Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Organized Chaos~Sponsor Spotlight and Giveaway

Shana from Organized Chaos has been a wonderful sponsor this month!  She has participated in our Twitter Hop and included US in HER monthly giveaway!  How awesome is that?

Organized Chaos

1)       Who inspires you while blogging? 
My children! I love a lot of other blogs, but most of what I blog about is my boys. Everything from my marriage, our Christian Lifestyle and what were doing on a regular basis comes back to my boys! It all focuses on the life and lifestyle we are trying to provide for them! I get so much joy out of reminiscing their moments, their little sayings and how they are interacting with the world around them!



2)     What is your favorite sport?   
Oh, this is a hard one! I love watching rugby! It is so intense and exciting. However, I love playing soccer and running. I dont find these to be interesting sports to watch but amazing to participate in! Thing to eat? Cheese! Does that count? Cheese anything! Cheese on pizza or sandwiches...in my pasta or just a cheesy pasta! We eat crackers and cheese as snacks and who can deny a good cheesecake?

3)     When did you start blogging? 
October 2012! So I just had my one year anniversary! lol

4)     Where is your favorite place? 
Thats also a hard question. My first reaction would be to say the beach. I love the tranquility and peace it brings being by the ocean. However, after just having spent a week in Durban....I couldnt believe how amazing home felt! It was like that was all I was seeking was to be in my home!



5)     Why did you start blogging? 
I started blogging as a way to release some creative energy. I was reading lots of blogs by that point and just thought to myself...I need that. I need an outlet! I work full time (7am-5pm) with an average of 45 minutes travel a day. I come home after 5:15 pm....have two boys to entertain, bath, and feed (plus the Hubby Dearest!). We are raising our children to be disciples of Christ while still enjoying life. Sometimes it all just gets to hectic...too busy. Blogging gives me a sense of grounding. Something that is mine. Time that is spent just being...Shana!

6)    Do you have kids?  What age(s)? 
I do have two little monkeys! No, seriously theyre boys....but by the looks of my house most evenings you would believe it was monkeys! Lil Mister will be three in January and we are preparing for LJs first birthday next week! And NO....if it was strictly up to me...wed be perfectly fine with just these two. However, we are prepared for whatever might be Gods will for our family!

Since Shana is such an awesome gal, she is giving away a fantastic ad spot!  "You're A Star" is valued at $10.00 and is her in-post ad.  It is a great 600x100 spot.  She posts about 7 times per week {that's every day folks}, offers random Social Media shout outs and lets you take over her blog for a weekend!  Enter below!


Be sure to stop by and say HI to Shana!

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Shane, Sponsor Spotlight

Have you visited Shane from Whispering Sweet Nothings?  She is in college and has a totally different view on life than I.  It is refreshing to read her posts and think back to "those days".


1)       Who inspires you while blogging?
My family is a huge source of inspiration, they only just recently began reading my blog however!



2)     What is your favorite sport?  Thing to eat?
Tennis- I played all through high school. Chocolate and anything pumpkin flavored!
3)     When did you start blogging?
January 2011
4)     Where is your favorite place?
Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic


5)     Why did you start blogging?

I began as a part of a 30 day challenge and mainly did it for myself. Never could have imagined how big of a hobby it would become for me :)


So, Shane, I need to ask, what is it with cousins making us do the 30 day challenge?  My cousin hasn't even finished hers yet {hint, hint, Kate}!

Thanks for sharing some insight with us, Shane!  Everyone, be sure to go over and say HEY to Shane!

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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Super Sunday Sync #71

Welcome to Super Sunday Sync #71!

Thank you for joining the Super Sunday Syn this week.  We are so glad that you have stopped by!  After you link up, be sure to enter to win a Guest Host space for next week :)

Tweet, share, promote!


Stop by and say hi to your hosts!

Rosey ~ Mail 4 Rosey

and our Guest Hosts today:

We start this week on a saddened note, as Rosey will be leaving us as Co-Host after today.  We will greatly miss her.  Please be sure to stop by and say HI to her today!  Hopefully Rosey will continue to link up as a participant.  We love when she drops by!

Rules for the "Super-est" hop ever:

1)  Link up a family-friendly post {or your homepage if it will always be decent} that you think is SUPER! Please do not link up another hop or giveaway.

2)  Follow your hosts and Guest-Hosts {the first 5 links}, via Bloglovin and/or GFC. We also appreciate {and return} any Facebook Likes and Twitter Follows. Be sure to leave a comment telling us how you follow, we'll follow you back!

3)  Visit the blog before you, and a few others {the more, the merrier} and follow them. We're all looking to have more followers, that's why we're hopping, right?

4)  Grab a button and put it somewhere people will see. We'd love for this hop to continue to be a big success!

Super Sunday Sync

If you're interested being a Guest Host, please  to reserve your weekend now!



Join the mailing list HERE and receive notifications about the #SSSHOP!
AND
Now that you've entered our hop, sign up to WIN a Guest Host spot!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Friday, January 24, 2014

Dragon Defender Book Tour

Dragon Defender - Blog Tour Button  J.A. Blackburn

About the Book

Title: Dragon Defender (Dragon Defense League, Book #1)
Author: J.A. Blackburn
Publication Date: October 19, 2013
Publisher: Pip & Grey
Number of pages: 242
Recommended age: 10+

Summary (Amazon):

For over a thousand years dragons have existed in secret . . . Peter Clark can build a robot from scratch and pick a lock in two minutes or less. But he can't figure out why his mother left or why his grandma refuses to talk about her. When Uncle Dominick shows up on Peter's twelfth birthday with a letter that hints at answers and an incredible story about dragons, Peter follows him, determined to find out the truth about his mother's disappearance. What he finds is a reality far different from what he ever could have imagined - where dragons live in hiding, hunted by poachers for their magical parts, and a small group of men and women work tirelessly to protect them. These are the Dragon Defenders. Peter's uncle is one. So was his mother. Now it's Peter's turn.
* Finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2013 Literary Contest *
 

My Review:

When I began this book, it grabbed my attention right away.  I was hooked from the first pages.

Dragon Defender is a great adventure book, aimed at the preteen male {or female}.  Peter, the main character, discovers he is part of a unique group {the DDL}.  The book takes you with Peter while he discovers his family legacy.  Not only will you read about Peter's adventure, but how he discovers who HE is.  You can almost see him transforming throughout the book.  It was a great read and I could hardly put it down.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little science fiction and enjoys a middle school reading level.  It is easy to get into and has a gripping plot.

More Buzz About the Book

"We read an advance copy of this book on kindle earlier this year and our 5th grade son read it twice and is anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Great adventure, really kept our interest reading it together at night. This was one of the kids books I most enjoyed reading myself as well. The characters and the plot are well developed, and appealing to a wide range of kids (both genders). The writing is sophisticated but easy to understand, not 'dumbed down' like many kids books. The subject of dragons was so well crafted that it's easy believe that dragons just might exist, after all." ~ 5 Star Review, Leigh A., Amazon
"Reminiscent of the Fablehaven series (with just the right touch of Harry P.) this middle grade book is both an adventure and a pleasure...Fast-paced and full of wonder, this book takes middle grade readers on a vivid journey from the southwestern U.S. to Mexico; where jungles, ancient ruins and local folklore add to the enchantment that Peter finds when he discovers that dragons are in fact, real. As a former elementary school teacher, my strong feeling is that kids will eat this book whole, and then turn to searching for dragon eggs in their own backyards!" ~ 5 Star Review, Grace W., Amazon
"Dragon Defender was an absorbing action packed read! The author pulls you in from the first page and I'm not sorry to say I read it all in the first day. I'm 33 but still! This is a fun book for a chapter a night with your 5 year old (my son is loving it so far) or for yourself. The characters are well developed so you feel like you're really there, and the dragon is so believable. I'd venture so far as to say I had to remind myself that dragons don't really exist.... or do they?" ~ 5 Star Review, MGC, Amazon
 

Purchase

Dragon Defender by J.A. Blackburn

Amazon (Print) | Amazon (Kindle)

 

About the Author: J.A. Blackburn

J.A. Blackburn, Author 
J. A. Blackburn lives in Seattle, Washington in a small white house overlooking the sea with her husband, Jason, her son, Camden, and their dog, Bella. Dragon Defender is her first novel.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

     

Dragon Defender Blog Tour Schedule (2014)

January 6
January 7
January 8
January 9
January 10
January 11
January 12
January 13
January 14
January 15
January 16
January 17
January 18
January 19
January 20
January 21
January 22
January 23
January 24
January 25
January 26
 

* $50 Blog Tour Giveaway *

Amazon $50 Gift Card 
  Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest runs: January 6th to January 31, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, J.A. Blackburn and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.


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