Category: Promotions

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Create a Healthier Soda Stream USA

thefivefish.com, Karie Herring, soda SteamDo you have a family or family members that have everything and you are stumped. Truly you are at the gift giving conundrum pass of what to give as the perfect gift for someone or for everyone who has everything?

I could bet you they do not have their very own fountain soda system. Seriously.

Who does not just love that fresh mixed taste of a cool refreshing soft drink? Like the one from soda fountains from years of old. The bubbly beverage calling your thirst, quenching your every desire. Yes I am still talking about Soda, Pop, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up, whatever you may call it.

Karie Herring, Thefivefish.com, Soda Stream USA

My family is not big soda drinkers anymore, but we love to have a soda every now and again. But the cost effectiveness of buying a whole package makes better economic sense as opposed to the cost of just the single soda  (Yeah do the math). However, the environmental issues also weigh in with all the packaging and waste. Imagine no more useless bottles, cans, and or cases. Imagine fresh, straight from the fountain style soda right in your home. Or better yet, sparkling water. Ever heard of Perrier?

Soda Stream USA would be the best fit for the family who enjoys soft drinks on all levels. From sparkling water, to Red-Bull type drinks, cola and diet cola, and who could forget the family favorite of root beer (and root beer floats!).

Want to know how it works, just watch.
Soda Stream USA from Karie Herring on Vimeo.

Easy peasy right?! So you are wondering what other flavors are there? How hard is it really to make? No electricity? Bottles? Where is the catch?

Nutritional info straight from the website:

As you can see….the Soda Stream sodas have LESS sugar, sodium, caffeine, and calories than commercial sodas, well at least the two flavors listed that are comparable. Speaking of flavors.

FLAVORS:

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Soda Stream USA review

  • Cola
  • Cranberry Raspberry
  • Cream Soda
  • Fountain Mist
  • Ginger Ale
  • Lemon Lime
  • Orange
  • Pete’s Choice
  • Root Beer
  • Tonic

FLAVORS to come:

  • Cherry Cola
  • Peach Iced Tea
  • Lemon Iced Tea
  • Lemonade
  • Orange Mango
  • Grape
  • Zero Cola
  • Diet Peach Iced Tea
  • Diet Lemon Iced Tea
  • Diet Lemonade
  • Diet Energy Drink

As you can see by the video….not hard at all to make. Follow the easy peasy instructions and you have yourself some super fountain drinks. Oh the issue of electricity, yeah, none needed since the whole operation is based on the CO2 (carbon dioxide) canister where the CO2 is shot right into the soda bottle. Oh right, and the package comes with a One Litre bottle that is BPA free. The whole system is completely environmentally friendly. The CO2 you ask? Well you buy those from Soda Stream, send them back your old ones to recycle when you order your new ones. Much like printer cartridges.

Are you ready to add one to your kitchen appliances? You are? Or maybe for a loved one who LURVES a nice cool, bubbly fountain drink but hates to keep running to the store for more?

Here is what you are entering to win: Fountain Jet Soda Lover’s Start-Up Kit (approx. $100 retail value.) It includes the winner’s choice of black/silver, white or red/silver Fountain Jet, CO2 to make over 100 liters of soda, 2 reusable carbonating bottles, a sample pack of flavors, and 3 full-sized flavors of the winner’s choice

MANDATORY ENTRY: Check out Soda Stream and tell me the system you would want and your top three flavors, new coming or otherwise. (Be sure to leave your email or make your blogger profile public, no email, no entry, sorry.)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow my blog or tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter or tell me you do
  • Follow SodaClub and tell me you do
  • Daily Tweet option “Better than soda in a can giveaway from @SodaClub @KariewithaK http://tiny.cc/cE2g0 “
  • Blog about this giveaway in 25-100 words (not that hard…..for 5 extra entries)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Enter one of the other giveaways for an extra entry
Don’t forget to DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE and all the fabulous participants, savings, and giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 23RD @ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck!
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.
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Travel Business Class with High Sierra Sport Giveaway

luggage, high sierraDo you find your husband travels quite a bit for business? (Maybe even you do as a working mom.) I know my husband travels quite a bit for work and he is constantly complaining of the amount of luggage he has to take with him which usually consists of his overnight bag, laptop bag, and sometimes literature for meetings (which maybe consists of another bag as well). All his gear bogs him down that he decided  he needed a bag that would double as an overnight bag and a laptop bag, but supply enough room for his paperwork, gear, everything you need when traveling on a business trip.

High Sierra Sport Company, Luggage, Thefivefish.comI searched HIGH and LOW on the internet for a bag to meet his needs. Believe me I searched. I finally came across High Sierra Sport Company and I was IN LOVE! I knew I found the bag the hubs could use as a laptop bag and an overnight bag allowing for enough room to pack all his gear. The bag I found with High Sierra Sport Company is the AT505 Carry-On Wheeled Backpack (MSRP $300, found in stores for $149.99). This piece of luggage is a BEAUTY and I have yet to see anyone make anything like it yet. The backpack on the front of the wheeled carry-on, zippers on and off as a day-pack or in his case doubles as a laptop, briefcase type bag. The luggage also makes for a smooth transition through the security checkpoints, where he is not fumbling through a couple of bags or having to check any of his bags. While we were also looking at all the features, the entire piece has backpack handles! You got it, the entire thing doubles as a backpack if you are not wheeling it through airports and or hotels.

Weight must be an issue right? With the fact it has the day pack, its a roller bag, the weight must be atrocious. WRONG! I thought that too until I started throwing it around. We even loaded up both bags to see how heavy they are. Not a problem! The features are totally, can I just flashback to the 80s, RAD!

  • Duraweave and Metallic mini-weave: Not your average luggage, the material is rough and tough.
  • Corner-mounted sport wheels: Inline skate-style wheels have corner-mounted housings with a unique integrated bridge to keep the bag rolling true.[High Sierra Sport Co, 2009] Which this bag does! Most wheels tend to bind or they drag like you are pulling luggage with a body in it. I mean what more could you ask for in a luggage and bag company that is the official supplier of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams. HOLLA!!
  • Aircraft aluminum pull-up handle: This feature equates to a sturdy handle that is not flimsy.
  • Custom-molded zipper pulls: Do you not hate those stupid metal zippers that are cold, your hands slip off, and they are heavy. These are designed to reduce the weight of the bag and make for an easier grip.


What else I love about this beautiful piece of luggage? Well two things, the colors are GORGEOUS! Stunning bright and fashionable colors and I plan on snagging this beauty to take with me to BlogHer2010. I will be able to stash my laptop, my swag (oh yeah….did I tell you….this is a THREE part giveaway, this is Piece ONE!), and all my clothes! I could not be more stoked!

Oh the giveaway part….right! Yes, you my faithful readers can win one of these wonderful pieces of luggage to add to your traveling needs.

RULES:

MANDATORY: Leave me a comment telling me what your biggest peeve is with traveling and how High Sierra would be a fabulous piece of luggage to ease your traveling woes. You have to check out their site and tell me which piece besides this one would be fabulous! (Be sure to leave me your email address, no email address, I cannot tell you that you won! How crap-tastic would that be!)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Fan High Sierra on Facebook, by doing so….you can enter to win a piece of luggage EVERY WEEK with them! How fabulous is that!
  • Follow them on Twitter! Lots of info of when the giveaways are happening and all their awesome product updates!
  • Follow my blog and tell me you did
  • Follow me on Twitter and tell me you did
  • Tweet this giveaway “Innovative luggage giveaway for your lifestyle from @KariewithaK and @HighSierraSport http://bit.ly/1sx6Ov” Tweet this at least once a day and tell me you did
  • Fan the Fish On Facebook (to your right) and tell me you did
  • Blog about this giveaway in 50-100 words (Worth 5 entries!)
  • Subscribe to my feed in a reader or email ( I do verify by the way)
  • Enter one of the other MANY giveaways! (Worth an entry for each giveaway you enter! LOADS)
DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE to see what other great products will be featured with awesome money savings for the holidays and of course giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 13TH @ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck! Be Fair and as always tip your servers.
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.
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Gifts for Kids: Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique

Christmas has been so much fun for me last year and this year because of the twins. I was so blessed with one of each that now I have a mini-me to dress up, do her hair, we can do girlie things in a house full of boys. While on my quest to find the sweetest girl gifts and ideas I stumbled upon Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique and seriously if they are not the sweetest boutique ever!

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique Look at that cute outfit! I could not believe that is handmade. Yes, you heard me correctly. HANDMADE with love from one of the most talented women I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with via email. I actually ordered this dress for review sight unseen. You see a picture was not posted and if I did not just have the most awesome luck! Can you believe this dress? Honestly totally cute and great for all seasons. Do you see the cute bow (that I was so lucky that my Little Bitty did not yank out of her hair)? Yes the bow matches that adorable dress.

So the dress is a fabulous light corduroy feeling fabric. Most people cringe at corduroy, but I embrace it and just love the soft velvety feel and the rough texture. Kids are fabulous candidates for corduroy because it is so tough and rugged for their playing. The pattern is awesome with the bright colors and Sara was losing her mind when she saw the dress. She is such a girlie girl at heart, if it is pink…..she now has possession, so beware.

Sweetie Pies Kids is more than just girls clothes. Boys clothes are also available, as well as an assortment of adorable bows, tutu’s, monogrammed cups, frames, crayon rolls (which are great for travel!), and lots of totally cute baby gear like bibs, blankets, passy clips, they have it all. Of course, the best part is the handmade. I love to support mom and handmade so Sweetie Pies Kids is a no brainer.

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Sweetie Pies Kids BoutiqueWant to know where to find Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique clothes, well you can shop online with their fabulous site and if you happen to be a resident of North Carolina and in the area of Kernersville and Youngsville you can see all of their great products at Barabara’s Cottage in Youngsville and Emma Jane’s in Kernersville, but of course you can check out the Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique site for your one stop shop if you are not in the area.

If you have a boy or girl in your life this year that you want to buy them something completely unique and away from the ordinary that you find at your standard box stores or maybe you want to customer order…they take those too, well this is the place to read on, because the owner Kristen Holmes of Sweetie Pies Kids is offering The Five Fish readers a $20 gift certificate to her site to shop for some fabulous gift items this year. And if you are not a winner for this giveaway, that is still okay because if you mention that you saw Sweetie Pies Kids on my blog you get 10% off your purchase! How fabulous is that!

So you want to know the fabulous deets on how to win? Alright:

MANDATORY: Check out Sweetie Pies Kids and tell me who you would shop for and what you would want to buy for them.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Go Join the Sweetie Pies Kids Boutique Facebook Page to get all your updates for the shop.
  • Stumble, Digg, or Delicious Sweetie Pies Kids and tell me you did (an entry for each)
  • Buy something with your 10% discount from Sweetie Pies Kids (for 5 extra entries, let me know your info so I can confirm)
  • Follow my blog and or tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter or tell me you do
  • Tweet this giveaway with daily RT’s “Sweet as pie with Sweetie Pies Kids & @KariewithaK (put the link to the giveaway here)”
  • Blog about this giveaway with 25-100 words linking back to The Five Fish & Sweetie Pies Kids (Worth 4 extra entries)
  • Enter one of the other giveaways for an extra entry (each giveaway is an extra entry here, 4 giveaways, 4 extra entries! WOO)
DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE for FABULOUS products to be showcased here on the blog throughout the month including giveaways and HUGE money savings just in time for the holidays!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 18TH @ 11:59 AZ TIME
BEST OF LUCK!
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

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Shoes for Toddlers Pedoodles

Parents, grandparents, and the like always look at shoes as an item to buy for back to school or because a need exists. While my poor Seth (and his gigantic growing feet) needed shoes, they also make a great gift for the holidays. My kids are definitely MY kids when the topic of shoes is breached. Shoes means we are going somewhere….like Costco. Exciting for a toddler, really.

I have bought my kids shoes in the past from your standard places, Target, Wal-Mart, Payless Shoes, and each of these places has shoes with HARD rubber (or worse) soles. So your children really look like midgets trying to maneuver snow shoes on dry land. You know the walk right? Lifting and walking as if they have weights wrapped upon their feet. I found the wonderful company of Pedoodles and just had to see what they are all about. I also found them based on their Eco-Friendly compliant shoes. You know we at The Five Fish try to reduce our carbon footprint.

I perused the site, just adoring all the cute baby shoes, toddler shoes, leather, sandals, moccasin type shoes. I finally found the perfect pair, the Bumper Cars. I contacted them and they were so gracious to allow Seth-en-stein to test out a sample of their shoes and would you believe it that my 20 month old BOY, LOVES his shoes. I mean he really likes shoes period, but if you set all his shoes in front of him he truly picks his Pedoodles.

THE REASON WHY
The shoes move with his feet. He is not constricted or restrained by the chunky, unable to flex and move, hard construction of a standard shoe. I mean you might as well have put children in wooden shoes the way they walk in the hard, immobile soles and construction. He also has toe box room for his wide feet. Baby feet are not narrow and pretty, they are Hobbit feet, they have to be able to support their frames and give them balance, and the shoes have to allow for the support and the movement of the child. The shoes are super soft! Truly super soft! The leather is movable and pliable like leather clothing and not “shoes.”

I mentioned the Eco-Friendly shoes right?! Well these shoes are Constructed from “Eco-Friendly” premium leather remnants which are safety tested for children (Free of Lead, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Mercury, Selenium and harmful Amines.) [Pedoodles.com, 2009] Oh and those soles on the shoes? Fabulous as well, they look like little tire treads and you want to know why? The Soles are made with recycled materials to help reduce global waste. They’re also safety tested (Passes British Safety Standard BS 5665-3 and European Standard EN71-3). [Pedoodles.com, 2009]

But hey….do not just take my word for it. Enter to win a pair! That is right! Your crawler, walker, runner will be up and moving in a new pair or Pedoodles! Your first entry…..go head over to Pedoodles and come tell me how many pairs of Eco-Friendly shoes they offer! Be sure to leave your email addy or make your Blogger account available to see your email.

EXTRA ENTRIES

  • Follow my Blog (tell me you do or did)
  • Subscribe to my feed (at the top)
  • Follow me on Twitter (tell me you do or did)
  • Follow Pedoodles on Twitter
  • Tweet this giveaway “If babies were born w/shoes @Pedoodles would be it! Enter to win @KariewithaK (enter link here)”
  • Enter one of my other giveaways (worth as many entries as the giveaways you enter! i.e. if I have 3 giveaways, 3 entries! You see…)
  • Blog about this giveaway in 50-100 words with a track back to me and to Pedoodles.com (worth 3 entries)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Technorati fave my blog (I have a new listing since I changed the URL)
  • Stumble Pedoodles.com
DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE  to see what other great products will be featured with awesome money savings for the holidays and of course giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 13TH @ MIDNIGHT
BEST OF LUCK! 
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.
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Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Prize Pack

Over the past eight years, Cheerios has given away more than 40 million children’s books by distributing them free inside cereal boxes and has donated $3.2 million to First Book, their non-profit partner, which provides books to children from low-income families. The program is part of Cheerios’ ongoing commitment to helping parents provide their children with a healthy, nutritional and educational foundation.

Beginning this month, Cheerios is again bringing books to the breakfast table, by providing six million children’s books free inside Cheerios boxes. The books are for children ages 3 to 8 years old, and include a brand new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes. And for the first time, all five books have been specially printed in both English and Spanish. This year’s book offerings from Cheerios – all by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – are:

Junkyard Fort, written by Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and Dave Gordon: Join Gabriella, Jack, Melvin, Ted, Lucy and the other Trucktown characters as they make their own fort, using things found in the junkyard. Ages 4-8.

Tea for Ruby, written by The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser: Wherever Ruby goes, a bit of disaster seems to follow. But one sunny morning, things change when the postman brings Ruby an amazing invitation: would she like to have tea with the Queen? Ruby needs to polish her manners, and quickly. Ages 4-8.

Sleepyhead, written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by John Segal: In this rhythmic bedtime story, a cat is the parent and a teddy bear is the child who doesn’t want to go to bed. All ready for bed with teeth brushed and story read, Sleepyhead teddy tries anything to prolong his bedtime; books and his quilt provide ample fodder for his imagination. Ages 3-7.

Ballyhoo Bay, written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Derek Anderson: Mira Bella, an artist who teaches painting and sculpture, loves Ballyhoo Bay and what it offers: sun, sea, sand, and sky. But one gray day a billboard arrives, announcing an impending development that would take all the fun out of the place. Read along to see if Mira Bella and her art can save the day and Ballyhoo Bay! Ages 4–8.

What’s Under the Bed?, written and illustrated by Joe Fenton: Young Fred cannot stop worrying about the scary creature that might be hiding beneath his bed. Finally summoning the courage to peer under his bed, Fred, with his cumbersome glasses, sees that the only thing there is Ted, his friendly Teddy Bear! Ages 3–7.
[Courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Cheerios (a General Mills Brand)]

We here at The Five Fish LURVE Cheerios. My kids had Cheerios as their first finger foods, my son eats Cheerios for breakfast because of the low sugar content, and who doesn’t just love a handful as a snack on a road trip. In no way did this program affect us, other than the additional reading material we received as part of this wonderful promotion.

DH and I strive to read and sing to our kids all the time. We think reading helps to foster imagination, improve educational strengths, and reading is a fabulous hobby. I mean I blew through the Twilight series in like four days flat. Non stop reading. We want our children to enjoy reading as much as we do and we also encourage Big G to read as much as he can on his own. Especially since he is doing the Harcourt reading program at school!

The Spoonfuls of Stories books we think fit into his Harcourt reading program. The books are great short stories that engage a child and their imagination, not to mention the cool activities at the back of the books. Grant is a HUGE fan of reading on his own now and as a parent the most wonderful feeling is seeing the lights click and the bulb light up when your child begins to read on their own, without the phonetic and parental attempts and assistance. Truly an indescribable feeling. Since he is such a new reader he has lots of fun books to read from educational to story-time books, so no specific favorite just yet. My favorite books as a child were Ramona, The Box Car Children, Charlotte’s Web, and as I got older I became a fan of novels, poetry, prose, and comedies. (Yeah I am a bit of a literary snob at times)

So in an effort to promote a strong educational foundation with reading and healthy eating with Cheerios, The Five Fish are bringing you a Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Prize Pack which also includes a $25 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble!

PRIMARY ENTRY:  Tell me your reading story ritual with your children or maybe the importance of reading in your children’s lives or maybe tell me your favortite character from your favorite book (childhood or otherwise)
(Please make sure you have an email address or your Blogger account is public, I like Sherlock Holmes, but I don’t like to play detective.)


EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow my blog (or tell me you do)
  • Follow me on Twitter (or come tell me you do)
  • Tweet this Giveaway “Promoting healthy habits and reading for life with @CheeriosBrand and @KariewithaK, Win a Cheerios Prize Pack http://tinyurl.com/yzy5n3h” (once per day)
  • Technorati fave this blog
  • Enter one of my other giveaways (3 extra entries)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway (minimum of 100 words) (worth 5 entries)
 CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 8TH 2009@ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck to you all!
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. Click HERE! 
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Five for Fighting AUTOGRAPHED CD Giveaway

If every album provides snapshots of where an artist’s mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroids. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It’s a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums. [Source: One2OneNetwork]

If you loved Superman you will love this album (in my opinion of course). If you really liked 100 Years, you will REALLY like this album (again, in my opinion). Some albums are made where you like only a handful of songs, they resonate with you because of a time in your life, an event, some meaning is hidden in the words that shoots through your emotions. Five for Fighting has created an album (again in my opinion) that each song represents an event in our country, our lives, our emotions are touched. Some songs on the album make you want to get up and dance, cry, laugh at a memory, or just smirk. Here are the fabulous tracks to this new album:

1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can’t Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

Now if you are like and love to catch music LIVE, RAW, IN CONCERT!!! Well here are the show dates for Five for Fighting, where you can catch them in a live performance with your favorite songs and the new releases off Slice.
24-Oct                          Washington, DC                                   Jammin Java
26-Oct                          Boston, MA                                         The Paradise
27-Oct                          Philadelphia, PA                                   World Café Live (downstairs)
29-Oct                          Nashville, TN                                       The Belcourt
30-Oct                          Chicago, IL                                           Lakeshore
3-Nov                           Salt Lake City, UT                                The State Room
5-Nov                           Seattle, WA                                          Crocodile
6-Nov                           Portland, OR                                       Aladdin Theater
10-Nov                         San Francisco, CA                              Swedish American Hall
11-Nov                         Los Angeles, CA                                 Largo at the Coronet


If you have caught a “slice” of the new album then here is your opportunity to win it and enjoy for yourself, and what is even better, this is a great collectors item with the AUTOGRAPHED CD and hey, maybe a great gift for someone else to enjoy too!

The skinny on entering to win a copy of Slice:

  • Leave me your EMAIL address with ALL entries if you do not have your email enabled on your Blogger account.
  • Tell me how music has been a “slice” in your life.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow this blog (or tell me you already do)
  • Follow me on Twitter (or tell me you already do)
  • Tweet this: “Get your “Chances” for Five for Fighting: Slice autographed CD from @KariewithaK and @One2Onenetwork Plz RT”
  • Technorati fave this blog (or tell me you already have)
  • Fan the Fish on Facebook (or tell me you have)
  • Blog about this giveaway (no less than 100 words) and tell me you did with a link back (worth 3 extra entries be sure to comment for each)
  • Enter one of my other current giveaways and tell me you did (extra 5 entries, limited time only!)
  • Grab my Gift Guide button and blog (with link back) about how that starts Nov 1st with companies like Rubbermaid, Step2, Pedoodles, and MORE (extra 3 entries)
GOOD LUCK!!
CONTEST ENDS  NOVEMBER 4TH 2009
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

(Album Slice was provided on behalf of One2OneNetwork for promotional purposes)

 

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Brandi Carlile: Give Up the Ghost Album Review

Fall has to be the best time of year! Tons of great media out at this time of year. Seriously, I will say it again, all the great TV shows are back on for fall, movies in time for Thanksgiving, and the music scene is EXPLODING!

Speaking of exploding, have you heard Brandi Carlile? I had not heard of her name to be quite honest, but her sound was familiar. The awesome folks at One2OneNetwork provided me with a download so that I could see hear for myself what Brandi is all about. And I tell you once I heard her music she reminded me of the young, breakout sounds of Sarah McLachlan. Brandi has such a fun, unique, soulful sound with emotional lyrics, she has her own style that is just absolutely contagious.Brandicarlile.com, One2onenetwork.com, thefivefish.com, Karie Herring

I love her songs “Looking Out” and “Dying Day.” I have them in my iPod when I go jogging every night because each has a great beat, a makes you want to move rhythm, not to mention the beats per minute are perfect for boosting your cardio! She also has some really great slow ballads that emote strong emotion, but I am a feeler, I feel my music. I don’t just listen to my music because music is life in our house.

Speaking of life and music, maybe you recognize Brandi’s sound? Any Grey’s Anatomy fans out there? (Waving hand WILDLY!!) Yes, Brandi has been a featured track artist for the show along with several commercials, so if you recognize her, your favorite fall show is where you have heard her wonderful music. But don’t take my word on how rocking this girl is with her funky country, rock, pop sound and her soulful, emotion filled music. Find out more about Brandi and her new album “Give Up the Ghost” in the Brandi Carlile newsletter.

Here is her current track list for “Give Up the Ghost”:
Looking Out
Dying Day
Pride And Joy
Dreams
That Year
Caroline
Before It Breaks
I Will
If There Was No You
Touching The Ground
Oh Dear

 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

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Santa Fish is Coming to Town

Can you believe that we are more than three-quarters through 2009?! I know I cannot believe how fast time has flown. I can tell you that we have 75 days until Christmas!

THAT’S IT! ES TODO!

So if you are like me and wait until the VERY last minute to shop, or you finally get the nerve to rouse in the morning before 4am to fight all those lovely Black Friday shoppers, like I did last year. Well you are in luck!

I, Karie, aka Mrs. Fish, am compiling the ultimate gift guide for you! These lovely gifts will be oh so unique that your recipient will be swooning in joy over their one of a kind package. The range is from a total family gift, so one everyone in the family can enjoy, to individual gifts for the “hard to shop for” or “they have everything.”

Be ready! The gift giving begins HERE November 1st. What is even better than a guide of wonderful gifts, is the chance to WIN some of these AWESOME gifts! How is that for holiday shopping! You’re very own holiday concierge, right here, delivered by moi.

thefivefish.com, Karie Herring, holidays, Christmas, gifts, giving

I am still compiling a FABULOUS month of gift giving ideas, reviews, and giveaways, because you can never have enough GREAT ideas for gifts. If you are not participating with The Five Fish Holiday Gift Guide YOU SHOULD BE! Share with us your products, we love to hear about them and give them a good whirl in our house. If you are PR, please use the linky above to submit all requests. I look forward to hearing, sharing, and giving you all a Jolly Good Holiday time!

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A Day Made Better, For a Phoenix Teacher

OfficeMax developed a program in 2007 that helps erase teacher funded classroom, that program is called “A Day Made Better,” Office Max teamed with Adopt-A-Classroom to aid teachers for supplies for classrooms. This program is so much more than just donations for a teacher, this is to help enrich the lives of our children and is a tremendous movement. For more information go HERE.

I got involved with A Day Made Better and Office Max by participating in the Girls Night Out on Twitter with Jyl Pattee of MomItForward. I have to say that was a great party! But on top of the Twitter party, I had the opportunity to go party for a teacher with Kelly Loubet. Have you met Kelly? If not, you should! She is a heck of a woman with a big heart, a fellow Arizonan, Phoenician, and blogger..ya herd! She is helping her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, who was nominated, to enjoy A Day Made Better!

On Saturday October 3rd Kelly held a soiree at Scrap Happy Sisters in Glendale so we could “scrap it up” in, what I have to say is the coolest scrapbooking store EVA eat some YUMMY Organic pizza from ZPizza, guzzle gallons of water and wine, and have a great time for a great cause! But don’t let me ruin the good time for you! Be sure to go Tweet up Kelly and read her story over at Whrrl!

Thanks so much Kelly, I had a great time at the party (and our super cool after-party at Applebees) and I am glad I could help be a part of your Adopt-A-Classroom and A Day Made Better with OfficeMax!

BIG THANKS to Office Max and Adopt-A-Classroom to help erase teacher funded classrooms!

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Fisher Price: Playing and Learning

Can you name any brand of toy that is synonymous with playing and learning? I know the first one that always comes to my mind is Fisher Price. What I did not know is that Fisher Price has been making quality toys since the 1930s, did you know that? I know I did not, but I knew that Fisher Price was and is the first choice of toys for my kids.

Recently the great ladies (and gents) of Mom Select contacted moms (moi) about reviewing Fisher Price’s infant toys. I know my kids would be perfect since they are in that toddler demolition derby mode, so let my kids really put the products to the test. The two great items we received to review are the Laugh and Learnâ„¢Learning Farm and the Go-Baby-Goâ„¢Stride-to-Rideâ„¢Lion.

When the packages arrived you would have thought my kids were going to lose their minds! Big G was still at school, but I tell you the twins were going crazy! They saw all the pretty colors on the packaging (great marketing folks!) and they knew immediately that these packages were for them. I wasted no time as I was about to be mamed by two little people if I did not get on the ball with putting these toys together.

I tackled the ride-on lion first and Little Bitty was losing her silly little mind because guess what moms and dads……he sings! Yes. He has great sing songs, his nose lights up, and he roars! Adorable. So Little Bitty entertained herself with the lion head while I put the scooter (sit and ride) seat together, which is super easy! I think all in all maybe 12 screws to hold everything altogether. I snapped and screwed it altogether pretty fast…but clearly not fast enough for a couple of 19 month old twins who were slapping each other to get to it. As you can see….Bitty snagged her position on the lion ASAP…she is wiry for such a little girl! I think she is a bit snarky like mom too! (*wink…thats for you Carissa!)

Next we moved onto the farm. I tell you….that farm is truly a farm of a toy to put together. I did need to read the directions a bit to make sure everything was copacetic for the put together, had a few more pieces and handling pieces for the kids for sensory learning. However, the twins were not having that. I could see their little feet tapping….waiting….impatiently for me to give them the mind blowing toy of the century that sings, has a radio dial….YES…A Radio Dial! Lots of learning songs from ABC’s to the 123’s, hand toys like vegetables to feed the cow, and eggs laid by the chicken. I wasted no time installing the electronics as I needed to calm some crazed gnomes fast! Whew, sing songs…we’re all good!

Yes, that is my Seth-En-Stein and his white boy dancing. Isn’t he just the cutest? Rock ON Seth!

By this time Grant was home from school. I was happy to find that even a kindergartener was enjoying the new toy and learning options, plus the songs are great for kids no matter the age.

I have to tell you that the learning farm is a HUGE hit in our home. The barn gate is a big winner too…Seth is seriously OCD about doors so he has great time opening and closing that. In addition to all the fun hands on learning, the kids will learn about shapes, colors, weather (I know…forgot to mention the radio has weather), animals, and as I mentioned before letters and numbers.

The lion is also a GREAT toy for my kids, they are at the age where riding toys are fun and are great for learning coordination and balance. Especially if they are using the lion like my kids do….as a step stool to snag stuff off the counters. DO NOT TRY!! I could not bear to snap a photo as I was sure someone would end up in the ER, so I had to prevent the lion from being used in such a manner. But when the lion is not a ride on toy he can be used as a walker for those just beginning to get their footing and learning to walk.

What I get to share with you!!

So with all my babble about Fisher Price and these FABULOUS toys that my kids will enjoy for years as will other children, I will enjoy sharing this fabulous offer with you to save $20 on your purchase of $100 or more of Fisher Price’s Laugh & Learnâ„¢ and/or Go Baby Go!â„¢ Infant Toys. But I cannot claim all the credit, the lovely ladies (and gents…I didn’t forget!) of MomSelect are sharing this with me to share with you! Be sure to go HERE to get your savings good in stores only for Fisher Price toys.

Thank you again Mom Select, Maria Bailey, Amy Sobel, and Fisher Price!

 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.