It’s time to indulge our Pinterest addictions in Pin It Friday.

What have you pinned lately? Join us and add a couple of your favorite pins from the week and then enjoy browsing through the list.

You can add a link to one of your Pins that is based on your own content AND add another link to one of your Pins that links to someone else’s website.

If you haven’t taken the Pinterest plunge yet, use our Pinterest Resource Page to get started and find a group of pinners to follow. You’ll also need an invitation as it is still invite-only, so leave a comment and we’ll send you one.

Add a couple of your fabulous Pins to the linky below… then browse through the list.

Thumbnail Linky

Pinterest doesn’t allow Linky Tools to automatically pull the image, so to use the thumbnail linky, first download the image to your computer and then use upload from File.

Remember to tweet out and tell all your friends to get pinning and link up here. Use hashtag #PinItFriday

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of
this Mom Blog, 5 Minutes for Mom.
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

With so many different smart phone apps these days, paper phone books are becoming obsolete. If you are anything like me, you have a stack of old phonebooks and yellowbooks just piling up collecting dust.

Instead of letting those old books just keep piling up, put them to good use by repurposing and reusing them.

5 Ways To Reuse Old Phone Books

• Create gift wrap: If you have small gift items that need to be wrapped, you can take a few pages out of your old Yellow books and create gift wrapping paper. Dig around at home for some silver spray paint and lightly spray your pages, giving them a shimmery look. Allow it to dry and then wrap your gift, finishing off the look with some red ribbon.

• Use the pages as liners for animal cages: One of the best ways to reuse pages from a yellow book or phone book is by lining the bottom of cages for your pets. This works extremely well for birds, rodents, snakes, turtles, and lizards.

• Use the pages as window wipes: For those of us who are trying to do what we can to help the environment, try making your own homemade vinegar and water cleaner. This works great for cleaning windows and you can use the pages from your old phone books and yellow books to create a beautiful streak-free window.

• Make a pinata with your kids: During the holidays, my kids and I do a lot of crafting! Create a glue-like consistency with cornstarch and water. Blow up a balloon and set it aside. Rip strips of paper from the old books and dip them in the glue like substance and place all over the balloon. Let each layer dry before you add another one. Once the layers are dry, pop the balloon and create a neat pinata for the kids to have fun taking a whack at!

• Make a booster seat for your little one: Make it into a booster seat. If someone is short, he or she may not be at an appropriate height when sitting at a table. Take clear Con-Tact paper or packing tape and wrap up the entire telephone book.

Calling All Tacklers!

We’re looking for YOU – guest bloggers to post about your own tackles right here. If you are interested in showing off your tackles (we all need some tips and ideas!) then send a quick email to lolli.5m4m at gmail (link in the About Lolli section at the bottom of the post). Thanks for your inspiring tackles!!

Mom Bloggers — what are you tackling this week?

Link up your Tackle it Tuesday post…

Tell us what you’re up to with all your other tackles… housework and otherwise… add your link to your tackle in the Linky below!

We are Tackling Our To-Do Lists Together and making housework bloggable — Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about how Tackle It Tuesday began.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in tackling all our tasks — whether household or otherwise.

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

Here is a fun thumbnail linky:

And here is a basic linky if you prefer your linkies the good old fashioned way!

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications contact, Jennifer. You can find me blogging at For Such a Time as This and tweeting at @jennifer_sikora.

I would imagine that everyone out there has heard of The Hunger Games, in some fashion. At least “I sure hear a lot about this, but I don’t know what it is.” You might know that the Hunger Games movie releases March 23. You might not know that it’s a wildly popular Young Adult series by Suzanne Collins, that has fans from tweens up through adults. You might not know that it’s dystopian literature. If you don’t know any of this, I’d suggest you brush up, because I think that this movie and these books are going to continue down their path of wild success, and you don’t want to be the last one in the know.

It’s a popular book, and it’s a book that begs to be discussed, or at least thought about. The book The Girl Who Was on Fire (Movie Edition): Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Series gives you the chance to do just that.

• Are you Team Gale or Team Peeta (or perhaps even Team Katniss?) — you’ll find agreement here no matter what side you are on.
• Did you like the final installment Mockingjay or hate it? That is explored as well.
• Want to explore the political side of the story? Read on.
• Feel like comparing the trilogy to other dystopian plots? You can do it here.
• Ever wonder the subtext in the amazing costumes created for the Games? Terri Clark can tell you.

 
Dawn reviewed The Girl Who Was on Fire at 5 Minutes for Books last Spring, so check out her review for more thoughts on the book. This The Girl Who Was on Fire (Movie Edition) contains 3 additional essays, and if you buy the ebook version or the booster pack (containing only the 3 new essays, and the soon-to-be-released thoughts on the movie), you will also receive each of the essayist’s thoughts on the movie right after it releases on March 23.

I’m happy that we have a copy to give away to one of you. Just leave a comment if you’d like to win, and we’ll announce the winner in our 5 Minutes for Books column here at 5 Minutes for Mom on February 20.

• The winner of The Perfect Name for You is #34 Staci A.

 
Want more YA? The Dystopian Romance prize pack is still open for another week!

As I was checking in with the sisters this week, I enjoyed reading through these tips on 5 Minutes for Going Green from guest contributor, Alia, on how to through a budget and eco-friendly wedding.

10 Steps to a Green Wedding

Going green is definitely the new trend, be it redecorating your house, making a fashion statement or even planning a wedding. Eco-weddings have gained huge popularity over the last couple of years and with more and more couples opting for an environment friendly wedding, the practice is only gaining more leverage and improving awareness. Having your dream wedding with an eco friendly theme in mind is easy. Listed below are 10 steps to go green on your wedding day.

1. Venue

One way to go green is to select the venue wisely. Go for an outdoor location which would match the theme perfectly well. It would also mean less lighting used and less decoration as the natural beauty in itself would play the part. Also, conducting the wedding and reception in the same place, easily accessible by all, would not only reduce costs but also reduce environmental impact caused by traveling.

2. Invitations

Invitations set the tone for a wedding and going green is the best way to stress it. Creating e-invites and emailing it out to your guests would be the best way to do this. But if you insist on having hand held invitations then go for eco-friendly products like paper made with organic cotton, bamboo, hemp etc. and use vegetable based dyes instead of fancy ink for writing. You could also do a post card invite to save paper on envelopes and maybe even use innovative rags and burlap materials to create invites.

Read the rest of Alia’s green wedding tips…

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Photo by Lolli

Click here for Essays from OPP Papers, where you can find research papers not only about wedding tips but also about education, society or anything you need for you or your kids.

It’s time for our fifth edition of Pin It Friday.

What have you pinned lately? Join us and add a couple of your favorite pins from the week and then enjoy browsing through the list.

Go ahead and add a link to one of your Pins that is based on your own content AND add another link to one of your Pins that links to someone else’s website.

If you’re new to Pinterest, use our Pinterest Resource Page to find out more and meet a ton of new friends. You’ll also need an invitation as it is still invite-only, so leave a comment and we’ll send you one.

Add a couple of your recent favorite Pins to the linky below… then pour a big coffee and spend some time enjoying the glorious world of Pinterest. Tell all your friends to link up, on Twitter use hashtag #PinItFriday

Thumbnail Linky

Pinterest doesn’t allow Linky Tools to automatically pull the image, so to use the thumbnail linky, first download the image to your computer and then use upload from File.

Remember to tweet out and tell all your friends to get pinning and link up here. Use hashtag #PinItFriday

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of
this Mom Blog, 5 Minutes for Mom.
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

This year we’re getting in the kitchen to spend some time together making treats our children as young as 3 can help create like these Dipped and Decorated Pretzels for Valentine’s Day.

*Step 1*

Gather your favorite pretzel snacks. The large pretzel rods and twists work well for this sweet project but you can definitely dip the small sticks and twists too for a mini treat.

*Step 2*

Candy melts are a great product for a non-chocolate flavor and come ready in fun holiday colors like red, white and pink. When melted the candy, use a microwave-safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening to about a cup of candy melts. Microwave the melts in 30 second intervals, stirring each time in between until the melts are smooth and creamy.

*Step 3*

Place a large sheet of wax paper over a hard surface. Dip and cover each pretzel covering about a third of the surface. Tap the pretzel on the side of the bowl to remove excess candy. If your bowl is too small, use a spoon to pour the candy melts over the pretzels (necessary for the rods).

*Step 4*

Place the dipped pretzels on a sheet of wax paper and decorate with your favorite candy sprinkles.

*Step 5*

Let the dipped pretzels harden for about an hour. You can also place them in the fridge for a quick chill.

*Step 6*

Wrap your treats with candy wrappers which you can find at your local craft store.

The Valentine’s Day Pretzel Treats are perfect for some special time in the kitchen with kids and even an affordable treat to make and take to school parties. Do you have a special treat you like to make for Valentine’s Day?

Have you ever discovered something so simple…so easy….yet it totally revolutionized a daily task?

I had that experience this past week.

The best laundry tip ever

Like Janice and Susan, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on Pinterest. Not only has it given me lots of food inspiration, but it has provided me with a ton of ideas for improving the way I am managing my house.

One of my biggest challenges with doing my laundry (read: the thing I always save til last) is sock sorting and folding. Seriously, if you peeked in my basement almost any day you’d find a basket FULL of clean, unsorted socks. Seven people, fourteen feet, times seven days a week….oh my!

I seem to end each week’s laundry with a few dozen socks with no matches. I’ve never been able to figure out where those lone socks disappear to, but it makes sock sorting a huge frustration. Plus, I have the hardest time keeping track of whose socks are whose.

Basically, I hate sorting through socks. Period.

So this amazing and amazingly-simple trick for keeping track of socks (which does away with the need to sort later) has literally blown me away.

I wrote all about how we made our special sock laundry bags on my blog. You’ve seriously got to try this. Unless, of course, you have a better system. In which case, you MUST share.

Calling All Tacklers!

We’re looking for YOU – guest bloggers to post about your own tackles right here. If you are interested in showing off your tackles (we all need some tips and ideas!) then send a quick email to lolli.5m4m at gmail (link in the About Lolli section at the bottom of the post). Thanks for your inspiring tackles!!

Mom Bloggers — what are you tackling this week?

Link up your Tackle it Tuesday post…

Tell us what you’re up to with all your other tackles… housework and otherwise… add your link to your tackle in the Linky below!

We are Tackling Our To-Do Lists Together and making housework bloggable — Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about how Tackle It Tuesday began.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in tackling all our tasks — whether household or otherwise.

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

Here is a fun thumbnail linky:

And here is a basic linky if you prefer your linkies the good old fashioned way!

 
Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Recently I was told about a little boy named Kyle. He’s 4 years old. He loves fish, sharks and whales, like any other little boy.

But most importantly he is in urgent need!

Kyle has aplastic anemia, a blood disorder that doesn’t allow the body does not make enough new blood cells. He needs a bone marrow transplant now. They have given him 6 months to have the transplant.

See the problem is that even though there are 9 million registered donors, fewer than 3% are of any mixed race.  Kyle is half-Asian and half-Caucasian. This is making it very difficult to find a donor for Kyle.

There are many ways that you can help.

If you are part Asian, part Caucasian, you can register to be a marrow donor through the Asian American Donor Program, here:http://aadp.org/

You can also receive a test kit in the mail from the Be A Match website. It’s as easy as swabbing your cheek.

Donate to AADP, the average cost of testing is $100. Any contribution is helpful.

Help Spread the Word

Also I am asking that you spread this anywhere you can think of – Facebook, Twitter, any other social media page you visit regularly. We need to get this out there and make people aware of this little boy’s need. Even if you don’t think you could be a match, someone you know might be.

You can find out more about Kyle on the following pages:

• KyleNeedsYou.org
• Facebook
• Twitter

My daughter, Ilsa, who’s 14, loves dystopian fiction, and is not averse to a little romance mixed in. For me, someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s worrying about communist invasions and gulags (I had a very vivid imagination), this mystifies me—at her age, I hated the thought of creepy Societies watching my every move, or a world without enough food or fresh water and with no opportunity for advancement.

Ilsa persuaded me to check out Scholastic’s Dystopian Romance pack** and then, ironically, had so much homework that she hasn’t had a chance to read them yet. This is unusual, as my daughter tends to devour books and has been longing to read Matched. I had to read them for her, and tell her how good they were while strictly informing her she’d better finish her homework and get good grades on her exams! So it’s been a fun week at our house as she waits for her opportunity.

If you, like me, are a little mystified by your daughter’s taste in worlds governed by faceless Big Brother-like societies, I would encourage you to check out these two books. Both feature strong heroines who decide things for themselves, who have to think and imagine worlds unlike what they’ve experienced – and yet are ready to meet a guy who’ll help them along the way. You just might finally get what your own daughter finds so attractive about this genre.

Matched

Cassia lives in a world governed by The Society, which decides where you’ll work, what you’ll wear, what and how much you’ll eat, who you’ll marry and when you’ll die. It does this under the guise of caring about people; they’ve worked out optimal caloric intake, for example, and the clothes are utilitarian which cuts down on people feeling envious of other’s fashion choices. Art and Literature are made easy—only the top 100 poems and paintings of all time have been preserved, and the rest destroyed. No one really creates any more, just manages things. And at 17, people are “matched” by personality, genes, and other criteria to their perfect mate; at 21 they marry, and they are allowed to have children until the age of 32, after which “optimal” child-rearing age is past.

The novel opens with Cassia on her way to her matching banquet on the night of her 17th birthday. She has been allowed to choose a dress to wear and later will receive a snippet of the fabric in a frame to keep as a memento. She is amazed when she is matched to her close friend Xander, whom she’s known since childhood—it’s rare to know to your match ahead of time.

However, when she puts her flashcard in later to read more about her match, another face and name flash on the screen. Oddly, it’s another person she knows in real life—Ky, who came originally from the Outer Provinces and was adopted by a family in the neighbourhood when they were all about 12. Cassia has never thought much about Ky before, but she’s intrigued—which boy is her true match? She begins to spend time with Ky, and to learn about him.

Her grandfather is also dying. That is, he is approaching his 80th birthday, at which point he will die, because The Society has determined that 80 is the optimal age to die—before health really deteriorates, while the mind is still sharp. Before he dies, he gives Cassia a present, not to mention an example, to not just blindly follow all that The Society says is good.

I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Cassia is a believable and likable heroine, and I enjoyed the development of her character from mindless obedience to something a bit braver. I am dying to read the next in the series, Crossed (recently reviewed by my colleague Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books). I especially loved the use of the poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night to give Cassia the beginnings of the courage she needed to go against the flow.

Restoring Harmony:

The year is 2041, which means that we could all still be alive. Molly has grown up on a farm on a small island just off Vancouver Island in Canada. The world has changed—there’s no more oil, food is scarce, bridges are collapsing and organized crime has pretty much taken over from a weak government. Molly’s family, worried about her grandfather, send her to pick him up in Portland, Oregon, and persuade him to come home with her.

I live in Portland, so the setting of this novel was fun for me. Molly has to be smuggled across the border, since she’s only 16. She’s faced with one obstacle after another, from losing her shoes and having to hike barefoot, to being cheated out of her money by a con man and having to busk for spare change, but she uses her native wit and ingenuity to figure out solutions. When she reaches Portland, she’s helped by a handsome young man who calls himself “Spill.” He proves to have some interesting connections, ones that Molly doesn’t want to think about. Spill helps Molly, her grandparents, and their young neighbours to figure out how to navigate life in this brave new world. Molly’s running out of time to persuade her grandfather to return home with her. With the mob breathing down her back, and her mother desperately ill back in Canada, will she manage to make it home in time?

**The 5 Minutes for Books team are happy to a part of Scholastic’s Parent Circle. Each month, one of our reviewers will select a book from that month’s Scholastic Book Club flyers. Ilsa and I selected this Dystopian Romance pack from February’s TAB flyer.

We are happy to offer one of you (U.S. shipping only) both of these books, as featured in the Scholastic book club flyer. Leave a comment to enter. We’ll announce the winner in our book column on February 13.

• The winner of How to be a Best Friend Forever is #9 tennille.

Elizabeth read 1984 at an impressionable age which has forever tinged her view of dystopian fiction. That didn’t stop her from enjoying these two, however. Read more at her blog Planet Nomad.

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

What’s been going on at 5 Minutes for Mom?

• Dermot Mulroney and Ted Danson/Good Guy-Bad Guy in Big Miracle
• Hygloss Craft Products Help Beat those Winter Boredom Moments
• #ashamed-Bloggers Fight Back Against Georgia’s Fat Shaming Ad Campaign
• Healthy Family Dinners Making an Important Comeback
• Checking in With the Sisters-Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• Sons of Grace-An Inspiring Store from Men
• Resources for Child Sleep Problems
• Brylane Home Helps You Throw the Best Super Bowl Party
• Instantly Share Baby Photos with Family and Friends with Zang Zing
• Have you checked out the current deals featured at 5 Minutes for Deals?

Giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom

• How to Be a Best Friend Forever Book Giveaway (1/30)
• Ultra Immune Giveaway (1/30)
• Viva Book App Giveaway (1/31)
• Bosom Buddy Giveaway (2/1)
•  Zumba Fitness Giveaway (2/3)
• Sears Converse Giveaway (2/4)
•  NEW! The Perfect Name For You (2/6)
• NEW! Pear Tree Greetings $50 gift certificate (2/7)
• NEW! The Perfect Gene Diet (2/8)

Giveaway Winners Announced!

Giveaways galore! We’ve got more winners to announce for giveaways that ended this past week. Congratulations to all our winners! Emails have been sent…

The winner of the Tyson and Hungry Girl Giveaway is Cassandra.

The winner of the Health and Wellness Target Gift Basket is Melissa N.

The winners of the Microsoft Touch Mouse- 2 winners are Beth Jackson and Terry C.

Please note: all giveaway winners were selected using random.org.

Giveaways Around the Blogosphere

Would you like to share a fun giveaway? Please add it to the Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

Or if you prefer the traditional linky….

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications contact, Jennifer. You can find me blogging at For Such a Time as This and tweeting at @jennifer_sikora.

I regularly browse Amazon.com for eBooks to add to my rapidly growing digital bookshelf. I’ve had my eye on the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson for a while and was excited to see a review this week by Jennifer on our sister site, 5 Minutes for Books.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, a 5-Star Read/Listen

Steve Jobs is a fantastic biography by Walter Isaacson. He explores the growth of the personal computer industry (and of course the MP3 music player industry, cell phones, tablets and everything that Apple has had a part in) in a way that is interesting and completely readable. I have to make it a 5-Star Read, because I honestly think that everyone will enjoy it….

I’m not a huge Mac fan. My family loves our ipods, but that’s about it. I don’t really care much about the growth of the computer industry or the particular person of Steve Jobs, but this book was riveting, and if you’re at all interested in the changes in our use of technology that have taken place over the last 20 years or so, there will be facts that inform and interest you in this book.

Finish reading Jennifer’s review….

Thanks for the great review, Jennifer!

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor, Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

It’s no secret. I’ve fallen hard for Pinterest.

This is our fourth week of Pin It Friday and I’ve looked at every pin and followed all the pinners from our first three weeks.

Join us and add a couple of your favorite pins from the week and I will definitely follow you and browse through your boards.

It’s a great idea to add a link to one of your Pins that is based on your own content AND add another link to one of your Pins that links to someone else’s website.

If you’re not yet on Pinterest, use our Pinterest Resource Page to get started. You’ll also need an invitation as it is still invite-only, so leave a comment and we’ll send you one.

Add a couple of your recent favorite Pins to the linky below… then pour a big coffee and spend some time enjoying the glorious world of Pinterest. Tell all your friends to link up, on Twitter use hashtag #PinItFriday

Thumbnail Linky

Pinterest doesn’t allow Linky Tools to automatically pull the image, so to use the thumbnail linky, first download the image to your computer and then use upload from File.

Remember to tweet out and tell all your friends to get pinning and link up here. Use hashtag #PinItFriday

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
I answer to the name Mommy Blogger, but prefer the term Mom Blogger.
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

We’re joined today by guest tackler, Jessi Snow, who is walking us through a mini bedroom makeover.

The guy’s room

When I made the decision to move in with my boyfriend Ryan, I assumed that with time his home would eventually start to feel like my home too. Unfortunately, that feeling didn’t come as quickly as I had hoped. For months I felt like I was invading his space and worried that he might feel like my belongings were starting to take over. Finally, one day I decided that the best way to transform the space from his to ours was by giving it a makeover – beginning in his very bachelor bedroom.

When I started, the room looked every bit a guy’s room, sporting brown walls, a blue bedspread and lots and lots of cutter.

Making it “our” room

Giving a room a whole new look doesn’t have to happen overnight and in our case, it certainly didn’t. I began with the small stuff I knew I could change with little effort.

One of the things I disliked the most about the room was the unmatched furniture – the bed and the dressers were two totally different colors. Using leftovers from my old apartment, we replaced the dark brown tallboy with a light colored one that matched the bed a lot more.

Aside from a mirror, there wasn’t one thing hanging on the walls. Ryan had picked up a big photo of New York (his favorite place on earth) a little while before so we decided to hang that just above the bed. Because of its size, it was a perfect fit.

Next, it was bedspread time. I had hated the current one for ages – while you can’t really tell in the photo, it was actually a really faded denim material and two sizes too large for the bed. I did my best to take Ryan’s style into consideration when picking out a new one and ended up choosing a neutral gray and white, modern design.

Around the same time that I began project-makeover we decided to upgrade from our little double bed to something a bit larger. Considering everything would be out of the room I figured this would also be a good time to tackle the paint. I snapped a picture just before we moved the bed out – at that point it was nothing fancy – in fact, it kind of felt worse, but I knew it was slowly but surely moving in a direction we’d be pleased with in the end.

Tackling the paint

If you’ve ever painted before I’m sure you can appreciate that this was definitely the most difficult part of the process. I chose a grey paint and because I was tight for time I decided to go with BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Paint And Primer In One. I’d heard lots of horror stories but I can’t tell you how impressed I was. One thick coat and the dark brown disappeared entirely.

The whole painting process, including moving things out and putting them back in, took me roughly 48 hours from start to finish. I wanted to make sure everything was dry before deciding that one coat was really all I needed, and to my surprise it was!

Once again, we switched around the furniture a bit, opting for a darker antique dresser we had in the basement. I also went out and purchased five baskets to control and organize all the random clutter. Finally, everything had a place! Here is the room toward the end of the project:

A few things have changed since then, I replaced the purple lampshade with a neutral one, purchased a bigger bedspread and found some different curtains that worked perfectly, but for the most part it looks the same. There are aspects of the room that make it mine as well as those (like the 52 inch TV) that appeal to him too.

Finishing our bedroom makeover

In the end, we were both very happy with the turnout and I have to admit, I was pretty proud. While Ryan was on-board with the whole thing, I made it clear from the beginning that this was my project and one I wanted to complete on my own. This was really my first attempt at a room makeover, and while it wasn’t much it definitely gave me the drive to keep on going. I’m happy to say that since then, I’ve managed to redo our bathroom and spare bedroom too!

If I could pass on one word of advice to anyone thinking of making some changes it would be to take your time. Spreading things allowed me to be extra confident in each and every decision I made and more importantly, it made the whole experience a lot of fun.

Best of luck to anyone considering making a change – I promise, the hard work will be SO worth it in the end.

About the guest tackler

Jessi’s love for DIY began when she joined the team at PartSelect.com, an online resource for do-it-yourself appliance repair. Since then, she’s become involved in many online communities and is dedicated to encouraging homeowners, especially women, to tackle projects on their own. When I’m not working or blogging, I can be found on Twitter and as of late, Pinterest.

Calling All Tacklers!

We’re looking for YOU – guest bloggers to post about your own tackles right here. If you are interested in showing off your tackles (we all need some tips and ideas!) then send a quick email to lolli.5m4m at gmail (link in the About Lolli section at the bottom of the post). Thanks for your inspiring tackles!!

Mom Bloggers — what are you tackling this week?

Link up your Tackle it Tuesday post…

Tell us what you’re up to with all your other tackles… housework and otherwise… add your link to your tackle in the Linky below!

We are Tackling Our To-Do Lists Together and making housework bloggable — Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about how Tackle It Tuesday began.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in tackling all our tasks — whether household or otherwise.

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

Here is a fun thumbnail linky:

And here is a basic linky if you prefer your linkies the good old fashioned way!

I received a copy of The Perfect Name For You for my 5 year old son, assuming he’d like it, but I wasn’t expecting him to completely fall in love with the book. Like most kids his age he just loves seeing his name on just about anything, and to have it printed on his own picture book is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

Having read a multitude of alphabet books, many of them using animals for each letter, it’s always refreshing to see a new twist on the genre. To celebrate the child’s birth, each animal brings something for each letter in their name – the moose brings an A for antlers, the lion brings an M for mane, the ant brings a P for picnic. There are multiple animals for each letter, so even though my son’s full name has 5 As in it — first, middle and last are all used — there were no repeats. Adding to the fun is a ladybug that can be found in each picture, and at the end is each letter of the alphabet brought by a different animal. My son loves to go through that list and point out the ones included in his book.

The Perfect Name For You is a wonderful gift for a new baby or preschool-aged child that will be cherished for years.

Birthday Keepsakes is offering a free personalized storybook to 1 winner, US or Canada only. Please leave a comment below and the winner will be announced on in this weekly book giveaway column on Monday February 6.

• The winner of House of Secrets is #26 Christina Gould.

 
Nancy is happy her son loves his name as much as she does. She writes about her 2 boys, books and life in Colorado at Life With My Boys and Books.

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

What’s been going on at 5 Minutes for Mom?

• Checking in With the Sisters-Rebuilding Life
• Google Closes Photo Editing Site Picnik-Bloggers React With Shock, Grief, and Anger
• Sharing Passwords-Is It 21st Century Intimacy
• Heal Instead of Hurt-Getting Proactive and Positive With the Mommies Coexist Pledge
• New Video Sharing Site Chill Launches-Think Pinterest for Video
• Pan Am- A Tour of the Set
• Have you checked out the current deals featured at 5 Minutes for Deals?

Giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom

• NEW! Sears Converse Giveaway (2/4)
•  NEW! Zumba Fitness Giveaway (2/3)
• NEW! Bosom Buddy Giveaway (2/1)
• NEW! Viva Book App Giveaway (1/31)
• NEW! Ultra Immune Giveaway (1/30)
• NEW! How to Be a Best Friend Forever Book Giveaway (1/30)
• Tyson and Hungry Girl Giveaway (1/23)
• Parents Guide to Creating Wonderful People (1/25)
• Health and Wellness Target Gift Basket (1/26)
• Microsoft Touch Mouse- 2 winners (1/26)

Giveaway Winners Announced!

Giveaways galore! We’ve got more winners to announce for giveaways that ended this past week. Congratulations to all our winners! Emails have been sent…

The winner of the 80 Bites Diet Program is Alison S.

The winner of the Target New Year, New You Gift Basket is Rachel Miller.

The winner of the Sparkbox Toys Giveaway is Kathy.

The 3 winners of the  Minute Frame Giveaway are April Phinazee, Gianna, and Diane Baum.

Please note: all giveaway winners were selected using random.org.

Giveaways Around the Blogosphere

Would you like to share a fun giveaway? Please add it to the Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

Or if you prefer the traditional linky….

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications contact, Jennifer. You can find me blogging at For Such a Time as This and tweeting at @jennifer_sikora.