The #SkimmLife.

From time to time I like to share things that make my life easier and smarter to help you make your life easier and smarter. See also: beverages containing tequila, beauty products 101, crafty home things, and even the occasional Halloween costume life hack.

Rarely am I serious and rarely are my helpful tips and tricks related to real life. But recently I came across a company called theSkimm--and it's my new morning addiction. It's a daily (free) email newsletter that quickly breaks down current events, world trends and pretty much anything "now"—and it’s written with snark, wit and humor. And the co-founders? Two smart, sassy ladies who are taking the news world by storm.

Click here or the image above to sign up. All you need is an email address. And that's all they'll ever ask for!

Ohhh, heyyyy there.

Hey. It's me. I'm over here, hiding in the corner under a blanket and sucking my thumb and probably also rocking in the fetal position.

I officially picked paint colors today. I went one shade darker in the khaki and kept everything else the same. I'll probably hate it, but whatever.

We also had someone sign a lease on our house. For three flipping years. THREE. Literally the best news since Costco started carrying Cheez-its. And also Pop Chips. And maybe wine.

And in other panic-inducing news, I booked the movers today. They'll be on our doorstep in a little over a month. Which means I need to start packing like, yesterday.

For realsies, though, my plan on packing (and I've already started...maybe 15% done) is to pack a box a day until the week before when we really kick it into high gear. I think this will help ease my OCD and need for order in the world, no? Alrighty then.

In unrelated news, happy 7-11! Go get your free Slurpee today--Alex will be getting a blue one, naturally

Winner, winner, Subway dinner.

I'm trying to be more healthy these days, so KFC and fried chicken just a'int cuttin' it. Stick with me, eh?

Anyway, it's time to annouce the winners of the Time Out mat giveaway from Amy Sews It.

Congratulations to:

Meg from Because I Said So (and Other Mommyisms)

&

Emily from A Daily Dose of the Mitchells

Ladies, hit me up at kveedub[at]gmail[dot]com to claim your prize. And for the rest of you, use code "10spot" to get 10% off anything in Amy's etsy shop! Weeee!!!

TIME. OUT.

Brace yourselves, folks. It's giveaway time around these parts!

Glances left.

The ever-so-creative Momma of 3, Amy of Amy Sews It has graciously offered TWO ABM3 readers the chance to win one of her super kick arse time out mats.

The design, while uber simple in nature, is actually quite brilliant. I ordered mine about 2 weeks ago after a long hunt that stretched to the corners of amazon, etsy and ebay (and everywhere in between) to find the perfect product. Here's what I love:

• It's small enough to take with us wherever we go. And we go a lot of places. It's also diaper-bag/purse friendly because of the ribbon tie design.
• It's washable. Kids = messy. Washable = good.
• Her fabrics are SUPER cute. (And she can do custom orders!)
• Alex's time outs are now more consistent. No matter where we are, he knows that the blue mat is where it's at.

So back to my original point: TWO of you are going to WIN one of your own! There are up to 4 ways to enter--do one or do them all, but be sure to leave a comment for each separate entry. It's not rocket science, promise.

1. Be a public follower of ABM3.
2. Visit Amy's etsy shop and tell me which fabric or product is your fave. Umm, like her awesomesauce hats! Or these!
3. Post a linky to Amy's shop on YOUR facebook page.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.

Giveaway ends at midnight on May 11. I'll announce TWO winners on May 12.

And because I think it's hilarious that you can truly find anything online, please visit ehow's advice on how to effectively use time outs "Super Nanny" style. That's how we roll.

...stay tuned, because if you don't end up winning, Amy's going to offer a special discount to ABM3 readers!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.

Congrats and pink confetti and bubbles to Ashley Paige from I love you more than carrots. Did you have a crystal ball or something - you were correct on gender and SO close on the date!!

Email me at kveedub{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize!

And once again, may we all give a standing ovation to the fine, fine peeps over at CSN stores? We heart you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Werbegeschenk Gewinner!

Which, according to Google Translate (my bff for the next 10 days) is "Giveaway Winner!" in German.

I asked one of my German colleagues to pick a random number between 1-25 and she selected "zwei," which also according to Google Translate is TWO...Stephanie!

Glückwünsche, my dear! Email me at kveedub{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize.

And don't for a minute think that I'm just letting the rest of you down without something to cheer you up...Grandma's Little Lilly has generously offered ABM3 readers a $2 discount on any order when you use coupon code "lilly30". Be sure to mark it in "comments to seller" and she will send you the refund via PayPal. This code is good thru Nov. 10.

Merry Halloween!

Gifts on Halloween? That's preposterous!

False. That's how we roll around these parts. I'm a giver...what can I say?

If you noticed this week's "What I'm Loving Right Now..." (glances left) then you probably can guess what I've got up my sleeves for this giveaway. And if not, go look. We'll be waiting.

...

...

...

...

Got it? Good.

Now, let's get down to business. One lucky reader will win their very own coupon organizer from Grandma's Little Lilly. Weeee!! I have one of my own and love it. Instead of fumbling around with a disorganized pile of clippings stuffed into a gently used Ziploc bag, I'm now an organized, chic shopper with an UBER cute filing system to prove it. As I waltz down the aisles at Meijer all hands-free with my organizer attached to my cart, other shoppers longingly gaze at me in envy.

Want to experience this couponing/shopping nirvana for yourself? Enter to win!

Here's how to enter: visit Grandma's Little Lilly Etsy shop and leave a comment telling me your favorite fabric and the one thing that always manages to sneak its way into your shopping cart, despite your best efforts. For me, it's Cheez-its.

That's it! Easy peasy. Oh, and you must live in the continental U.S. Sorry, neighbors to the north.

I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, November 3.

Winner, Winner. Chicken Dinner.

In a strange twist of events, there were only 16 entries into le giveaway. Really, it just made the odds that much better for the rest of you, right?

Aaaaaanyway, I asked Joey to pick a number 1-16 and he selected a number related to Alex...15, for the day he was born.

And that entry was...

Jackie D. from always in my heart.

Congrats, girl! And the rest of you, don't get all emotional on me...CSN likely has more good things up their sleeves for the future. Keep reading!

Hump Day Happiness.

Meh. It's Wednesday.

How do you make a typically mundane Hump Day a little saucier? Well, I don't know about you, but I GIVE STUFF AWAY!

Yes, it's that time again, childrens. My bffs over at the CSN group of stores are offering another gift card to one lucky reader. I've said it before, but you can literally find anything on CSN's 200+ online shops. From upholstered headboards to shoes to fitness equipment...it's all there.

But wait, there's more! They've upped the ante this time to a whopping FIFTY buckaroonies. For real!

To enter:
Just leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd use the $50 on. That's it! Don't worry, I won't hold you to your choice if you win. Oh, and you must also live in the US or Canada (their rules, not mine).

Contest ends August 18 at midnight EST. I'll announce the winner on Thursday, August 19. You're welcome!

Happy Friday!

Oh there is simply SO much to celebrate today. The first and most obvious, it's Friday. Word. Second, it's GIVEAWAY DAY! And third, I'm getting on a plane in about 18 hours for a weekend of shenanigans in NOLA with my bf, Caitlin. And the forecast in the dirty souf is sunny with a chance of AWESOME. For your visual entertainment today, here's some examples of what goes down when we're together:

Jim Joyce Sucks! GO TIGERS!

Putting on her makeup on my wedding day. Klassy.

My wedding day. I married my other best friend...

'cause, you know...marrying her would be awkward.

Spice Girls' World Tour. Yes, we're that awesome.

Based on the above, I can only image what pictures I'll be sharing on Tuesday from NOLA. It'll be epic, I'm sure.

In other news, who wants to know who won the giveaway?! I DO! I DO! Le winner is...

Kat from 800 months!

Congrats, girlie! Email me at kveedub{at}gmail{dot}com to claim your prize.

I'm out until Tuesday, childrens. Have a fun weekend...don't do anything I wouldn't do (which, let's be honest...probably is a short list this weekend). 

Not Bad For A Thursday.

I woke up this morning SO pumped that it was Friday.

Except, it's not. Shiiiiiite.

So, to perk us all up a bit that it's not Friday, how about we do another giveaway? Yippie!

My dear friends at the CSN Family of stores love them some ABM3. Remember the lamp review I did awhile back? Anyway, they've generously offered to give one lucky reader a $40 gift certificate to use at any of their 200 + websites. With options from toys to bathroom vanities to shoes (I mean really, who doesn't love shoes?!), the winner of this giveaway has some serious online shopping to do!

So, how to enter? Let's keep this one simple: just become (or already be) a public follower of ABM3 and leave a comment on what product you might get if you win. Don't worry, I won't hold you to your selection!

If you want to blog about this giveaway with a link back, I'll give you two extra entries (just leave the link in your comment).

I'll pick a booger winner on Friday, June 4. Good luck!

Coupons, Anyone?

'Twas cleaning out my stash today and found the following I'll never use:

• $2 off Similac
• $2 off Pamper's Easy ups (2 of these)
• $1.50 off Huggies Little Swimmers
• $2 off Any Huggies Little Movers or Little Snugglers
• $3 off when you buy any 2 Huggies
• $2 off Huggies Overnites
• $0.50 off Huggies wipes 64 ct. or higher

Email me your mailing address if you want any of them --> kveedub{at}gmail{dot}com

In related news, I really believe that the makers of Huggies products should consider spelling "nights" correctly. They do make childrens' products, after all.

Picky Stickys Winner!

Congratulations to... 

BROOKE!

The timing couldn't have been better on this lucky win - rumor has it she just learned she's expecting baby #3! Can't wait to see if you choose the bump or the baby stickers. Maybe you'll share your progress with ABM3 readers? :)

Please email me to claim your prize kveedub{at}gmail{dot}com.

Picky Stickys Giveaway!

Once upon a time there was a girl. She got pregnant and took "Hump Day! Bump Day!" pictures. When le babe was born, she took "Alex and the WIPpo" pictures. One day, she noticed that a friend was posting similar pictures of her (adorable) daughter on the Book of Face...but with a MUCH cuter twist...and the girl was very, very sad that she did not discover her friend's secret sooner.

Enter Picky Stickys.

Genius product, I tell you. Pure. Genius. In fact, I'm super jealous I didn't think of it first. Basically, they are stickers that you put on a white onesie before you snap the milestone pics. And there's loads of options, designs, colors and themes. You can do the traditional "1 month, 2 month, 3 month" etc. series, special holiday stickers or (my personal fave) the bump stickers! Take note: should there ever be a WIP pt. 2, these will be on my bell-ay! There's also a selection for the "older" kiddos to mark the quarter year milestones. You know Alex is going to hafta have them...

So here's the thing: Because I am a crazy person, I emailed Tish (creator and genius behind Picky Sticky) how much her product RULES and how I wish I would have known about it sooner and she was all like, "Thanks! Wanna do a giveaway?" To which I was all like, "Ab-so-freaking-loote-ly!"

Aaaaand, here we are. It's giveaway day. And it's AWESOME. One lucky ABM3 reader is going to win a set of Picky Stickys - any variety, any theme. Keep them for yourself or give them as a gift to a recently knocked up friend. Either way, I'm about to make 1 reader really, really happy.

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory Entry: Be a public follower of this blog and also follow Picky Sticky on Facebook.

Fake legal jargon: You must complete the mandatory entry before the bonus entries will be counted. My bf can validate this. She's almost a lawyer.

BONUS entries: (Leave one comment for your mandatory entry and a separate comment for each bonus entry.)

- 2 entries: blog about this giveaway with a link back to ABM3 and Picky Sticky's etsy site.

- 1 entry: follow Picky Sticky on twitt-ah.

- 1 entry: follow me on twitt-ah. (OMG. Did I really just say that? Me. On Twitter. Such a joke!)

- 2 entries: tweet about this contest using this tweedley-dee: New moms and moms-to-be: check out the giveaway over at '...and baby makes 3!' courtesy of @PickySticky & @kveedub http://bit.ly/b3kHsY

I'll draw a winner using random.org on Friday, May 14. Because really, there's not better way to end the week than by giving away awesome, free stuff.

Good luck! And I'm already jealous of the winner, whoever you are!

AWESOMESAUCE.

Attention readers: I am secretly very, very angry with all of you who have known about the awesomesauce that is restaurant.com and did not share it with me.

SERIOUSLY! You've been holding out on some hardcore savings. What gives?

Honestly, the fault is really all mine for not checking it out for myself. I've seen banner ads here and there advertising "up to 80% off at local restaurants!" and the uber annoying popups telling me to "act now!" to receive "$25 in gift cards for just $2!" with some ridiculous coupon code like "MEAL" or "FOOD."

BUT IT'S REAL, Y'ALL. As my internet role model, Blair, would say.

Last night we planned to meet some friends for dinner at Black Lotus, a fab local brewery in Clawson. Support local businesses! As per usual, I googled "Black Lotus" & "Coupons" prior to our visit...but this time, the site that my search lead me to was restaurant.com. I'd seen it before...but was I being tricked by the internets?

"Eh, what the hell?" I said to myself. It was $2. And if it was a scam, I was only out the cost of 2 large diet deliciousnesses @ McD's.

So I selected the $25 gift card, entered coupon code "MEAL" at checkout (good thru the end of this week), and wouldn't you know it...the whole transaction cost me $2! And I was able to pay with PayPal, which is always my preferred method of payment when I fear something is too good to be true. They have excellent customer service and a money back guarantee.

Each restaurant (and there are LOADS of them) does have different stipulations for their particular coupon - but all the ones I came across were totally reasonable and not unlike any other "fine print" you'd get from a similar offer. For instance, Black Lotus required a bill total (before applying coupon) of $35. Done and done. They did let us use it on alcohol (some don't - read before you buy!) and an 18% gratuity was automatically added to our check. Which is fine, we're usually generous tippers, anyway.

The long and short of it: I will absolutely use restaurant.com again, and I would like to apologize to the internets for thinking I was being tricked. Oh, and that $23 we saved this time around? Deposited right into little man's college savings. Word.

Happy Birthday To...You?

Much like Dane Cook's "You get a humpback whale! You get a humpback whale! Everybody gets a humpback whale!" Oprah joke, I'm spreading the love for Alex's birthday celebration. Since it's too expensive to mail humpback whales and too gross to mail cake, gift cards will simply have to do. And you know you love that more, anyway. The poll was very close between le Target and Starbuckies, so we'll call it a tie and have two winners. You're welcome.

So here's how you can win 10 big ones to Starbucks OR Target...1 winner for each.

Publicly follow ABM3 +
leave le comment with birthday wishes to Alex =
1 entry

That's it! Super cinchy! If you want to blog about this giveaway and link back to it, I'll throw in 2 extra entries. She works haaaaaaard for it, honey.

...and the only person that is ineligible for this giveaway Joey, since I buy him he buys me Starbuckies every day, anyway.

Giveaway closes @ midnight on April 21. US and Canada eh? residents only.

BIGGBY Freebie.

Despite the fact that I was totally against the artist formerly known as Beaner's Coffee changing its name to BIGGBY Coffee, I still love the stuff.

And in today in honor of their birthday, they're giving you free coffee. Now that's a birthday celebration I can get into.

Click here to print the coupon and here to see if there's a BIGGBY in your area. Oh, and I wholeheartedly recommend the Teddy Bear.

You're welcome.

It's How You Live.

I needed a pick me up of the Costco-size variety today...and as it usually does, music had a big role in amping up my disposition. "How You Live" by Point of Grace was just played on XM 32. ::taps toes:: If you've never heard it, I encourage you to download it - it's a super catchy song with a great message. Here are some of the lyrics (just the ones I find to be particularly uplifting):

Wake up to the sunlight

With your windows open

Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken

Wear your red dress

Use your good dishes

Make a big mess and make lots of wishes

Turn up the music

Turn it up loud

Take a few chances

Let it all out

You won't regret it

Lookin' back from where you have been

Cause it's not who you knew

And it's not what you did

It's how you live

So go to the ballgames

And go to the ballet

And go see your folks more than just on the holidays

Kiss all your children

Dance with your wife

Tell your husband you love him every night

Tonight I think we'll take Alex for a walk (gorgeous day!), order pizza and eat it on the good dishes. And did someone say Shamrock Shakes on the way home?!? Maybe we'll even have a dance party to bad 80's music in the kitchen and drink that expensive bottle of wine we've been waiting for a reason to open. Who needs a reason? Today is AWESOME - that's reason enough.

Do something extraordinary today, will you?

And if you're version of 'extraordinary' includes entering fab giveaways, take a mosy on over to Hey?! A Mom Can Dream! to enter her giveaway for a Glow Girl coupon organizer. Also, check out this post for a great CSN Stores giveaway. You're welcome.

Hair On Fire.

Near the entrance to my last office, there was a sign that read, "Put your hair out before entering this area." It was intended to poke fun at (and hopefully detour) those individuals who were certain that every single project was an urgent, top priroity and must be completed, like, yesterday. Those people are annoying.

Anywho, it would seem that I really, really, really, really, really, really need one of those for my new gig. And let's be honest, here...it's not as if the work I do is solving world hunger or anything like that. Yes, it's important in the here and now and is strategic and aligned and all that other bullshank corporate jargon. But it's not saving lives.

In summary: I am currently too busy being gainfully employed to eat, sleep or grocery shop. Oh, and also to clean. Weekend visitors, take note.

I have no energy or concentration, for that matter, to provide poetic humor for my minions. So instead, here's some giveaways you can enter:

• Address labels from bleu soleil designs
• Sullivan & Sawyer products from Heir to Blair
• A month (yes, a MONTH...like, one a day) of giveaways from Clemsongirl

As always, you're welcome.

Monday Fail.

Today I'm totally uncoordinated. Brown pants with black shoes. A blue sweater with non-matching successories. Forgot to put cream in my coffee. All pretty decent indicators of how my day has been thus far.

In slightly more cheery news, I scored a FREE lid for my sugar bowl this weekend. We have the Lenox Bellina set (which Joey picked out and I loooooove...and yes, we actually really use it) and in one of my fits of reorganization of the basement (before I got my china cabinet) I must have accidentally tossed out the lid to the sugar bowl. Blonde moment, much?

I contacted Lenox to order a new one, but even with their "50% off replacement guarantee," I was still looking at a charge of $50+. For some horrible reason, you can't order just the lid - you have to buy the whole thing. Seriously, Lenox. Fix that. As a Plan B, I signed up for the Replacements, Ltd. newsletter, which from my hours of research is the only retailer that sells just the lids. However, it's not something that comes into stock often. I've been on the mailing list for about 8 months and have yet to see a sugar bowl lid pop up in inventory. Teapot lid? Billions of them. Nada on the sugar bowl.

I remained patient...even visited the Lenox outlet in Birch Run from time to time to see if they had a lone lid or even a super great clearance deal on one I could snag...but no luck. My options were still a $50+ replacement piece - even @ second quality.

So imagine my surprise when I took a little stroll through the store this weekend to again, hunt for my precious lid. I took a look through the entire store, and all the sugar bowl lids really started to look the same. Wait for it. Wait for it. I managed to find a second quality sugar bowl in another pattern (but still platinum trimmed) at 85% off and walked it over to the Bellina set to do a little one-on-one comparison. LIGHT GOES OFF! All the stinkin' lids are the same! I scurried to the cash register to purchase my little gem for a grand total of $22.

"But Kristi," you say. "You said in the beginning that you scored a free lid."

Why yes, I did. And the story continues...

The store manager went to ring me up and my total came to $60 something and some change, which I obviously refuted. Turns out the sugar bowl was on the wrong shelf and was actually a first quality piece and was only 35% off. Rats.

I told him I needed any platinum rimmed sugar bowl lid as a replacement to mine - didn't matter which pattern - but I wanted the 85% off deal to make it worth my purchase. Much to my delight, he marched in the back room and came back with a selection of lids for me to choose from! Apparently they keep lids of sets that are broken as replacements which I asked for the previous million times I'd been in the store. I guess you just have to ask the right person. I said something to the effect of, "I'm so excited I can just buy the lid." To which he responded, "You don't have to buy anything." Um. Say what?

Long story short, he wrapped it up and sent me on my merry way - for free! My china cabinet is finally back in order and my OCD is at peace. Thank you, Barry from the Lenox store. I heart you.