See she thought ahead and gives us questions to work with which is awesome. You simply answer one (or all) the questions vlog style and post it to your blog then add your link to the Mr. Linky on her site and now we all know the face behind the blog.  Think Toni’s Tidbits but instead of random and only one participant, it’s thought out and lots of fun peeps.  So without further ado here is my Monday mingle for this week.

Oh and there is still time for you to join in so come on and join in with us. Just head over to Eighty MPH Mom and link up your vlog post once it’s up and visit around to the other participants.  Oh and I apologize for the laughter…thanks hubs!

In case you aren’t vlogging I still want to know your answers so go ahead and answer the mingle questions in the comment section below (or leave me some comment luv you know I love it).

1. What actor or singer did you have a crush on growing up?
{- submitted by Shannon from The Mommy Files}

2. How did you meet your husband or boyfriend?
{- submitted by Shannon from The Mommy Files}

3. If you could time travel to the past or the future, which would you choose and why?
{- submitted by Greg from Telling Dad}

4. Have you seen any good movies lately? Which ones are worth seeing? (other than kiddy movies)

5. What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Hey Hey quoters, by now I am sure you all know the rules so post your quotes and link up.  My quotes today are all about football, tis the season right now!!  We are a football family most of the games we root for the same team but there are a few we don’t LOL. Here are some funny quotes about football I came across:

Most football players are temperamental. That’s 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental. ~Doug Plank

Let’s face it, you have to have a slightly recessive gene that has a little something to do with the brain to go out on the football field and beat your head against other human beings on a daily basis. ~Tim Green

You have to play this game like somebody just hit your mother with a two-by-four. ~Dan Birdwell

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead. ~Erma Bombeck

If you’re mad at your kid, you can either raise him to be a nose tackle or send him out to play on the freeway. It’s about the same. ~Bob Golic

At the base of it was the urge, if you wanted to play football, to knock someone down, that was what the sport was all about, the will to win closely linked with contact. ~George Plimpton

Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field? ~Jim Bouton

One of the great disappointments of a football game is that the cheerleaders never seem to get injured. ~Author Unknown

Welcome to Friday, because my head hurts and I don’t feel like thinking you all get to be the awesome recipients of getting to watch a video of a very famous person (well in her own head anyways)…ME!

Okay so the fame is clearly a dillusion but you still get to see me dance. Don’t worry you won’t see me trying to actually mimic a video, well unless it’s Always by bon Jovi and I get to be the girl and he is here, then I will totally act that out for the cause mind you. Or trying to act all sexy.

Why you ask? Because I would look like an idiot

So instead I shall just dance around and have fun, no seriousness required.

And now it’s your turn…go dance a little!

When I opened the box I immediately saw the adorable little elves, one for each of my children.  I was introduced to Sparkle (Bella’s Elf), Dodger (Gabriel’s Elf), and Jingle (Aidan’s Elf).   I noticed right away these were very well made, sturdy and a good size.  Not too big but not a small little toy either.  Along with them came a letter specially written to each child from Herbie (the head elf).

The letter specifies what the elf is there for and how they have to be still like a doll during the day but at night using their elf magic they will do things around the house (more on that to come).  Letting the children know what their elves “specialty” is at the North Pole and sharing that their elf has been asking all year to vacation with the child(ren).  Below is a picture of the envelopes the letters arrive in:

After the kids open the letters and “get to know” their elves they can play with them during the day’s when they are “frozen” and then at night is when the real fun begins and your children can wake up to find out what adventure their elves have been on while they were sleeping.  Along with the letter from Herbie each elf comes with several other items to make this a tradition your kids will look forward to every year.

The I’m Here, I’m Here packet is an arrival note from the elf, you will want to place it along with the tattoo included in a place your child will see it when they wake.  Telling the child to pick one spot that the elf will sleep in every night, so that they child always knows where to look for their elf when they wake and when he/she is not there to go looking for the elf.  There is also a tattoo of the elf that your child can apply, a wishlist for your child to write their Christmas wishes on, an envelope addressed to Santa to put the wish list in and a See You Next year letter.  It truly is going to be magical, I myself can’t wait to see the looks on my children’s faces when they see what the elves have been up to while they sleep.

The thing that is going to make all the mischief/magic happen is the Elfing Around Parent Adventure Guide.  This guide has 12 nightly suggested Elf Adventures as well as 4 blank postcards that you can use to create your own adventure and replace one of the 12 suggested with it.  Here are a few sneek peaks at some of the adventures:

• A Scavenger hunt with clues leading to whatever you want, it can be a treat, an early present, anything.
• The Elf Decorates your tree with pieces of your kids clothing (that crazy little elf)
• Elves Love Movies: Put a Christmas DVD in and forward to the middle of the movie.  Prop elves up with a bowl of popcorn and the remote

The adventures the elf goes on is sure to bring a smile to your child’s face and have them waiting to see what the next adventure the elf goes on during the countdown to Christmas.  Elfing Around is sure to make this Christmas countdown more exciting and fun for your little ones and even you, I know I am excited to do it this year.  There is also a year 2 and 3 available for the coming years.

I will try to update you on the adventures as they happen once the countdown has started.  This year instead of the same old “How much longer til Christmas” whining my kids usually have, we will be busy seeing what their elves have been up to and I for one can’t wait to see their reactions.

WIN IT:

Elfing Around has generously offered to donate an Elfing Around Elf and Adventure supplies to one of my readers.

REQUIRED ENTRY:

To enter to win this fun adventure and countdown the 12 days to Christmas with your little one simply leave a comment of one of your favorite Christmas memories with your child.  This must be done to enter!

Extra (optional) Entries:

• 1 Entry Each: Follow this blog through google friend connect ~ Subscribe through my Feedburner Icon ~ Email Subscribe ~Fan A Daily Dose on facebook ~ Follow A Daily Dose on facebook~ Follow me on Twitter, Add my Button to your blog.
• 3 Entries: Post about this giveaway with a link back to this post (leave 3 separate comments for each entry)
• 5 Entries: Leave a comment on any other post (non-giveaway), up to five different posts, on this blog and receive an entry for each comment.
• Twice Daily Entry: Tweet about this contest twice daily using the following tweet : Make the countdown to Christmas Fun For Your Kids http://clicky.me/12B #dailydosegiveaways (please leave the tweet url in your comment)

Contest will close on 11/26/2009 at Noon CST.

If you want to purchase your own Elf now, you can for $29.99 over on Efling Around.

Details about entering contests at A Daily Dose:

• Required entry MUST be done to qualify (not thanks for the entry or great giveaway, that will be deleted)
• Extra entries are completely optional and don’t have to be done but required entry must be done for them to count.
• Winner will be picked by Random.org
• Winner will be emailed using the email they entered with and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeitted.

For more on review, giveaway and winner policies please see my disclosure policy.

*Product was given to me by sponsor for sole purpose of reviewing.  Reception of product does not influence my views.  I will always post my honest views on the product received here on A Daily Dose.  The views on this review are that of myself only. There was no monetary compensation for this post

Scroll down a bit and on the right side of your screen there are two button codes, one for my blog and the other for Quotable Sunday. The blog one is a new code as my button went missing I thought I had all the files on my server and that one I didn’t so it disappeared LOL. So if you are one of the awesome people who has my button on your blog or anywhere for that matter please grab the new code to use or you have an empty box :0)

Thanks y’all!

Hey everyone it’s time to link up your giveaways, get the most of out your giveaways and find some linky lists to add them too, one being here! All you do is put your blog, the giveaway and end date on line one and the giveaway post url in line 2 and submit. Look forward to seeing what giveaways are around the web this week. Come back next week to add more giveaways.

The Sakroot’s Pax Eco Crossbody is a 3-in-1 purse with a design that is eye catching as well as functional.  This purse can be used as a crossbody over the shoulder purse when you want it to stay put.  You can shorten the strap and make it into a demi or you can take the strap completely off and fold it to make it a clutch, it truly is a very versatile handbag.

Here is a bit more about the purse I received to review:

I love the fact that the interior is made from 100% recycled cotton, with all the green efforts being made in the world today it’s great to be able to do your part and be stylish.  The Sak has always been front runner in fashion, with many celebrities carrying their amazing handbags,  and now with the Sakroots line they are doing their part to help in a small way with our environment.

A little bit more about the company, The Sak, behind Sakroot’s (taken from their site):

The Sak brand philosophy is happy & free. Peace and harmony among all things is interwoven into our spirit, our deep rooted heritage and our down-to-earth style. Friends from childhood, Mark Talucci and Todd Elliott both grew up overseas. Their love for finding and importing unique textiles was drawn from going to local hippie fairs in places like Brazil and Mexico, where Mark lived most of childhood.

Both unenthused by their lackluster corporate jobs after college, Mark and Todd found inspiration during a trip to Bali in 1989 where they were intrigued by the extraordinary objects and artisan fabrics they discovered. Both natural entrepreneurs, Mark with a degree in engineering and Todd in business administration, they decided to start a business importing these “found treasures” from overseas to their hometown San Francisco.

After embarking on their entrepreneurial journey into the world of fashion in 1989, Mark and Todd were soon challenged with taking their brand to the next level. In 1994, the imported rattan bags were blowing off shelves at major retailers sparking Mark and Todd to go a step further. The idea for The Sak was to create a simple, memorable, casual and relaxed handbag with universal appeal. Staying true to texture, they created a singular handbag from a unique Tightweave fabrication using nylon string. Starting a crochet “craze”, The Sak handbag (Style 120) was an overnight phenomenon. It soon became one the most coveted items of the 90s coining the phrase “A SAK on every back”.

Roomy, fashionable and a 3-in-1 purse, what more could I ask for right!

WIN IT:

The Sak has generously donated 3 of their Sakroot line handbags to giveaway (pictured below).  Please note that the middle one will be in a beige/brown instead of the sangria color.

REQUIRED ENTRY: Leave your email IN THE COMMENT to sign up for The Sak and Elliott Lucca Newsletters.  That’s all you have to do to be entered, LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AS A COMMENT. *By entering this contest, you will automatically be entered into the sak and Elliott Lucca databases for future emails.*

EXTRA (optional) ENTRIES:

• 1 Entry Each: Follow this blog through google friend connect ~ Subscribe through my Feedburner Icon ~ Email Subscribe ~Fan A Daily Dose on facebook ~ Follow A Daily Dose on facebook~ Follow me on Twitter.
• 3 Entries: Post about this giveaway with a link back to this post (leave 3 separate comments for each entry)
• 5 Entries: Leave a comment on any other post (non-giveaway), up to five different posts, on this blog and receive an entry for each comment.
• Twice Daily Entry: Tweet about this contest twice daily using the following tweet : Enter to Win 1 of 3 Sakroots Handbags http://tinyurl.com/ydfdwjn #dailydosegiveaways (please leave the tweet url)

Contest will close on 11/17/2009 at Noon CST.

Details about entering contests at A Daily Dose:

• Required entry MUST be done to qualify (not thanks for the entry or great giveaway, that will be deleted)
• Extra entries are completely optional and don’t have to be done but required entry must be done for them to count.
• Winner will be picked by Random.org
• Winner will be emailed using the email they entered with and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeitted.

For more on review, giveaway and winner policies please see my disclosure policy.

*Product was given to me by sponsor for sole purpose of reviewing.  Reception of product does not influence my views.  I will always post my honest views on the product received here on A Daily Dose.  The views on this review are that of myself only.

I have seen tweets and heard posts about why it’s a bad idea.  Well you won’t see this here on my blog or in my tweets because I think they are brilliant.

In my opinion there should be nothing offensive about a list, who gives a crap if you aren’t on a list, if you base your self worth on making a list then you have a little more to worry about  than twitter lists.

Heck,  my list number has gone up and down already since the list feature was implemented.  Should I now be offended now that OMG someone had me on a list and they took me off?

Um no, I have a bit more esteem than that thanks!

Whether you want to make one list of people you read daily, a list for your closest friends, a list of just the PR and companies you work with or love, a list of bloggers you have met in real life or whatever list you want. I think this is great because as  blogger/social media person I like to connect and so I follow most of the people that follow me if they are active on twitter.

I by no means have a ton of followers compared to some (Dooce could really use twitter lists considering she has over a million followers).  But with over 3300 followers and following 2700 of those back I can’t always keep up with every individual person because my stream is constantly moving.  So the brilliance of the twitter lists is now I can make smaller lists out of those 2700 and be able to keep up with pretty much everyone through smaller streams.

Who gives a crap if one of my lists is titled Totally Awesome Tweeps or Bloggity Bloggers I love, it doesn’t mean I love anyone else less.  I am slowly breaking down the people I follow into lists and if you aren’t on one of those lists are you really going to be offended?  Maybe I should just put everyone in my Famous People (for celebs I follow) list then they can all feel special.

I have many more lists in the making but I promise one of them isn’t going to be  People that Only like to Cause Drama (though that made me giggle typing it out).  Chances are if you are that type of person I have blocked you anyways, I have kids there is enough drama in my house without having to have it on twitter.

If I am following you right now it’s because I DO like you list or no list.  However, if I am not following you it’s NOT because I don’t, I probably just haven’t found you yet (think the love scene running to each other in slow motion on a beach) or you aren’t actually interacting with me.

So I for one am raising my head and standing proud saying I love twitter lists, I can put 50/100 people in a list and it makes it much easier to follow along.  Then I can pop over to another list and see what that small group of people is saying.  And don’t let not being on a list make you feel less superior because well frankly we all rock our stuff or we wouldn’t be here right!

Just Sayin!

~ We have the something or other joints going out on our van and have no $$ to fix it.

~ Our dryer is a piece of crap and see above as why we can’t replace it

~ Living paycheck to paycheck is getting old.

~ Questioning how in the world we are going to be able to even do Christmas this year.

~ For us to be able to do anything for our kids (an occasional movie, birthdays, etc) we have to accept it’s money we don’t have.  How do you deal with that?

~ I am tired of living in Arkansas and am ready to be back in Florida with my family.

~ Groceries are getting to be unaffordable and gas is going back up.  But at least it’s not $4.00 a gallon right!

~ On the plus side we will have a big portion of our debt paid off in the future and then things will be better.

~ A little Elvis always puts me in a bit of a better mood.

~ Crying makes me feel a bit better but I get all splotchy and puffy eyed and the problems are still there.

~ I tend to “hole up” when life gets tough and it’s not the best approach.

~ I want more for my kids they deserve more than what I can give them right now.

~ I tend to get a bit suspicious of things and people sometimes.

~ I am however looking forward to Thanksgiving, eating is my solace occasionally that could be a problem later in life.

~ We essentially live on what a single person makes because of the ridiculous taxes taken out of our earnings that’s not really doable with a family of 5 living on single person earnings.  So it’s no wonder we have more in bills each month than we actually bring home.  Stupid taxes.

~ I hate that taxes are 9.25 % here on everything(groceries, clothes, etc) and that we have to pay taxes on our cars EVERY single year!!

Okay whew that felt better, or so I am telling myself…now we can move on to happier posts yes??

Hope you all have a great week, I know somehow mine will get better and everything will work out somehow.  Off to listen to some praise and worship it’s great for lifting the spirits and God loves it when I praise him~