I love the Coca-Cola Polar Bear.  It is so cute, but like many cute animals it is in danger.  That’s one reason why Coca-Cola is working to raise money and awareness to help create an Arctic Refuse.

For the holidays this year in support of the Coca-Cola’s Arctic Home awareness campaign,Coca-Cola and Walmart are teaming up to help you bring home happiness with exclusive 28 packs of Coke sold only at participating Walmart locations (while supplies last), and a fabulous hourly Walmart instant win through My Coke Rewards.

How do you win with Coca-Cola & Walmart?

Start your holidays off right with 28 packs of Coke, sold only at Walmart and enter an instant win for a Walmart gift card to put towards adding happiness to your home. With purchase of the 28 pack, Walmart and Coke fans can visit ArcticHome.com/Walmart to be entered for a chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card. One will be given away every hour December5^th through December 31^st.  The packs are already available in many Walmart locations and we want your help telling your readers to enter the instant win.  Check out the website for complete details.  As always no purchase is necessary to enter the instant win.

You can also win here by filling out the form below.  One reader will win the Bring Home Happiness prize pack (value: $115) which includes:

If you remember a couple days ago I posted about General Mills new campaign, Cheerios sendCheer campaign.  For each postcard sent between now and November 30, 2012 (you can find the postcards on Cheerio boxes, just cut and fill out), they will donate $1 to the USO.  They guarantee at least a $150,000 donation and a maximum of $250,000.  Well, our family decided we should do our fair share so we went to our local Wal-Mart (look for the new sendCheer displays) and bought 10 boxes of specially marked Cheerios.

When we got home we cut out our post card, wrote a message, and we all signed it.  It felt great knowing that that postcard we were writing was going to be given to someone in our military and to top that off we had 9 more boxes to GIVE to others to share their message as well.  My husband took 4 boxes to work and I took 5 boxes and we handed them out to our co-workers and explained the program and what we wanted them to do…they LOVED the idea!  Just in time for Thanksgiving we were all paying it forward.

With the Cheerios we have at home we are going to make Party Mix to include in a care package we are sending out next month to a friend of the family currently overseas.  Who would have ever thought that Cheerios is the gift that keeps giving!

Follow @GeneralMills & @Walmart on Twitter

Check out Cheerios and Walmart on Facebook

SendCheer Pinterest Board and Flickr

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias, the story and opinions are my own.  

My brother and my sister both served in the military and it is my youngest son’s dream to be a soldier and to protect our country.  I can remember talking to my sister on the phone occasionally when she was overseas and some times she would really need a pick me up.  It was hard for her to be so far away from home and there was little time for fun or sleep for that matter.  I wrote her letters almost every day hoping to send cheer her way and to help her get through each day.  I’m sure it’s even harder now for our military families since there is so much more danger overseas now compared to when my siblings served.  I couldn’t imagine.

Today I find that supporting the military is much more common place.  A local radio station just had a campaign where they came up with over 600,000 letters to send our troops in time for Thanksgiving letting them know how much we appreciate what they are doing and the sacrifices they are making for us.  Companies like General Mills have a similar campaign, Cheerios sendCheer campaign.  For each postcard sent between now and November 30, 2012 (you can find the postcards on Cheerio boxes, just cut and fill out), they will donate $1 to the USO.  They guarantee at least a $150,000 donation and a maximum of $250,000.  Cut, write, and send cheer.  It’s that easy!

Follow @GeneralMills & @Walmart on Twitter

Check out Cheerios and Walmart on Facebook

SendCheer Pinterest Board and Flickr

Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias, the story and opinions are my own.  

Have you heard about the Labels for Education® Book Bonanza Sweepstakes?  My youngest son searches high and low to find participating products that support Labels for Education.  It’s kind of like a game or challenge to see who can find it first.  With the labels we turn in his school can win up to $2,500 worth of books.  That is a HUGE deal.  With all the budgets being cut back things like this help out a bunch and it is our responsibility to get involved.

• Two (2) schools will receive $2,500 worth of Scholastic books
• Two (2) schools will receive $1,000 worth of Scholastic books
• Six (6) schools will receive $500 worth of Scholastic books

Not only can you save participating UPC codes and beverage caps, but if you sign up for a Shopper Card for your local grocer you can earn FREE STUFF for your child’s school as well.  They work with stores all over the US such as Price Chopper, Kroger, Safeway, FredMeyer, and more.    You can sign up at eLabelsForEducation.com today.

Don’t forget to share this with everyone you know because our children’s educational future depends on programs like this!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Labels for Education to promote the Book Bonanza Sweepstakes.  Opinions are my own.

Carl Buddig & Company – the lunchmeat brand that has been nourishing families for generations – is nourishing young minds through a partnership with RIF to raise a minimum of $100,000 for children’s literacy programs. During the yearlong Be A Reader campaign parents and their children are encouraged to create their own reading and literacy experiences wherever they may be. For more information about the Be A Reader campaign visit www.buddig.com.  For additional tips and activities to help your child discover the joy of reading, visit www.RIF.org.

There is roughly a month left to enter the Buddig Make A Sandwich And A Story Sweepstakes featuring your chance to win a Buddig backpack filled with school supplies and a Scholastic book library.  Now that school is in full swing around the country there is not reason not to enter.  Whenever you purchase a package of Buddig lunch meat (“make a sandwich”) you can enter your code and complete the entry form (“make a story”) to be eligible.

James went back to school over a month ago and this year his class has a reading journal where he has to read so many books each month.  This task is hard sometimes because keeping kids interested in reading is always a challenge when they feel like they HAVE to do it.  There are some great tricks we use that might help you:

• Establish a family reading hour. Set a time after school and on weekends when everyone in the family devotes an hour to reading.
• Create a reading nook or out-of-the-way special place where your child can read without being disturbed.
• Use the Internet to promote interactive learning. Children reading online develop critical thinking and research skills. Start a web search for favorite book titles or authors. Conduct a search for your child’s top music videos.

Well tonight marks James’ very first, official Cub Scouts meeting at his pack’s den.  He is no longer a Tiger Cub and now is an official Wolf.  Wolf sounds so much older to James and not so “babyish” so he is hoping they get to do a lot more “older kid” things this year.  Over the summer we (James and Mommy) did a few fun activities from the Adventure Manual they put out with Scholastic.  We built a treasure map with hidden treasures and our own compass out of cork.  These are the fun types of activities that we missed from our break from scouts this summer.

Now that we are back to regular meetings we have a bunch of new boys in our group.  New kids are joining right now all over the country now that school is back in session.  It’s a great way to get to know other families and to experience the roots of what makes our young boys, boys.

Here are a couple things James is really looking forward to this year:

Pinewood derby®—You can build and race a model car with your son.  (When his brother was a Cub Scout he wont the Pinewood Derby for his troop.  It was a ton of fun and this year James’ older brother is going to help him build the best car ever!)
Blue and gold banquet—Cub Scouting’s birthday party—for all pack members and their families—in February.
Camping—Overnight and day camp opportunities introduce your family to the camping experience.Service projects—Packs may participate in food drives, conservation projects, or other community activities.
Field trips and special outings—Great ways to learn more about the people and places in your community.

It’s not too late to get your child involved in Scouts – visit This is Scouting to find out more information and the pack nearest you!

It is that time of the year.  My children went back to school in early August, but I see a lot of schools started after Labor Day.  Since our schools started so early I wasn’t prepared.  Coupled with the fact that we moved only days before classes started I really was at a loss.  I honestly couldn’t find James’ shoes until 15 minutes prior to the buses arrival.  Someone had packed them or shall I say threw them in a garbage bag of toys from his bedroom floor.  Anyway, when school started back not only was I not prepared with school supplies, but I also lacked the proper food for boxed lunches (James hates buying lunch at school) and/or dinner.

Well, school has been in session almost a month now and I’m somewhat better prepared, but I am still going to enter NESTLÉs Happy New School Year Sweepstakes.   You can enter every day for a chance to win the grand prize of $5,000 worth of back-to-school essentials plus a $2,000 NESTLÉ Literacy Grant for your school, plus daily prizes of $50 reward cards.  The sweepstakes ends October 15, 2011.  This would be an incredible way to start this school year off.

As part of this wonderful campaign NESTLE partnered with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and will be sending me $100 worth of books to donate to a classroom in need in my area.  You have no idea how excited this makes me!  I support RIF every opportunity I get and I believe their program is top notch.  I know there are so many schools here locally that will benefit from these books…and I appreciate NESTLE for giving me the opportunity to better my local community.

BUT…not only have they honored me with this but they are offering one of my readers the most awesome giveaway featuring a $25 MasterCard rewards card, $20 worth of school supplies, a mix of free coupons from STOUFFER’S, JUICY JUICE, TOLL HOUSE Morsels and Refrigerated Cookie Dough, CARNATION BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS and OVALTINE; product from WONKA, Baby Ruth, CRUNCH and BUTTERFINGER; a straw dispenser and coupon booklet.

Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Nestle.  I received books to donate through RIF and Nestle to a school of my choice.  I also received the prize pack for sharing this with you.

Subway Baseball DeSIGNS is the latest socially responsible project the company has taken on.  The money raised from the eBay auctions benefits the Little League Urban Initiative program which helps fund start-ups, developments, equipment, clinics and field maintenance for Inner City Little Leagues.  Starting today (August 19, 2011) you can bid on baseballs signed by Katy Perry, Joe Montana, Maroon 5, Johnny Damon or David Price to name a few.  All auctions end August 28th giving bidders 10 days to set their prices and get in on the action.  It’s the third year they are raising money for the Little League Urban Initiative and it is a great program to get in on.

The tour will visit four U.S. cities concluding with a final stop at the Little League® Baseball World Series (LLBWS) from Aug. 19-28, where the baseballs will then be auctioned off to the general public with all proceeds benefitting the Little League® Baseball Urban Initiative program which helps fund start-ups, developments, equipment, clinics and field maintenance for inner-city youth leagues and teams.

Baseball legends and Famous Fans of SUBWAY® will participate in the tour’s various stops including Cy Young Award winner and ESPN baseball personality Orel Hershiser and former Los Angeles all-star outfielder Shawn Green, who will also serve as honorary coaches in the 2011 National Little League® Baseball Appreciation Game.

For more information on the tour, consumers can visit SubwayKids.com and the Official SUBWAY® Facebook page. Online auctions for the celebrity-autographed baseballs will open to the public Aug. 19 and will run through the Little League® Baseball World Series, which concludes Aug. 28

SUBWAY® Restaurants have proudly sponsored Little League® Baseball and Softball since 2005 as a way to encourage Little Leaguers and their families to live active lifestyles and eat healthy.

About SUBWAY^® Restaurants

Headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, and with regional offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane, Miami and Singapore, the SUBWAY® chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. Their partnership, which continues today, marked the beginning of a remarkable journey – one that has made it possible for thousands of individuals to build and succeed in their own business. In the 2010 Zagat® Fast Food Survey, the SUBWAY^® brand was ranked “number one” by consumers in the “Most Popular,” “Top Service” and “Healthy Options” categories for food brands with 5,000 or more locations. For more information about the SUBWAY^® chain, visit www.SUBWAY®.com.  Find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/SUBWAY®. Follow us on Twitter:twitter.com/SUBWAY®freshbuzz. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc.

 About Little League Baseball & Softball

Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest and most respected youth sports organization. With players in every U.S. state and more than 70 other countries, the program is led by more than 1 million adult volunteers. It serves children ages 5 through 18, including physically and mentally disabled children (Challenger Division) and children in urban areas (Little League Urban Initiative). 

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 Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Subway through Mom Bloggers Club and I was compensated for this post.