5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere – Week 67

Welcome to our weekly roundup here at “5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere”.

As usual we have a ton of announcements, fantastic posts and giveaways to share with you.

Also, as we started last week, we are now including a Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post so that you can add more giveaways throughout the week. If you’re hosting a contest, or you have a noteworthy post, go ahead and add the url to the Mr. Linky and then link back to this post so that others can join the fun.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Baby Fest is here! Just for mom and baby – Baby Fest offers giveaways, reviews, discounts and great mom-to-mom advice and information.

  Brought to you by www.AFrogInMySoup.com and sponsored by amazing companies, this event has blessed the life of one expecting mom and will be offering ways for everyone to participate.

  Follow us as we take moms through pregnancy, the baby shower, great gifts and bringing baby home! You can see the information post here Runs through the end of January!

• AT&T has teamed up with Share Our Strength – a national organization dedicated to making sure no kid in American grows up hungry – to launch two new initiatives to fight childhood hunger. Approximately 12 million children are at risk of hunger in America, up 30% since 2007.

  Here’s how YOU can help:

  – Text “SHARE” to Contribute
  From now until March 1, AT&T wireless customers can donate $5 to Share Our Strength by texting the word “SHARE” to 20222 on their mobile device*. The AT&T Foundation will match donations made by AT&T wireless users up to $100,000.

  – Hold a Food Drive in Your Area
  Help meet the growing need for food by holding a food drive in your area between Jan. 19 and Jan. 31. Your work will help those in need during the coldest months of the year. Find a food bank near you. Check the list of most-needed foods.

• The Beautify Your Heart program, a partnership between Metamucil® and WomenHeart is encouraging women to get cholesterol screenings and assists in helping them learn healthy habits for beautiful hearts.

  To support this Beautify Your Heart program, Metamucil is encouraging 100,000 women to get their cholesterol screened and donating $100,000 to WomenHeart to help fund heart disease education and patient advocacy programs. “Desperate Housewives” star and heart health advocate Brenda Strong was the first of 100,000 women to get screened.

  CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES

• National Geographic Kids magazine has teamed up with PromPeru and the marketers of PURELL to search for America’s next generation of explorers and the teachers who inspire them.

  Fifteen young explorers and two teachers will be selected as members of the 2009 National Geographic Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge Expedition Team and will win the field trip of a lifetime — a 12-day expedition to Peru with National Geographic and local experts as their guides.

  Highlights include exploring the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and visiting Tambopata Reserve deep in the Peruvian rain forest, where team members will have the opportunity to help in a research laboratory. All winners will also receive a digital camera courtesy of Nikon.

  The Peru expedition is scheduled for May 23-June 3, 2009. Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 5, and received no later than Feb. 12, 2009. Complete rules and details can be found online at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Explorer-trip-2009

BLOG GIVEAWAYS

For Everyone

• Goodies for Mom A Year of Dancing Dangerously (1/19 US Only)
• All Because Two People Fell in LOVE $50.00 Gift Certificate to Tiny Prints (1/30 US Only)
• Nurse Mommy Shirt of choice from SnorgTees (1/25)
• Tara’s View of the World Vaseline Clinical Therapy Lotion (1/28 US/Canada)
• Muse Reviews 6 packs of Window Wedges (window safety hardware) (1/23 US Only)
• Sandier Pastures Stylish stainless water bottle (1/20 US/Canada)
• An Island Review $50.00 Gift Certificate to Tiny Prints (1/23 US Only)
• Mommy’s Idea Your Choice of a Pillow Case or Book (1/29 US/Canada)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Skin MD Natural Lotion + SPF (1/21 US Only)
• Nurse Mommy Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce (1/23)
• A Wrestling Addicted Mommy Mini Baking Kit (1/21 US Only)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Lady Lynn Gift Boutique Bracelet (1/22 US Only)
• Tara’s View of the World $50.00 Gift Certificate to Tiny Prints (1/30)
• Glimpse All-natural Tea, Soap and Cream (1/22)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Blurberry Inspired Red Plaid Scarf (1/20 US Only)
• Mommy’s Idea Lullaby Exercises DVD/CD set (1/28 US/Canada)
• An Island Life Photo Art by Phokki (1/24 US Only)
• Northwest Mom Finds $75 in Nature’s Paradise organic body products (1/25, US/Canada)

Just for Kids

• Northwest Mom Finds Custom glass pendant (1/23 US/Canada)
• An Island Review Pink Lorikeet Hat by Wallaroo Hat Company (1/22)
• Jolly Mom Eco-Fabulous Reusable Lunch Kit by Kids Konserve (1/25 US Only)
• Muse Reviews A Penguin Story, by Antoinette Portis (1/22 US Only)
• Northwest Mom Finds BAM Designs hedgehog purse (1/23 US/Canada)
• Muse Reviews Uncle Milton’s Pet’s Eye View Camera (1/20 US Only)
• Design for Baby Earthwise Kids Book Set (1/23 US Only)
• Jolly Mom Twilight Sea Turtle (1/21 US Only)
• An Island Review Autographed copies of Journal Buddies (1/24 US/Canada)
• Sticky Feet (Part Deux) Little Uni Personalized Tee (1/30)
• Jolly Mom Boca Beth Beginner Spanish/English Beginner Set (1/20 US Only)
• An Island Review Child’s outfit from Coco Bonbons (1/24)
• Northwest Mom Finds Custom Valentine’s Day board book (1/23 US/Canada)

Baby Essentials

• Mom Most Traveled Baby Bath Luve (1/24)
• Jolly Mom Three ERGO babywearing components (1/27 US Only)
• Mom Most Traveled Baby Dipper Bowl and Spoon Set (1/24)
• Design for Baby Sweet Pea Baby Shoes + Super Baby Onesie (1/24)
• Mom Most Traveled Pair of ShooShoos (1/23)
• Mommy’s Idea “Bump in the Oven” Tank Top (1/28 US/Canada)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Baby Romper (1/23 US Only)
• Mom Most Traveled Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Gift Set (1/20)
• Mom Most Traveled BeBe Au Lait Nursing Cover (1/25)
• Mom Most Traveled My First Shades (1/26)

Books for Grown-Ups

• Tara’s View on Books This One Is Mine by Maria Semple (1/29 US & International)
• Kaliannah Shirah Autographed Copy of Book -Several Titles to choose from – (1/31)
• Tara’s View on Books Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano (1/27 US & International)
• Mom Most Traveled LifeBooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child (1/21)

POSTS WORTH YOUR WHILE

• Join in on the largest virtual blog for blood drive. Not only can you save a life, but You can win prizes.

Would you like to share a fun giveaway or a worth our while post? Please add it to the Mr. 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.

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.