This year, we had many families write in asking us to help to give their children presents for Christmas. We truly wish that we could have helped all of you, and you have all been in our thoughts and prayers.

If you or your nominees were not selected, please forgive us. It was an impossible task.

Thank you for participating and for caring so much to nominate your friends and families.

We want to be sure that we are able to help out families again next year, so we would love it if you would take a moment to comment here and thank the companies who participated in Under the Tree this year.

Thanking, Thanking, Thanking, from the bottom of our hearts!

The heartfelt Thank You’s that we received warmed our hearts and made us teary-eyed as well. The families receiving the gifts were so grateful. So, we pass on their thanks and our thanks to you and to the fantastic companies involved.

Thank you to these generous companies who donated gifts to our Under The Tree Program. We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Readers – please remember to show them your appreciation by clicking over to their sites.

• eBay
• Superstructs
• Sing-a-ma-jigs
• Bissell
• Indestructibles
• Kaleidoscopes To You
• Epson
• The Land of Nod
• Hasbro
• Playskool
• dB Logic
• Nintendo
• Discovery Store
• Junk Ball
• Things Remembered
• Infantino
• Zillionz Toys
• Nerf
• Toy State

 
Thank you again for being part of the 5 Minutes for Mom family! We appreciate you so much and we pray you are having a blessed and happy holiday season with the ones you love.

Merry Christmas!!!

The holidays are a time for memories. Whether they are packaged together as presents for loved ones, or photographed as they happen for future scrapbook pages, pictures will always play a role in holiday festivities.

With an Epson Stylus NX625, you can print out vibrant photos in twenty seconds. The photos also print out dry.

If you don’t have time to upload and edit the photos on your computer first, no worries. With the Stylus NX625′s touch screen, you can access an array of editing tools, from automatic touch-up to red eye removal.

Did Uncle Charlie use his iPhone to snap an adorable photo of your daughter eating pumpkin pie for the first time?

Don’t fret. With the free Epson iPrint app, he can send the photo directly to your Epson Stylus NX625.

Yes, it has built in wi-fi and supports many mobile devices.

If your Grandma Patricia has an old album with photos from her childhood that could use a little restoring, you can use the Epson Stylus NX625 to give her an incredible gift. The Epson Stylus NX625 restores old, faded, discolored photos back to their original brilliance using the Epson Scan software.

Create another memory by giving the Epson Stylus NX625 as a gift this Christmas. Is there a student or small-business owner in your life? The Epson Stylus NX625 will have them covered.

Not only is the Epson Stylus NX625 the world’s fastest all-in-one with high-speed automatic two-sided printing, it is also a feature-rich machine with copy and scan functions plus superior photo capabilities. Utilizing Epson’s all-pigment DURABrite Ultra ink, this versatile all-in-one delivers superior photo quality and durable prints that are fade-, smudge- and water-resistant. In addition, the Epson Stylus NX625 offers high-quality scanning with 2400 dpi to archive important documents.

Save money with high-speed automatic two-sided printing. Thanks to the instant-drying ink, the Epson Stylus NX625 doesn’t have to pause to wait for the ink to dry before printing on the second side.

The Epson Stylus NX625 has it all and will definitely make holidays bright, even yours. We have one Epson Stylus NX625, retail value $149.99, to give away to one lucky reader.

This giveaway is part of our Christmas Giveaway 2010 event. If you haven’t already, please be sure to visit our main Christmas Giveaway 2010 post to review our giveaway rules and to find out how to earn additional entries.

This giveaway is open to US shipping addresses and closes on December 4th. Please see our site’s terms and conditions for our complete contest rules.

We received one Epson Stylus NX625 for review and an additional unit to use as prizing in this giveaway.

The time has come to announce our lucky winners in our Back To School Giveaway. We have some FUN prizes to award tonight. So, let’s get started shall we?

First we have a lucky winner of an Epson Perfection V33 Scanner.

The Epson Perfection V33 scanner is here to meet the needs of not only parents and teachers, but of students needing to scan reports, photos and even 3-D objects. It’s the perfect tool.

The Epson Perfection V33 scanner can also scan oversized documents which can then be stitched together automatically using the included ArcSoft Scan-n-Stitch™ Deluxe software – great for completing large-sized school assignments and projects.

For our busy students, Epson’s energy-efficient ReadyScan™ LED technology, which ensures fast scans with no warm-up time, will help cut back on homework time.

Congratulations to comment #50, Angie V. You have won an Epson Perfection V33 scanner!

Our next prize is a full uniform from Lands’ End!

While shopping for Back To School, it is important to consider products that are made to last. I know that my daughter is rough on her clothes. She works hard and plays hard and her clothes definitely show signs of wear by the end of the day.

That is why I turn to Lands’ End for her back to school needs.

Lands’ End is actually one of the stores her school requires us to purchase uniforms from. She wore only Lands’ End uniforms last year, even though we had the option of one other retailer.

Best part: With Lands’ End, all items are Guaranteed. Period.® If you’re not satisfied with any item, simply return it at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price. You can’t beat that!

Our winner will receive a full uniform, which includes one top and one bottom of her choice. Congratulations to comment #15 Migdalia.

Our next winner will be picture perfect in our $50 Snapfish Giveaway.

Teens will love the magnetic photo collages that they can place inside their lockers. Or they can begin their very own photo books to commemorate a dance, team accomplishment, or school trip.

The photo skins are also a creative way to add a touch of personalization to their iPods, iPhones, laptops, cameras and more.

Photo magnets and a photo mousepad would be great touches to a college student’s dorm room. Your students can also add up to 30 of their own photos to create their own collegiate blanket. There are over 50 different college and university designs to choose from.

For busy parents, Snapfish offers personalized notebook planners, wall calendars and collage poster calendars to help keep students’ activities organized.

Congratulations to comment #23 Sarah. You have won a $50.00 Snapfish Gift Card.

We have another gift card to award to a lucky reader. This time it is a $100 Gift Card to Old Navy!

Old Navy is a staple stop for shopping any time of year, but for back-to-school it’s a must.

When I shop at our local mall, Old Navy is one of the stores I go to first. But this year I decided to do all our back-to-school shopping online.

Old Navy has a US site and a Canadian site which works extra well for Janice and I as we can shop at either. The Canadian one is ideal as we can ship directly to our homes and if we shop on the US site, we just ship our items to our US mailbox just across the border.

Our friends at Old Navy sent us a $100 gift card for some back-to-school shopping. We bought matching dresses with tights for each of the girls, a pair of shorts for Jackson (since he’s like his dad and wears shorts 11 months out of the year) and one extra dress for Julia (don’t tell Jan).

I can’t wait to see all three girls head off to school in their matching dresses… they LOVE to all dress the same (and the twin in me and Jan can’t help but give in to the temptation).

Congratulations to comment #137 Michelle. You have one a $100 Old Navy Gift Card!

Finally we have another back to school prize from our friends at Lands’ End. In our Lands’ End Backpack, Lunch Box and Graphic Tee Giveaway.

I absolutely adore the collection of graphic tees that Lands’ End offers. As a mom of both boys and a girl, I like that I can find designs that each kid would love. I can do all of my shopping at one place, which makes life so much easier. And as long as I match up their measurements to the sizing chart on LandsEnd.com, the clothes fit my children perfectly. It is a nice alternative to bringing all 3 kiddos with me to the store.

My daughter loves her Lands’ End ClassMate® SmallHaul backpack that we were sent to review. It is the perfect size for her petite frame.

This year, I started doing Bento lunches for Audrey. Having a lunch box that will keep her food cold is important to me. Lands’ End Lunch Boxes and Lunch Sacks are designed to match their backpacks. So the Girls’ Solid ClassMate® SmallHaul Deluxe Lunch Sack fits Audrey’s backpack perfectly. And it is insulated and tested to keep her lunch cold for 5 hours, as long as I include an ice pack.

We have one graphic tee, backpack and lunchbox to give to our lucky winner, comment #100 Christina.

An email has been sent to all of our winners instructing you on how to claim your prize. You can also email us at contests5m4m(at)gmail(dot)com.

Thank you again to all of our prize sponsors.

For some of you, the first day of school is right around the corner. For others, you dove into the back to school routine a couple of weeks ago. Either way, in no time at all, your student is sure to come home with many assignments that will require a bit of creativity. Epson is here to help.

The Epson Perfection V33 scanner is here to meet the needs of not only parents and teachers, but of students needing to scan reports, photos and even 3-D objects. It’s the perfect tool.

The Epson Perfection V33 scanner can also scan oversized documents which can then be stitched together automatically using the included ArcSoft Scan-n-Stitch™ Deluxe software – great for completing large-sized school assignments and projects.

For our busy students, Epson’s energy-efficient ReadyScan™ LED technology, which ensures fast scans with no warm-up time, will help cut back on homework time.

Key Features

• Four easy-to-use buttons (Scan, Copy, E-mail and PDF) for automatic scanning
• ArcSoft Scan-n-Stitch Deluxe software for scanning oversized artwork, documents, or scrapbook pages
• Innovative high-rise 180-degree lid for scanning documents and 3D objects
• Energy-efficient ReadyScan LED technology for no warm-up time, less power consumption and no mercury
• Image editing with Epson Easy Photo Fix for one-touch color restoration, Digital Dust Correction and backlight correction

Retailing at just under $90, the Epson Perfection V33 is an affordable all-purpose scanner and a perfect addition to your list of back to school supplies.

We have one Epson Perfection V33 to give away to one lucky reader. Simply leave a comment below to enter. This giveaway is open to US residents only and closes on September 7th. We will announce our winner, along with our other Back To School Giveaway winners, on Wednesday, September 8th. Please see our sites Terms and Conditions of Use.

Be sure to check back for even more Back To School Giveaways.

Working from home and taking care of my two daughters, I don’t have time to run somewhere every time I need to print or copy something. It’s just not an option. So, having a printer and copier at home is a necessity!

The Epson WorkForce 600 all-in-one is definitely one of those printers that is revolutionizing the way that small businesses and home businesses are getting things done!

This cost-effective ink jet printer delivers laser quality text and superior color images that are smudge, water, and fade resistant thanks to Epson’s exclusive DURABrite® Ultra ink. The Epson WorkForce 600 also features a 2.5″ tilt LCD screen for easy access to controls and settings and an automatic document feeder to easily scan, copy and fax documents.

The feature that really caught my eye on the WorkForce 600 is that it offers both built-in Wi-Fi and wired networking! I’m always working on my laptop so my “office” often moves from the living room to home office to the backyard to the bedroom. It can be quite annoying when I have to constantly run back to my office to plug my laptop in to my printer just to print something. The Wi-Fi feature allows me to print from virtually anywhere in my house!!!

More Epson WorkForce 600 Features:

Remarkable Print and Copy speeds

5750×1440 dpi printing, 1200×2400 dpi scanning

Copy/scan/fax stacks of documents quickly with built-in 30-page automatic document feeder

Built-in double-sided printing

Copies & scans to a computer, memory card, and USB flash drive

Built-in memory card slots to easily transfer files and print photos without using a PC

Prints border-free photos in 3.5″x5″, 4″x6″, 5″x7″, 8″x10″, and letter sizes

Sleek design (18.2″W x 13.6″D x 9.3″H)

Two-year limited warranty with toll-free support

Visit www.epson.com for a complete list of features and details.

Pack all those features (and more), plus the DURABrite® Ultra ink, 2.5″ LCD control screen, and built-in Wi-Fi and wired networking, into one machine and you have an amazing set-up for your small business or home office!

I almost forgot the best part….the Epson WorkForce 600 is priced at only $199.99!!! A great deal for a powerful and high-quality all-in-one!

Ok, so I have even more good news! We are giving away one Epson WorkForce 600 to one lucky reader AND Epson has generously donated another WorkForce 600 to our Under The Tree program!

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. See our Christmas Giveaway 2009 post to read more about
   participating in our Christmas Giveaway



2. Either link back to this post and include a Christmas Giveaway 2009 button in that post or on your sidebar, or link to the individual giveaways you choose to enter. We have a ton of different buttons and styles for you to choose from. Click here to get the button codes. (If you post and include the button, either in your post or on your sidebar, and link back here, you are good for all the giveaways. No more linking required.)
3. Please leave one comment below to enter this giveaway. You may earn additional entries for the following:
   1. Subscribe to our Feed
   2. Sign up for our Newsletter
   If you are already subscribed and are on our newsletter list, you qualify for these two additional entries. Go ahead and leave your additional comments below.
4. As always, non bloggers are welcome to participate! We understand you can’t link – but please spread the word to your friends via facebook, twitter, etc.
5. Entries are open from Wednesday November 11th through Friday, December 4th at 12pm EST.
6. Our winner will be drawn randomly and we will announce the winner Saturday, December 5th. Please make sure to check our site and your email address to see if you have won a prize. We must receive your reply within 5 business days. (If you want your prize to arrive in time — the sooner we hear from you, the better!)
7. This contest is open to US shipping addresses only. Due to legal restrictions, this promotion void where prohibited.

   Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our Contest and Giveaway Rules.

* We did not receive a WorkForce 600 from Epson for this review. However, Epson is providing one WorkForce 600 for this contest AND another for our Under the Tree Program.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Contributing Editor: Stacey Lynn

I think one of the biggest “must-haves” for any family, and especially for stay-at-home-moms, is a good all-in-one printer! We use ours all the time and would be lost without it. I actually had to go a few weeks this summer without my all-in-one after a big storm fried mine. Those long few weeks made me realize how much we truly rely on our all-in-one printer!!!

From making copies of paperwork for school to printing pictures to send to grandma and grandpa, the all-in-one printers have dozens of uses. Sure, you could always do your printing, copying, and faxing at the library or a copy store, but if you’ve ever tried to do that with kids in tote you know how much of a hassle that is! And, with all-in-one printers being so affordable these days, why not have all those capabilities right in your own home?

Recently I had the chance to try out the new Epson Stylus NX515 and absolutely loved it!

The Epson Stylus NX515 was so easy to set-up. In a matter of minutes I was connected and printing. And the printing — SUPER FAST! Even my impatient daughter appreciated the printing speed when I was printing pictures for her to color from her favorite websites.

I was especially impressed with the quality of the prints it produced. The DURABrite Ultra Ink produces crisp documents and vibrant photos. Because the ink instantly dries I was able to take my photos from printer to frame without waiting and without fear of smudging. You can even run your prints under water and the ink won’t smudge! I tried it….it didn’t smudge!!!

The Epson Stylus NX515 also features:

• A large 2.5″ LCD screen
• Up to 5760 x 1440 optimized printing dpi & 2400 dip scanning
• Superior photo printing from memory cards and digital cameras
• BorderFree photo printing in 4″x6″, 5″x7″ and letter sizes
• Scan documents and photos directly to email
• Edit and enhance photos without needing a computer – This is a very cool feature! Not only does it correct red eye with one click but it also adjusts the exposure of the photo and can distinguish people from the scenery, ultimately giving you the best print of your photo!!!
• Acrosoft Print Creations software for creating personalized greeting cards, invitations, calendars, etc.
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems

All of those features are really great but my absolute favorite feature is how you connect to the printer. The Epson Stylus NX515 offers three connection options: Ethernet, USB 2.0, and Wireless. Yes, WIRELESS!!!

With the Epson Stylus NX515‘s built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, your printer is capable of connecting to your home network, allowing you access to all of your printer’s functions without actually connecting your printer to your computer. This is a huge feature for my house because, with my laptop, I am rarely near my printer when I actually need to print something. My husband and I can both access the printer from our laptops without waiting for the other to unplug and I can keep the printer safely hidden away from my toddler’s curious fingers!

I was surprised at how compact the printer actually was, as I remember not too long ago having a huge printer taking up most of the space on my desk, and was even more surprised at the price. Remember before when I mentioned how affordable these all-in-one printers are now? Well, the Epson Stylus NX515, with all of it’s great features, is amazingly affordable!!! The Stylus NX series offers four different printer options ranging from the entry-level NX115 at $69.99 to the extremely fast flagship NX515 at $149.99. Why the different printer levels? Because everyone’s printing needs are a little different. Realizing this, Epson wanted to offer affordable and quality all-in-one printers that would fit anyone’s needs and budgets!

All this to say, I am very impressed and very pleased with the Epson Stylus NX515. It offers quality prints and copies and an unbeatable price!!! This is definitely a Back To School item you must have!

As part of our Back To School Giveaway event, Epson is giving away a Stylus NX515 (retail value of $149.99) to one of our lucky readers! What an amazing way to start off the school year than with a brand new all-in-one printer! Thank you so much Epson!!!

This giveaway is part of our 2009 Back To School Giveaway Event. Simply leave a comment on this post to enter (US addresses only please) and, please, be sure to read our Back To School Giveaway rules.

As always, don’t forget to earn more entries: subscribe to our Feed, sign up for our 5M4M Newsletter, add our 5M4Giveaways button in your sidebar, write a post and link back to this contest on your blog, and spread the word via Facebook, Twitter, or email! Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Contributing Editor: Stacey Lynn