd like to have more comments on - can be anything EXCEPT GIVEAWAYS and OTHER BLOG HOPS - they will be deleted

2. Visit AT LEAST THREE other blogs and READ the posts and then comment thoughtfully on the post.

Extras (nice but not required):

Consider following the blogs you visit 

Add the Thirsty for Comments button to your post

Blog about Thirsty for Comments

Add Thirsty for Comments to your Meme List!

Leave a comment here on how I can improve Thirsty for Comments :)

 **** This is a BLOG HOP LINKY, so you can grab the code for your own post and share the linky directly! ****

#Giveaway and Review - Alphabet Scoop

I haven't found a Hasbro game yet that my family doesn't like... and we haven't broken that streak with this one:

SCRABBLE ALPHABET SCOOP is the first word game for players as young as five-years-old. Family members of all ages can grab their spoon, roll up their sleeves and dive into the frenzied spelling action in a race to scoop up a three, four or five-letter word. Each player gets a card and selects which word they are aiming to spell. On the count of three, everyone digs in to scoop out the letters needed to spell their word. But watch out for flies in your soup! If you scoop up a fly, you must return all your letter tiles to the bowl and start over again. The first player to spell the word on their card and shout “Yummy!” as they put the lid on the bowl wins!


My Review:  We sat down to play this as a multi-generational game - my 13 year old daughter, my mother-in-law and I (with my 4 year old as my 'helper') sat down after dinner the other night to try out the game.  We played several rounds and had a great time!  My son was really fascinated by the tiles and after we finished the game, he and I spent some time just making words with the tiles...  There is one thing that I'd change with the game though - I'd have included a bag to put the tiles in when the game wasn't in use - or made it so that when you put the game away, you could lock the lid in place - it's hard to put Alphabet Scoop into our game cupboard because it's accessible and it has already fallen off the top of the game pile and spilled, creating a tile version of 52 pick-up.  Everyone enjoyed our family game night - and this is definitely a great way to teach younger children about letters and spelling.


Win your own copy:

More news from Hasbro!

Check out my #Giveaway and Review of Alphabet Scoop here and read on for some more great Hasbro News!

Winners and Bonus Entry!

Both of the Del Monte giveaways ended today and here are the lucky winners:


The three winners of the $25 GC for Del Monte Fresh Fruit are:
#354  Maria Totsuka
#279  Taylor Marves
#157  Melissa Lawler


The winner of the teacher backpack and school supplies is:
#134  Erin Ringwald


Please check your email for the link to claim your prizes - you have 48 hours to claim it.




If you want another entry into ONE GIVEAWAY today - click on today's bonus entry and leave me the comment: SUNNY DAYS to let me know that you claimed today's bonus.  You have until 11:59 PM EST today (8/31) to use it.

Wordless Wednesday - Surfer Dude!

My little surfer dude in his 3rd Surfer's Healing Camp Day at Folly Beach:

Now that I've shown you mine, let's see your wordless or wordful post for this Wednesday!  Link up here and feel free to add the linky to your WW post - it's a blog hop!

Winner, Ending today and Bonus Entry!

With one giveaway ending yesterday, I'm pleased to announce that Christy Kramer (entry #81)
is the winner of the Handstand Kids Italian Cookbook Kit!  Christy - check your emai!


There are two giveaways ending today:

• 8/30 Del Monte $25 Fresh Fruit GC
• 8/30 Del Monte Backpack and School Supplies for your Favorite Teacher

Don't forget to enter for yourself and your favorite teacher!


And, for the first time in a long while, I have a bonus entry - you can use it for ONE entry into ONE giveaway by clicking on the bonus entry link and then leaving me a message with today's bonus entry: FINALLY A BONUS!

Stumble Tumble Tuesday

Welcome to Stumble Tumble Tuesday hosted by Shopper Gal, Acting Balanced,Luxury Reading and Kelly’s Lucky You! The goal of this hop is to use Stumble Upon to help you promote your blog posts and get more traffic.

Even if you think you are stumbling correctly, please read this post on how to check and see if your stumble was successful. Some stumbles aren't showing up, thanks!

Some great coupons...

I don't often share coupon info on Acting Balanced, but Coupons.com has come out with some great new ones... and several of them are high value - they'll go fast, so head over and print what you might need:

• $5.00 off 1 gallon of Benjamin Moore paint
• $1.00 off BISSELL Stomp & Go
• $1.50 off any 2 boxes of Kashi TLC bars
• $1.00 off 3 Kashi GOLEAN Bars
• $1.00 off off any box of Kashi TLC Snack Cracker
• 2 for $79.99 Kids' Eyeglasses at JCPenney Optical
• $99.99 off with No-Line Bifocals only $34 more per
• $0.75 off any Efferdent or Effergrip product
• $3.00 off 2 Glidden Paint Testers
• $3.00 off 1 gallon of Glidden Paint
• $1.00 off 1 Renuzit Pearl Scents
• $1.00 off One (1) Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer
• $1.00 off on any 1 Dove VisibleCare Body Wash
• $5.00 off 1 PHILIPS NORELCO BG2020, BG2030, BG2040
• $5.00 off 1 PHILIPS NORELCO REPLACEMENT SHAVER
• $10.00 off ON ONE (1) PHILIPS NORELCO SPEED XL
• $30.00 off ON ONE (1) PHILIPS NORELCO SENSOTOUCH
• $3.00 off 1 BOTTLE OF 16 oz. BreathRx Mouth Rinse
• $1.00 off the September Issue of InStyle
• $0.55 off on any Bagel-fuls (4ct)
• $1.00 off 1 Minute Maid Juice Box 10-pk
• $3.00 off any Non-Drowsy Claritin-D Allergy
• $4.00 off Non-Drowsy Claritin Allergy Product
• $10.00 off any Comfort Zone diffuser or spray
• $2.00 off People Specials: Kate's Style Secrets!

MMMmonday- Baking with Sorghum Review and Recipes

I have had the opportunity to check out a new-to-me kind of flour over the past few weeks.  We've been struggling with whether to keep Liam on a GF diet or to re-introduce gluten, and I think we've decided to stay GF for now.  That means I am again looking for new recipes for new GF foods, desserts that our whole family can enjoy!


I was sent a sample of sorghum flour and made these two recipes:

Winners!!!!

Three giveaways ended this week and all of the winners have been notified -


The Kidtoons Candyland/August Prize Pack went to Lori Thomas


The Rules of the Tunnel Book went to Ruby95660 


The KIdtoons Stila Make up prize went to Krystal Larson


Congratulations to all of the winners!  If you don't see your email, please leave a message here or shoot me an email at heather at actingbalanced dot com

#Giveaway -Chocolate-covered Fruit Basket by Campus Book Rentals

As the wife of a professor, I am acutely aware just how much textbooks cost these days - Wayne's lucky for the most part, getting trial copies and review copies for most of the books that he uses in class and for research.  His students, on the other hand, must shudder when they get to the bookstore because, while he is careful about what he asks students to purchase, I know that some profs routinely expect students to pay hundreds of dollars for books they will only use for one semester.

That's why, when I discovered www.campusbookrentals.com, I was pleased to find that there was a cheaper alternative for students these days - especially when they're taking electives or compulsory prerequisites for their program and they'll never need their textbooks again.

When I perused the website I was pleased that they're program is simple and easy to use - and includes free return shipping!  They also have rental programs that match different term lengths, so you are able to rent for exactly what you need.  You can even buy your texts at the end of your rental period if you fall in love...

What impressed me most though was something I found under their Making a Difference tab:

www.campusbookrentals.com has officially teamed up with Operation Smile, an out of this world, awesome organization, that performs life changing cleft lip surgeries on children whose families could not otherwise afford it. The long term Improvement in quality of life for the children that receive these surgeries is almost incomprehensible. We have committed to donating enough money to cover a minimum of 1,000 life changing surgeries. We hope to beat that number, but it's a significant commitment. Like Big!

So for EVERY book rented this year, they will donate a portion of the proceeds to Operation Smile with their sights set on meeting and exceeding the goal of 1,000 lives changed. 

I really appreciate when a company works hard to give back in such a big way.

Campus Book Rentals is also giving back to one lucky Acting Balanced reader in the US with a giveaway for a Chocolate-covered Fruit Basket

#Giveaway and Review - Aerobie Skylighter

At the beginning of summer, I had the chance to review an Aerobie Sprint with Robyn on our road trip and we loved it!  When I was asked to check out the new Aerobie Skylighter, I said yes!  

Backing up your files?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carbonite for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know that my laptop is getting to its last legs... it's taken almost all of the abuse that it can and I know that it will eventually send me the definite message that it's over between us and I'll have to move on... but I keep clinging for dear life - partly because I am waiting for the best deal possible to get the most bang for my buck and partly because I've taken steps to do a computer backup and I know that all of my important files are protected.

Carbonite is a leader in creating secure back-ups of files from both PC and Mac computers and you can access your files from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android or Blackberry and from any computer!  I really like that Carbonite's computer backup is done in the background so that I don't have to remember to connect or update my files - it does it automatically.

Simple and easy to install, it really does take the worry out of having your computer crash or get stolen - all those pictures, files and more are safe and secure and accessible!  I also don't have to worry about going over a quota - it's UNLIMITED!

It can't cook me dinner and it doesn't back up everything on the computer - there are some exclusions, but Carbonite does give me peace of mind that my family memories and important documents are safe, secure and ready for me!

The best part is that you can use offer code BLOGAD to get two free months with purchase!

Keeping in Touch with TracFone

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I struggle with balancing our need to be in constant contact with the cost of phone plans and service.  Wayne is one of the biggest holdouts - he really doesn't want a cell phone, and I worry that Robyn will run up her bills getting texts and chatting with her friends... me, I've got the cell phone tucked somewhere in the depths of my diaper bag to use when people need to find me...

One of the things that we have found is that we all need to be in contact with each other when we go out as a family to places like the mall or amusement park - we end up separated and rather than play Marco Polo constantly, it's easier to text or call each other to ensure we can all meet back up. 

One of the least expensive ways to keep in touch is TracFone!  And it so flexible - no contract, pay as you go, monthly plans - they have it all!   You can check out what real TracFone customers have to say about their experience.  

Other real TracFone customers get great nationwide coverage and excellent connectivity. You also have choice of so many different phone - everything from candybar phones to "Smart" phones, they have something for everyone.  The Samsung T301 Slider Phone has so many features that you'd think it was part of a much more expensive plan.

Check out the features of the rugged and affordable LG420:

One of the things I like most about TracFone is that you can make international calls at no additional cost to over 60 countries and friends in Canada or Mexico can get local numbers to call your TracFone in the US.

If you're looking for a smart way to keep your family connected this summer or anytime, you should definitely consider TracFone.

#GIVEAWAY and Book Review: What Language Is by John McWhorter

I am pleased to be part of the What Language Is: And What It Isn’t and What It Could Be blog tour with TLC Book Tours (check out the rest of the tour stops by clicking here) and also to be able to give one copy of this book away to one lucky US/Canadian reader.

Blogging Plans for today may be on hold...

It seems as though Irene still plans to take a small swipe at the Low Country coast this afternoon and evening, prompting the school board to cancel school for our kids... so I hope to be able to find a few minutes to blog, but I may be at the mercy of both the storm and my children - hoping everyone else in the path of Irene is safe and sound!

Five Question Friday from @5crookedhalos #5QF

Because I know that you desperately want to know more about me..


1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?


I picked myself up a fabulous lime green kindle cover on ebay, but everything else I shopped for was for back to school for Wayne and the kids...

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

I would love to see an all Canadian line up event featuring: The Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea, Sarah McLaughlin and Colin James... and if they were ever to re-form for a concert, Moxy Fruvous...


3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?

I hate all household chores except cooking, but my absolute least favorite is scrubbing bathrooms

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?

I have to choose?  I'd love to replace my stove/range with a gas model (but our subdivision doesn't have gas) and I'd love a better dishwasher, but I'd take the money that I saved from not replacing the fridge and washer/dryer and spend that on clothes...

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?


Neither really - or both I guess... I tend to use sour cream or yogurt in recipes that call for mayo and miracle whip since my dad has egg allergies and I never used either product when I was growing up, but I'll grab whichever is on sale if I have a need for something like that...

Now that you know more about me, answer one or more of  the questions in the comments or hook up with:

Friday Fragments

Well, Irene is not going to hit us directly, but she could sideswipe Charleston with some high impact Tropical Storm force winds and rain...

So, my kids will be spending some extra quality time at home with me tomorrow in case the bridges close.

I am also keeping those farther north up the coast that the hurricane dissipates before making landfall and there is no damage or injuries.

The one good thing is that I won't have to wonder if the bus is going to pick up my children... I've had to drive Robyn to school 2 of the 3 days she went this week because the bus was either more than a 1/2 hr late or, like today, didn't show up at all...

On a better note, Liam got to ride to and from school on the bus today... the only drawback is that he got on the bus before 6:30 this morning, which made his drive over an hour... so far it is working, but we'll have to see what happens...

Erik is counting down the days until his 10 month milestone... and to celebrate that he's learning to run!  Why can't I slow him down?  He's also eating everything in sight, except what he's supposed to gnaw on...  or I guess the phrase is gum on, as he is still my toothless wonder...

Wayne started teaching fall semester this week, sow we're really getting back to routine... exhaustion is the new norm again for all of us...

Well that's it for me for now, the exhaustion is taking its toll... but there are hundreds of other fragments just waiting to be discovered at:

#Giveaway and Review of iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season

 I am pleased to have been able to get a sneak peak review of iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season with my daughter and share some memories of when iCarly was one of her favorite shows... I am also pleased that I have a copy of iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season for one of my lucky readers!  iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season is going to be available everywhere on August 30th

#Giveaway and Review - Carmex Lime and Vanilla Lip Balm

I am a big fan of Carmex products (especially since I'm a part of the Carmex Blog Squad) so when I was asked to review two new flavors of the famous Carmex Lip Balm, I jumped all over the opportunity!

Thirsty For Comments Thursday

Welcome to 

Thirsty for Comments Thursday! 

What is it?

This is a blog hop dedicated to giving good comment - please, when you are visiting, actually READ the post that is linked and make a thoughtful comment!  

This is NOT a hop for "I'm here from the hop, follow me back" comments!

Link up your own SPECIFIC POST that you'd like comments on - remember - no giveaways!

thredUP!

One of the most frustrating things about having a super-fast growing baby boy is that he barely wore his 0-12 months clothes before outgrowing them.  I was able to share some of our hand-me-downs with a friend, but she moved over the summer and about the same time I found thredUP Kids Clothing Swap!  The cool thing about thredUP is that I can not only share the clothes Erik has grown out of, but I can also stock up on future size clothes so that next week when he outgrows what he's wearing now, I'll be ready!


Even better, thredUP is having a fabulous TWO DAY SALE!  


thredUP.com 48 hour back-to-school flash sale!

thredUP.com is where busy moms swap children’s clothes, toys and books online.  This back-to-school season, thousands of moms are saving money and giving back by trading outgrown kids’ clothes for gently used school clothes that fit.

Sale Starts: August 24, 12:01 am EST
Sale Ends: August 25, 11:59 pm PST

Today (Aug. 24th) and tomorrow (Aug. 25th) only, get 30% off boxes of pre-loved kids & baby gear listed by other moms across the country. Just click on the box below and check out thredUP!





Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

Wordless Wednesday - Wishing and Dreaming...

Darn it's hot and humid in SC right now...


Link up your wordless or wordful post to share:

Post it Note Tuesday #PINT Things to Do!

Happy #PINT all!  Here are my things to do today:

#MyBlogSpark Pillsbury Sweet Moments #Giveaway

My daughter always hates when I get the opportunity to review chocolate... since I'm allergic to it, the responsibility to check out the scrumptious delights awaiting her when I returned from Publix the other day was almost too much for her... (Can you see the sarcasm dripping from my words?)

Stumble Tumble Tuesday

Welcome to Stumble Tumble Tuesday hosted by Shopper Gal, Acting Balanced,Luxury Reading and Kelly’s Lucky You! The goal of this hop is to use Stumble Upon to help you promote your blog posts and get more traffic.

WE RECENTLY CHANGED THE WAY WE ASK YOU TO STUMBLE, PLEASE READ! Also, even if you think you are stumbling correctly, please read this post on how to check and see if your stumble was successful. Some stumbles aren't showing up, thanks!

To take part is simple.

Someone likes me...

I've been nominated for:

By Best All-Around Mom Blog

Please consider stopping by and voting for me if you like me too!

Getting Organized with AboutOne.com and #GIVEAWAY ENTRY!

I had a situation this summer that I have to say quite frankly embarrassed me to no end... I misplaced my file with all of our pertinent information - marriage certificate, birth certs for the kids ... you name it... I knew where it was in the fall and then we moved everything around for the baby's arrival and whoosh - it was all gone!  And of course I needed to get my hands on it recently - and I've been tearing apart the house ever since - I now know where it isn't but that's not helping me figure out what I did with it....

Another Back to School Story...

Getting ready for back to school with Liam is a fun, but challenging experience - because of his Autism and his food issues making the transition to a new routine takes extra time and patience.  Laying the groundwork the past few weeks will hopefully pay off well when he heads back to school next week.

We're changing up EVERYTHING - he's going to a new school, where he'll be in a small portable instead of a large classroom, he'll have more peers in his class because he's graduated from PIC (partially integrated classroom) to a blended Child Development class - which means he's one step closer to mainstream schooling!

MMMmonday - Back to School Lunch ideas

I was having a conversation with one of my MOMS Club friends about mixing up the ideas for school lunches and I thought I'd share a couple of our favorite recipes and ask you to also share your back to school recipe ideas!


One of the things that I love to do is to make wraps - they seem to travel better than traditional sandwiches and they're so versatile!


Veggie and Hummus Roll-up (per sandwich)


1 6 inch flour tortilla or flatbread
1 tbsp hummus
1small handful baby spinach or your favorite lettuce
1/4 tomato, chopped (or sun-dried tomatoes if you prefer)
a few pieces of julianned carrots


Spread the hummus over the tortilla.  Add the veggies and roll!  


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Cantaloupe and Turkey Roll-up (per sandwich)


1 6 inch  flour tortilla or flatbread
1 tbsp horseradish mayo (can substitute creamy ceasar dressing or just plain mayo, sour cream etc)
1 wedge of skinned and seeded cantaloupe
1small handful baby spinach or your favorite lettuce
1 or 2 slices of roasted turkey deli meat, or chopped leftover turkey


Spread mayo over tortilla, add lettuce then turkey and finally top with wedge of cantaloupe.  Roll and enjoy!


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Peanut Butter and Banana Wheels (makes enough for 2 kids lunches)


My mother calls these ones bereavement sandwiches because she's always asked to contribute them when we have pot-luck somber occasions, but if you can take peanut butter to school, this is a yummy way to do it.


1 rectangular style flatbread
2-3 tbsp peanut butter (I like my peanut butter thick!)
1 medium banana


Spread the peanut butter onto the flatbread, place the banana at one end and roll.  Cut roll into 1cm slices and yum!




What do you put in your kids lunch that's interesting?


Link up your favorite recipes for this month here:

Daily Bonus Entry

Today's bonus entry, good for one entry into one giveaway today, 8/19 until 11:59 PM EST is:

Meet the Teacher!

which is what Liam will be doing this morning in preparation for starting his 4K class next week :)

Friday Fragments

Hello everyone!

I'm counting down the days until we get into a set routine in the mornings... so far Robyn is almost there with her school routine and as of next Thursday, Liam will be good to go on his new school routines... but for now, CHAOS reigns...

Five Question Friday from @5crookedhalos #5QF

Because I know that you desperately want to know more about me...

1. Do you close the bathroom door when you are home alone?

I'm so glad the kids are back at school... (ADULT LINKS)

*** THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY REVIEW, HOWEVER, LINKS INCLUDE ADULT ONLY MATERIALS ***

One of the things that I am looking forward to once Liam is back at school too, is a chance to put Erik down and have some ME time, a chance to collect my thoughts and relax for the first time in a while...

and I plan to do that in the bath tub, surrounded by bubbles!

Gracefully Greene - Grand Opening and Coupon!

I love finding out about new places to shop for baby and mommy friendly Green products!


This week marks the arrival of GracefullyGreene.com, a natural baby boutique for moms with an eye for style and a soft spot for nature’s purest products.  Smart choices add up to healthy homes and happy babies. It's this belief that inspires the Gracefully Greene team to handpick the best eco-friendly and natural products that are just too good to miss out on. Use the coupon code, GrandOpening11 until August 31st for 15% off your first order!

Winner Announcement

The winner of the Go, Diego, Go! Fiercest Creatures DVD is:
#15 dianad


Congratulations!  Please check your email for the link to fill out the prize form.

Bonus Entry today!

Today's bonus entry - good for one entry into one giveaway until 11:59PM EST 8/18 - is


Countdown to Tuesday!


I am looking forward to Tuesday for two reasons - Liam starts school and my in-laws are arriving for a week long visit!

Thirsty For Comments Thursday

Welcome to 

Thirsty for Comments Thursday! 

What is it?

This is a blog hop dedicated to giving good comment - please, when you are visiting, actually READ the post that is linked and make a thoughtful comment!  

This is NOT a hop for "I'm here from the hop, follow me back" comments!

Link up your own SPECIFIC POST that you'd like comments on - remember - no giveaways!