Giveaway: Great Gals Book/Journal

This giveaway is now closed. The winners were Jodi and enjoybirth!

GREAT GALS: Inspired Ideas for Living a Kick-Ass Life by cartoonist Summer Pierre is a creative and fun combination of journal prompts, journal pages, quick quizzes, inspirational quotes, black and white art, and mini-bios of dozens of amazing women, both past and present. You can use the book for journaling, doodling, exploring your creativity and your thoughts, but you can also use it for a quick dose of women’s wisdom and inspiration. The women profiled range from Cyndi Lauper to Lucille Ball to Emily Dickinson to Ani DiFranco to Julia Child making this book just plain awesome. As the press info notes, this is NOT “your typical inspirational women’s journal”—the goal is empowerment and honest, assertive self-exploration. It would make a fun holiday gift for any woman, young or old, who is interested in living a powerful life.

Luckily for you, I am able to offer TWO copies of Great Gals as a giveaway this month! To enter, just leave a comment telling me which woman in the world—past or present—you find the most inspirational. I will draw winners via random number generator next Wednesday at 9:00. For an extra entry, you can share this giveaway via Facebook and then post a separate comment letting me know you did so.

You can watch a trailer for Great Gals here and you can check in with the author/illustrator via her website.

Giveaway: Dreamgenii Pregnancy Pillow

Nov5

This giveaway is now closed, Amee was the winner. FYI, the longer I use this pillow the more I love it, so make sure to go to the Dreamgenii website and check it out!

Recently, I received a Dreamgenii Pregnancy Support Pillow to review. At 29 weeks pregnant, I am just at the right point to benefit from a pillow like this and I was happy to try it out. Unlike the “traditional” body pillow that many women use during pregnancy, the Dreamgenii is much more streamlined and takes up a lot less room in the bed. It has both a leg and “bump” support cushion in front and a back pillow in the back. This also makes it unique—I like feeling like I’m in a little pillow “nest” without having to bunch up and arrange a lot of individual pillows. The bump/leg support is supposed to support you on your left side. I confess that I actually prefer lying with my back to that side (feels cozy and kind of cradled up) and with my belly leaning on the “back support” part. Another neat thing about this pillow is that it can be used as a breastfeeding support pillow after baby is born!

Luckily for you, you now have a chance to win one of these pillows for yourself! To enter, just leave a comment telling me why you’d like to win the pillow. You can earn bonus entries by sharing the giveaway on your Facebook page or blog (please leave an additional separate comment letting me know you did this so that I know to count you twice).

Giveaway ends Friday, Nov. 12th.

Giveaway! The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal

Jul14

The giveaway is now closed! Elizabeth Baer was the winner. Congratulations!

In 2008, my mother-in-law bought me The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal for Christmas. When I got this book, I made a commitment to myself that I was really going to DO the book, instead of just reading it, tossing it aside, and gobbling down the next one on my stack. So, I did. It took me about 4 months or so to work through it in this way, though it is actually laid out in a 12-month format. The subtitle is “How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate, and Re-Balance Your Life,” which is just what I felt like I needed! I found it an inspirational, insight-provoking, and enriching journey. Since this time, I have re-read/re-worked through sections of the book many times, as well as recommended it to many other women as one of my favorite resources for balanced living.

As a funny little side note, when I first started reading the book, I had a lovely little leather bound fancy notebook to do the journaling/reflective exercises in. I discovered I was never doing them—it never felt like the right time. Then, I bought a Pirates of the Caribbean notebook at Wal-Mart featuring a large photo of Orlando Bloom on the cover and lo and behold, I started doing the journaling exercises in it and finished the book right up! I had to laugh at myself—Hark! I have found thee, my muse, and thy name is Orlando Bloom (especially in rakish, unbuttoned-pirate-shirt attire!)

The author of the book, Renée Trudeau, offers several other amazing resources that I regularly enjoy: I participate in a free monthly teleclass based on the book (I love these calls—sometimes I have to work really hard to carve out the life space to attend, but I’ve NEVER regretted making it happen), I subscribe to the e-newsletter, and read her thought-provoking blog. Associated with the teleclass and book, is a nurturing “Live Inside Out” Facebook page.

I’m absolutely delighted to host a giveaway for a copy of the book The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. There are several ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment with your favorite tip for self-renewal.

2. Become new fan of Talk Birth on Facebook (and leave a comment here telling me you did so that I know to count your entry).

3. Become a new fan of Live Inside Out on Facebook (and leave a comment here reporting this).

4. Blog about this giveaway on your blog or post a link to your Facebook page (and let me know about it).

The winner of the giveaway will be drawn next Tuesday at noon via random number generator!

Giveaway! Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bra

Feb16

This giveaway is now closed. Summer was the winner! Congratulations!

I’m excited to have a Simple Wishes Hands-Free Pumping Bustier to give away this week! A lot of mothers combine breastfeeding with working (and pumping at work). As one of my friends (a mother of infant twins) phrased it recently, you have to be a “multi-tasking phenom.” A bra like this would be a helpful addition to the multi-tasker’s skill set 🙂 I wish that all mothers would have the freedom and flexibility at work to be able to sit down and really take a few minutes “time out” to pump for their babies. However, this is not the reality that a lot of mothers experience in the workplace and that is where a “bustier” like Simple Wishes can definitely come in handy! The company was founded by four sisters and has formed a recent partnership with WIC. According to the company’s website:

Using a breast pump is significantly easier with the Bustier, as it allows moms to pump hands-free. Pumping hands-free encourages and supports moms to:

• Promote the use of a breast pump for greater length of time (ideally six to 12 months), by minimizing user frustration.

• Reduce the duration of each pumping session

• Double pump—pump both breasts simultaneously

• Massage breasts, relax, and think of their baby while expressing

I have a light pink Simple Wishes to give away this week (contest ends on Saturday the 20th at noon). One of the cool things about this bra is that the ribcage band is adjustable up to 10 inches, so you can get a “custom” fit. The one I have to give away is a size L up to XXL. I have taken the bustier out of the package to look at, but it is brand new and never worn (though the seal is opened from my having examined it). To enter to win, you have several choices. For the basic entry, just leave a comment (making sure I have some way to contact you from it if you win). For bonus entries, do one (or all) of the following: