5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere - Week 45

** Just when I was about to publish this post, something weird happened with my laptop and I think I may have lost some of the entries in the Blog Giveaways section. If yours is missing, please email me at anislandlife at gmail dot com and I’ll add it in. My apologies for the inconvenience.**

BLOG ANNOUNCEMENTS

Do you have 5 cents to spare? If so, stop by An Island Life where your 5 cents can go to ensuring one person does not die of Maternal or Neonatal Tetanus. It’s the best 5 cents you’ll ever spend.

Mamanista has recently published her Back to School Guide where you’ll find great contests, reviews of hip fall clothing, educational games, eco-friendly reusable lunch bags, backpacks, and more for pre-school, kindergarten, and elementary school …plus we have discounts and exclusive coupon codes to popular stores and fabulous boutiques.

It’s another great week of giveaways to launch the brand new social networking site - MomDot.com. Stop by for a chance to win a Bumble Ride Stroller, Customized Jewelry, EntreCard Credits, and many more awesome prizes!

Little Ladybug Designs is hosting a Scavenger Hunt and you’re all invited to play along. Answer all 5 questions correctly and you could win a DVD Photo Montage which includes 30 photos and 1 song. For more details, stop by before August 31st.

Join the August Declutter Challenge at Organising Queen and you could win a Simplicity eCourse or a Household Organising File and Christmas Planner. There will be one winner every week for the duration of the event.

dekoposh is looking for a teen or tween that is making a difference through volunteering, activities, or any other notable accomplishments. The child must be between the ages of 8-19 and an essay of why they would be deserving of this award must accompany the submission. Stop by for more information.

Mark your calendars because there’s a Vacation Spectacle Blog Carnival going on at We Are THAT Family on August 29th. Bloggers can link up their vacation posts/pictures and there will be hourly door prizes for the Linky participants!

This week’s Parent Bloggers Network’s Blog Blast is all about bargains! Just submit a post talking about your greatest bargain shopping success and you could win up to $100 to Couponers.com. To participate, just publish your post between Aug 15 - 17 and email the url to parentbloggers at gmail dot com. Don’t forget to include links to Couponers.com & Parent Bloggers Network.

CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES

MacroBaby.com and Cotton Tale Designs (the infant bedding company) have teamed up to give away a full collection of nursery bedding from Cotton Tale. Moms can vote for their favorite cotton tale collection, and win their preference, and everyone that registers gets a discount coupon from MacroBaby.

JIF Peanut Butter has two contests going on right now.

• The Jif® Moms Voice Their Choice Contest™ gives moms (or those inspired by one) a chance to share their stories about the choices they make for their families. The writer of the winning essay will win a 4-day, 3-night trip to New York City with a companion and a seat at the judges’ table at the Seventh Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest final event.
• The Seventh Annual Jif® Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest™ fosters creativity in children as they spend quality time in the kitchen with their parents. It’s open to children ages 6-12 where five finalists will win a trip to New York City for the live judging event. The grand prize winner will receive a $25,000 scholarship fund to help pay for college and four runner-ups will each receive a $2,500 scholarship fund.

VideoJug.com, the worlds largest video How-To site, is hosting a “Made By You” competition to see which viewer can create the best homemade, how-to video. The video which receives the most views will win $2,000!

K’NEX is kicking off its annual K’NEXpert Search. Three lucky builders will each receive $10,000 savings bonds! Other prizes up for grabs are seven $1,000 savings bonds, K’NEX building sets, and invitations to visit K’NEX headquarters.

You are in charge of the Arctic, and it is your job to maintain the ecosystem by controlling the forces of nature. However due to drastic climate change, your animals were suddenly dying off! After some clever decisions on your part, you were able to maintain control and life is beginning to prosper in the Arctic. However, your polar bear population is at risk. There is only one female polar bear left and you must find the male on our website, www.brightermindsmedia.com, to save them from extinction. When you find him, click on him to enter the chance to win Venture Arctic, a new PC Game from Brighter Minds Media.

Brickfish has some pretty cool giveaways going on right now. Stop by and check these out

• Mother-Daughter Wardrobe Contest - Tell the story about your mother/daughter wardrobe dilemma & you could win a trip for 2 to NYC, an eBay wardrobe, a consultation with Constance White & a Family Circle photo shoot.
• I Can’t Live Without My…Parent’s Edition - Submit your favorite child care product for a chance to win a $200 Target gift card and money towards your own day of pampering.
• “Soccer Mom” Symposium - Share your soccer tip, team photo or team story for a chance to win $300 cash for you or your team.

BLOG GIVEAWAYS

For Everyone

• Mamanista - $200 to Levi Strauss Jeans (Aug 21st/US)
• Shake The Salt - PB&J Celebrations Invites & Announcements (Aug 25/any)
• Shake The Salt - SNS Blog Designs (Aug 25/any)

Just for Women

• Simple - Jute Bag (Aug 11th/?)
• Did You See That? - Ju-Ju-Be BeLight Tote Bag (Aug 14th/?)
• An Island Life - Ju-Ju-Be BeLIght Tote Bag (Aug 15th/US)
• Froggy Reviews - Thermal Tote Bag from Thirty-One (Aug 18th/US)
• Because I Must Review It - All Day Body Moisture lotion and Eye Brightening cream from Belli Skincare (Aug 22nd/?)
• Lisa Reviews - Sony Digital Photo Frame (Aug 24th/US)
• Shake The Salt - 3 Steps To Time Mgmt For SAHM (Aug 25/any)
• Shake The Salt - Victoria’s Secret Lip Candy Lip Gloss (Aug 25/US&CAN)
• Shake The Salt - Vintage Pearl Custom Jewelry (Aug 25/?)

Just for Kids

• Mamanista - $100 to Chittypulga (Aug 11th/?)
• Simple - Lavender Plushie Doll (Aug 11th/?)
• An Island Review - Nana Star Book & Plushie (Aug 13th/any)
  
• Sassy Frazz - Daily Routine or Bedtime Routine Chart from Milestone Parenting (Aug 14th/US)
• An Island Review - The Adventures of Lilly P. Padilly: Costa Rica (Aug 15th/any)
• Chefdruck Musings - Little Einsteins DVD (Aug 15th/?)
• Livin’ With Me - EZ School Supplies Giveaway (Aug 15th/?)
• SAHM Reviews - Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake DVD (Aug 18th/?)
• Shake The Salt - Get Ready For Kindergarten & First Grade (Aug 25/any)
• Shake The Salt - Lincoln Logs Frontier Sheriff’s Office (Aug 25/US)

Baby Essentials

• Momma In Flip Flops2 - $50 Gift Certificate to TwiliteMoon (Aug 11th/any)
• Shake The Salt - Happy Panda Baby Tee (Aug 25/US)
• Shake The Salt - Huggies Cleanteam Full Line of Products (Aug 25/US)
• Shake The Salt - Huggies Little Swimmers Summer Essentials Kit (Aug 25/US&CAN)
• Shake The Salt - Similac Coupons - $18 Value (Aug 25/US)
• Shake The Salt - Tres Couture Travel Size Blankie (Aug 25/any)

Home & Garden

• An Island Life - Precious Moments Birthday Figurine (Aug 16th/any)
• The Diaper Diaries - The List Caddy (Aug 16th/?)
• Mommy Reviewed - The List Caddy (Aug 20th/US & Can)
• A Bookworm(Mom)’s Diary - Precious Moments Birthday Figurine (Aug 21st/US)
• Shake The Salt - Wall Candy / Ultimate Design $30 Gift Certificate (Aug 25/US & Can)
• Shake The Salt - Doodle Design Shop Wood Sign (Aug 25/any)

Books & Movies for GrownUps

• A Book Blogger’s Diary - Immortals: The Crossing by Joy Nash (Aug 19th/any)
• Shake The Salt - Reba: Love Revival CD (2 Winners) (Aug 25/US&CAN)

INTERESTING WEBSITES

The Partnership for a Drug Free America has recently released a study that shows that the #1 reason for teen drug use is to cope with the pressures of school. In fact, 73% of teens reported that school stress is the primary reason for drug use, indicating that teens’ perceptions of motivating factors for using drugs are dramatically different than past research has indicated. You may read more on this study here. To help families cope with this epidemic, Drug Free America has come out with some tips and resources that you may find useful.

In honor of the Marines of Generation Kill, and all of our troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, HBO and its partners are sending care packages overseas containing the items the troops most frequently request. The troops determined the items – YOU determine how many are sent. Stop by HBO to see how you can get involved.

If you would like to have a post on your blog featured in 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere, please send us an email with the actual link to your post at features5minutesformom at gmail dot com and we’ll see if it can be arranged.

Kailani can be found at An Island Life, An Island Review, & Island Baby Boutique.