Friday, April 10, 2026

🐲 Welcome To The 'George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend' Book Giveaway! 3 Winners!

Whether you're interested in learning how to befriend a dragon or how to outsmart one, every great adventure starts with a single spark & a lot of heart. Some stories are written in the clouds with smoke & wings, but the best ones are often found in our imaginations.

Welcome to The George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend Book Giveaway!

3 Winners!

This giveaway is part of our SMGN 2026 Mother's Day Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products!

HOST IS:

DELICIOUSLY SAVVY

Co-hosts for this giveaway are

Beautiful Touches, Home Jobs by Mom, Marksvilleandme, My Silly Little Gang, Pink Ninja Blog, The Crazy Pet Lady, The Stuff of Success, The Frugal Grandmom & Versatileer

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide.

A Rain of Thought,Beautiful Touches, BonneVivante, Contest Corner, Deliciously Savvy, Freebies Deals & Steals, Giveaway Gator, Golden Goose Giveaways, Home Jobs by Mom, Honey Can Do It, Marksvilleandme, My Silly Little Gang, Pink Ninja Blog, Sarcastically Yours, Jen, Sweeps Madness, The Crazy Pet Lady, The Stuff of Success, The Frugal Grandmom, This Frugal Family, Versatileer

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This Giveaway Sponsor Is:

Random House

3 Lucky Winners Will Win a copy of George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend which will be available for purchase May 5th!

George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer: A Scouting Legend is a new middle grade fantasy starring an unlikely hero that "could join the ranks of 'The Hunger Games' and 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' in the pantheon of teen fiction bestsellers" (The New York Sun) when it hits shelves on May 5th! This incredible book is by New York Times bestselling authors Candace Lee and Eric Newman and it's the explosive first installment in the Order of the Dragon Slayer series which launches a ragtag band of Scouts into a hidden world of ancient beasts, buried secrets, and destinies forged in dragon fire.

Published by WaterBrook Children's, an imprint of Random House Children's Books On sale May 5, 2026 | Ages 8-12 | 336 Pages

Hardcover | ISBN 978-0-59-360275-1 | US $14.99

What people are saying.....

"[T]aking courage and adventure to the next level." —People

“An adventure that rings with courage, loyalty, and the spirit of discovery. The ultimate summer read!” —Scouting America

"A story of bravery that will leave you inspired and breathless..." —Mike Rowe, Dirty Jobs

About the Book

The world’s most legendary dragon slayer, St. George, gets a bold, modern reimagining in this explosive beginning to the Order of the Dragon Slayer series.

“Warning: This adventure is full of danger. It’s got dragons and death, coal mines and cold-blooded killers, treasure and true love—the stuff legends are made of. But even more dangerous are the kids in this tale. They’re tough. They’re brave. And they’re exactly the kind of heroes our world needs.” —from the foreword by Chief World Scouting Ambassador Bear Grylls

Everyone in Big Mountain, West Virginia, knows entering the coal mines is strictly forbidden. But twelve-year-old George Goodwin knows something more... deep underground lies a treasure that could save his town and clear his father’s name.

When his Scouting troop heads out for a weekend camping trip, George secretly recruits his best friends, Skunks and Artie, on a quest to find proof. But their plans unravel when they collide with George’s camera-wielding nemesis, Clementine, and her pageant-queen sister, Flo... and the motley crew is pulled into the adventure of a lifetime.

They’ll need every ounce of courage... and every trick in the Scouting handbook... to survive! Collapsing tunnels. Ruthless thieves. Dynamite traps. And a fire-breathing monster with a hunger to devour mankind . . . starting with them!

Full of unexpected thrills, rebellious hope, and laugh-out-loud humor, New York Times bestselling authors Candace Lee and Eric Newman deliver a blazing new adventure starring an unlikely hero who’s about to become the next great legend.

About the Authors

Candace Lee & Eric Newman love to tell stories. From Disney+ to NBCUniversal, they’ve written for Emmy-winning series, produced movies and music, and collaborated with stars like Bear Grylls, Andrea Bocelli, and Larry the Cucumber. Along the way, they landed on the New York Timesbestseller list with their friend Max Lucado. But their favorite adventure of all? George Goodwin, Dragon Slayer—a creative quest they began long before they each started raising little dragon slayers of their own. Candace studied film and television production at New York University, while Eric focused on writing at Oral Roberts University. Goonies at heart, they dig deep for stories of truth, wonder, and redemption. Their vision for the Order of the Dragon Slayer series is to inspire a generation to be prepared—mentally, physically, and spiritually—to slay life’s dragons.

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Click Below To Enter & Good Luck!

Entry -Form

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 5/14/2026. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put these email addresses as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibitedBy entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void were prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

If you are a blogger interested in our gift guides sign up here or more information is HERE.

Get blogger opps just like this by signing up to receive blogger emails HERE.

Sponsors interested in joining our gift guides can see the information HERE.

Monday, April 6, 2026

🏡 Making Home Your Happy Place

A calm home is the ultimate goal, but keeping things simple changes as we navigate different phases of life. After tackling the overwhelming task of sorting through my parents' lifetime of belongings, I realized how essential curation is to peace of mind. Ahead of my review, I am going to share a few tips I have found helpful for turning a chaotic home into a peaceful, functional space.

What Comes In Matters ~ Being thoughtful of what enters is the easiest way to avoid building attachment to or finding a place for things that will be hard to part with later. Avoid shopping as therapy. Give yourself smaller, affordable rewards for steps you regularly take to improve your life.

Share Your Sunshine ~ By encouraging others to regularly donate the clothes, books, & toys they have outgrown, we do more than tidy a space ~ we empower them to experience the joy of helping make a difference in someone else's life.

Reclaim Your Time ~ We often allow 'stuff' to consume our precious time. When we shift piles to clean or move boxes to find items, we are caught in a loop of handling things multiple times rather than dealing with it. Every moment is time stolen from what truly matters.

Trauma, Trinkets, & Truth ~ These days, my treasures fit on a single shelf or in a small box. After watching a hoarding show years ago, I found two points incredibly empowering: many items can be photographed & kept in an album to enjoy viewing anytime, & if something is truly a collectible, it deserves to be on display.

Practical household management guide for busy families to declutter their homes by addressing both physical & emotional clutter, offering actionable steps to create a calm, organized, & joyful living space.

There’s a lovely bit of amusing irony in a 200-page book about decluttering but my anxiety was pleasantly relieved to see that it's also available as an ebook & audiobook, for anyone who struggles with sensory overload.

* Received free book to facilitate review. All opinions are my own.

Overcoming Overwhelm: Actionable strategies to break through mental & physical clutter.
Decluttering with Confidence: Proven techniques for clear, step-by-step progress.
Deeper Roots of Clutter: Identifying & releasing emotional ties, limiting beliefs, & habits.
Effortless Systems: Creating sustainable, natural ways to maintain an organized home.
Holistic Approach: Focuses on the mind, emotions, & routines, not just physical items.

More streamlined version of these concepts, without the weight of the narrative & example stories, would have worked best for me. Maybe offer smaller, specific guides for core issues to cut down on the overwhelm.

Consider adding specific strategies for dealing with other non-traditional spaces, for example, shared living situations like roommates or multi-generational households. Also a dedicated framework for applying the DASH or ART methods to the digital world, including a resource guide for their ethical & sustainable disposal.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tackling the root cause ~ the emotional burden ~ behind clutter, this book helps one move past the guilt & shame of a messy home. It offers practical strategies that can turn into second-nature habits, building the momentum needed to create a truly warm & welcoming home.

Author Katy Joy Wells

Maximized Minimalist
Goodreads Reviews

Sunday, April 5, 2026

🎓 Welcome To The 'Preschool' Starring & Directed By Josh Duhamel Digital Movie Code Giveaway!

Two loving fathers. One last spot at the city’s most 'enriching' elite preschool. What started as a polite application has just devolved into total suburban warfare... & someone is definitely bringing a toy bazooka to a sandcastle fight! 🤣

Welcome to The 'Preschool' Starring & Directed By Josh Duhamel Digital Movie Code Giveaway!

1 Winner

This giveaway is part of our SMGN 2026 Mother's Day Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products!

HOST IS:

DELICIOUSLY SAVVY

Co-hosts for this giveaway are

Beautiful Touches, Home Jobs by Mom, Marksvilleandme, My Silly Little Gang, Pink Ninja Blog, The Crazy Pet Lady, The Stuff of Success, The Frugal Grandmom & Versatileer

Below is a list of all the bloggers involved in the gift guide.

A Rain of Thought, Beautiful Touches, BonneVivante, Contest Corner, Deliciously Savvy, Freebies Deals & Steals, Giveaway Gator, Golden Goose Giveaways, Home Jobs by Mom, Honey Can Do It, Marksvilleandme, My Silly Little Gang, Pink Ninja Blog, Sarcastically Yours, Jen, Sweeps Madness, The Crazy Pet Lady, The Stuff of Success, The Frugal Grandmom, This Frugal Family, Versatileer

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Giveaway Sponsor Is:

1 Lucky Winner Will Win a Digital Code for Preschool ~ directed and starring Josh Duhamel!

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: In London, two dads (Josh Duhamel & Michael Socha) set their sights on the last open spot at an ultra-posh preschool. What begins as a simple application, snowballs into a wildly escalating rivalry packed with big-hearted laughs, outrageous one‐upmanship, and surprising consequences. As schemes spiral and families get pulled into the madness, both fathers discover what they’re really willing to do for their kids—and what it means to be a parent.

I know this is going to be such a blast to watch and I so enjoy movies like this one. Make sure to enter for your chance to win a digital code for this one and come back daily for easy entries that up your chances of winning too!

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Click Below To Enter & Good Luck!

Entry -Form

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 5/05/2026. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put these email addresses as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void were prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. No blog associated with this contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

If you are a blogger interested in our gift guides sign up here or more information is HERE.

Get blogger opps just like this by signing up to receive blogger emails HERE.

Sponsors interested in joining our gift guides can see the information HERE.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

🙌 Practical Ways to Spark Inspiration

We have all been there: staring at a blank page, a white canvas, or an empty screen, waiting for lightning to strike. That elusive spark of spontaneity can feel impossible to find when we need it most. But what if inspiration isn't something we find, but instead something we build, like a muscle?

Let’s explore some actionable ways to revive the intuition of our muses to cultivate new ideas, so they emerge one after another, helping to further immerse ourselves into the imaginative process.

Create a Uncluttered Atmosphere

Before getting started on any project, it's important to set the stage for the most favorable workspace possible. Clear away anything except the most essential items needed.

Start with the most important space ~ a nourished, rested bodymind. Boost mental focus by proactively minimizing any distractions & interruptions. Then set the mood with relaxing music, engaging in simple stretching, or meditation.

Positive Path Forward

Celebrate the act of showing up, of pushing into a hard path, to grow in your talents. Not merely recycling what's easy or what everyone else is already doing. The joy of creation should be in the doing, not just in the finished product.

Review past projects to remind yourself of how far you have come. This acts as a confidence booster & proof that you have successfully navigated these blocks before. Moving forward is the key to success in any endeavor!

Spend time with people who provide encouragement & support, as pessimism can deplete creative energy. If this isn't always possible, try to read or listen to media that encourages an optimistic outlook.

Power of the Pause

To avoid fatigue during the imaginative process it's important to remember to take productive breaks. By taking your mind off your work, you release some pressure, recharge your batteries, & invigorate your creative juices.

This might be stepping into a new setting to shake up your thinking. Or reaching for a different creative medium to express those ideas in other ways. Or stepping away entirely to something different in order to decompress. These actions help stimulate new neural pathways.

Use Curiosity as Your Compass

The more we are interested in the world around us, the more we have as sources of inspiration.

Intentionally disrupt your mental autopilot by taking a different route to work, browsing an unfamiliar section of a bookstore, or eating at a new restaurant. Try to devote more time to reading books, touring cultural events, & attending exhibitions. By doing this we peel back layers of assumption & uncover deeper insights.

Reframe the Block

Hitting a wall is often a sign of exhaustion or a need for new input. Treat it as a helpful signal telling you to rest, reflect, or change direction. True masterpieces come through in the editing process.

Instead of focusing on the whole project, set a goal to complete a tiny, manageable part. Set a timer for 5–15 minutes to force the production of anything, to get the inventive gears turning.

Embrace imperfection by understanding that any process always begins as a rough draft. Perfectionism is a major drag on progress, when the goal is to move & to play with ideas.

Separate expression from judgment by turning off our internal critics. Let the ideas flow without questioning their quality, saving analysis & tweaking for later.

If you feel completely stuck, consider framing the issue as a paradox to force your mind to look at it from two opposite perspectives, which can often generate new, unexpected ideas.

Imagine the Possibilities

Often we are inspired by what we see, so as you move through your day look for these type of surprises to collect for later reference.

Digital Curation ~ Use Pinterest for mood boarding, Behance & Dribbble for design work, or Muzli to get daily creative doses.

Offline Exploration ~ Visit museums, galleries, shop windows or the natural world around you to analyze colors, textures, & patterns.

Physical Media ~ Browse old magazines, books, or design journals for layout, typography, & color palette ideas.

Keep a Visual Diary ~ Use a notebook or app to take photos of your surroundings, such as interesting textures, colors, or street art.

Manufacture Momentum

Inspiration is fleeting, but dedication is enduring. Remind yourself ruts aren't a lack of talent but a need to further explore the process. Ask for input from opinions you trust.

Too often we wait for a magical surge of energy, but true creative power comes from small, daily habits. It’s in the way we observe the world ~ the stories we tell ourselves about a stranger on the train or the unusual architecture of a building.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." ~ Marcel Proust

Always try to keep your senses alert in order to create a backup source of ideas to look at when you feel dry & when that flood of ideas hits you, try to act immediately. Inspiration dwindles with delay.

Keep these tips in your archives as a reminder that your most valuable tool ~ an open, inspired mind, is something you can build by repetitively flexing. What tips can you share?

Wednesday, April 1, 2026