So I started entering giveaways again this month to see what last min swag I could score before Christmas. So far I’ve won 2 giveaways. The first one a $50 gift card to Amazon from Heather at Home Ec 101. It a fun little website about cooking, cleaning and organizing. The second to arrive in my inbox was a $25 gift certificate to My Baby Clothes Boutique. I’m not sure if this prize came from a blog giveaway or if I was just a randomly picked FB fan. I got the email directly from My Baby Clothes Boutique and it didn’t say anything about how I won. Just that I won.

The good thing about these wins was that they were both sent to me electronically so I just went shopping and used the code they gave me. I found shopping at My Baby Clothes Boutique difficult because the sizes where very limited. When ever I found a style I wanted it was never available in the right size. When I tried to shop by size it wasn’t very accurate with the results so I still had a hard time finding a size I needed. I ended up in the shoe section and they have a whole lot of really cute shoes. I picked out these little white boots for my baby girl. The sizes only went by months so since she will be two in January I chose the 24-36 month size. When the boots arrive they ended up being a size 7 (one size too big). One thing I really liked was the free shipping promotion. In my experience the most difficult and frustrating thing about online shopping in Hawaii is the crazy prices we are forced to pay for shipping. With most online retailers free shipping deals usually excludes Hawaii, but I was able to place my order no problem (with free shipping) and it arrived promptly within 2-3 business days She really loves her new shoes even though they are a little roomy she’s was able to get around in them without much trouble.

I used my second Win to purchase some last min Christmas presents for my babies. I got a Fisher Price Laugh and Dance Puppy and a Chunky Alphabet puzzle by Melissa and Doug. Both toys my kids have on occasion cried over because we left the store without them. Yay I can’t wait for Christmas. My subtotal at Amazon was around $44, but with the shipping and the gift card I did end up paying around $17. I recently priced that puppy at our local wal-mart for $45 and the Melissa and Doug puzzle is only available at a fancy toy shop at Ala Moana for around $20. So compared to Hawaii prices it wasn’t a bad deal. I mainly just paid a hefty $20 fee to ensure it arrived before Christmas, because by the time my supersaver Amazon shipments usually arrive I have forgotten what I’d ordered.

Supposedly I did win a 3rd giveaway for a Thomas and Friends train set from Mommy Blog Expert. I sent my info to them but haven’t heard back. It’s suppose to be sent FedEx but I’m not sure if the sponsor will back out since I’m from Hawaii. The contest said it was open to US residents and didn’t have anything about excluding Hawaii or Alaska so we’ll just have to wait and see if I ever get that one.

Happy Holidays!

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