Swagbucks is giving away $1000 to 4 people in celebration of their 4th birthday. The “party” happens on February 27th, but you can RSVP now for your chance to win. Go here to RSVP for the party.   In addition to the 4 $1000 cash prizes, there will also be lots of chances to earn Swagbuck bonuses that day.

If you haven’t joined Swagbucks yet, you can learn more about it in an earlier post I wrote here.

I contacted the gals at Relish!, and they were kind enough to allow me to do a giveaway here on Instead of the Dishes.  In addition to free two week trials for everyone, there will be two winners, as am giving away one three-month subscription to Relish! and one three-month subscription to their new meal planning site, Gfree.

Gfree is a meal planning service created by the founders of Relish!, specifically for those of you who are living gluten-free. Just like Relish, you choose five gluten free dinners per week, and Gfree generates a shopping list for you. I’ve been considering trying out a gluten-free diet with my family for a while now, but the thought of having to educate myself on what is and isn’t gluten-free felt overwhelming.  I love the idea of Gfree, which takes away the need to check labels on every single ingredient I use.  If it’s on the Gfree shopping list, I know it’s gluten free, so I can educate myself as I go!

So, if you want to check out Relish! and/or Gfree, here are the details on this giveaway:

There are Seven Entries available:

1. *This Entry is Mandatory* Leave a comment with your answer to these questions: What is the most important feature of a meal planning service? Would you prefer to win the Relish! subscription, or the Gfree subscription? 
2. Register for a free two week trial of Relish! Meal Planning. Go Here and click “Redeem a Voucher” in the upper left corner.  Enter code DISHES. Your membership will expire two weeks from when you first log-on.  The code expires December 31, 2012. Leave a separate comment saying you have done so.
3. Register for a free two week trial of Gfree Meal planning. Go Here and click “Redeem a Voucher” in the top center menu bar. Enter code DISHES2. Your membership will expire two weeks from when you first log-on.  The code expires December 31, 2012. Leave a separate comment saying you have done so.
4. “Like” Instead of the Dishes on Facebook. Leave a separate comment saying you have done so (or that you already do).
5. Follow @FawnRech (that’s me) on Twitter. Leave a separate comment saying you have done so (or that you already do).
6. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS feed. Leave a separate comment saying you have done so (or that you already do).
7. Share this contest on Facebook or Twitter (you can use the buttons at the bottom of this post). Leave a separate comment saying you have done so.

This giveaway will end on Sunday, March 4th, and winners will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, March 5th.

In addition to all this fun, Relish! is also offering 20% off a full membership for those of you who are interested in joining.  Just go here and enter the code INSTEAD to get your discount. This code is only good on the Relish! site and will expire on March 1, 2013.

Disclosure: I am receiving a three month subscription to Relish! and a three month subscription to Gfree in exchange for hosting this giveaway.  All opinions and content contained within this post are my own.

Sunday, February 19 – Geology Hike @ Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 9:00am – 11:00am
Meeting place: Visitor Center. Part of the charm of Pinnacle Mountain State Park is the diverse geology found here, and there is no better place to see this than on the Rocky Valley Trail. Meet a park interpreter at the visitor center today to hike this trail and discover the unique geological characteristics of Pinnacle Mountain State Park. This is a moderately strenuous hike, so wear sturdy shoes and bring plenty of water.

Sunday, February 19 – Guided Bird Hikes @ DeGray Lake State Park, 9:00am
Join the Great Backyard Bird Count and become a citizen scientist. Across the nation participants are counting all the birds they can find this weekend, and you can help by joining this fun guided birding hike. All levels of birders are invited. Checklists and loaner binoculars are available. Come for the count, or just come to see the birds. Each hike is on a different trail.

Monday, February 20 – Free Admission and Audio Tours @ Clinton Presidential Center, 9:00am – 5:00pm
In honor of President’s Day, admission at the Clinton Library and audio tours narrated by President Clinton are free throughout the day.

Monday, February 20 – Guided Bird Hikes @ DeGray Lake State Park, 4:00pm
See description above, on February 19.

Saturday, February 25 – Learn All About Birds @ Lake Ouachita State Park, Various Times
There’s a variety of bird-related activity going on at Lake Ouachita State Park today. Nature Walk @ 9am – explore the local flora and fauna around the park with a park interpreter. Birdy Buffet @ 12:00 – make easy bird feeders to take home! Build Your Own Bird @ 1:00 – build your own bird friend to take home. Who Wants to Be an Ornithologist? @ 4:00pm – compete for prizes in this interactive game.

Go Here for events for Kids and Families at Central Arkansas Libraries.

Go Here for events for Kids and Families at William F. Laman Public Library System.

Next Week:

Tuesday, February 28 – National Pancake Day @ IHOP – 7:00am-10:00pm
IHOP gives away free short stacks of their signature buttermilk pancakes all day long today. In exchange, visitors can donate to the Children’s Miracle Network. Last year, IHOP raised more than $2.5 million for that organization and other local charities.

Thursday, March 1 – Dr. Seuss Birthday Party @ CALS Main Library Branch – 6:30pm
Celebrate the Seuss at this bash with stories, crafts and games.

Friday, March 2 – Exploration Station & a Guided Nature Hike @ Lake Catherine State Park – 2:00pm-4:30pm
Meet at the visitor center learn about amazing artifacts! From skins and skulls to Native American artifacts, see what the Ouachita Mountains are made of. Then head out on a guided 1-mile hike on the Fall Branch Trail. Bring your water bottle and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Saturday, March 3 – Free Kid’s Workshop @ Your Local Home Depot, 9:00am – 12:00 pm
These workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills, tool safety, and instill a sense of pride and accomplishment. All kids get to keep their craft and receive a FREE Kids Workshop Apron, commemorative pin and certificate of achievement. This month’s project is a #20 Race Car! Workshops are designed for children ages 5 – 12.

Saturday, March 3 – Read Across America @ Barnes and Noble West Little Rock, 1:00pm
Celebrate Dr Seuss’ birthday and the love of reading that his books have inspired in generations of children. We’ll be reading The Lorax and counting the Bar-ba-loots. Enter your child’s name in for a free Cat in the Hat book and felt hat.

If you have a free event that you’d like to share, please let me know!

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ListPlanIt has three different types of memberships to pick from – print, download, or professional. The print membership (normally $20) allows you to print the lists as much as you want and write on them. The download membership (normally $30) allows you to type directly into the lists for a neater approach.  The professional membership (normally $50) is great for businesses who would like to offer the lists to their clients as part of their services.

Now through February 29th, you can save $5 off any of these three memberships by entering the code NEWYEAR12 at checkout.  It’s a great way to get organized, set goals, and improve communication with the people you live and/or work with.

Callen, just two months shy of his fourth birthday, has recently stepped into what I call the “crazy lying” phase.  I was aware of and had labeled this phase only because Carina did the same thing at right about the same age. Her first “crazy lie” was that she had gotten in trouble for not bringing a monkey to preschool for show and tell, when ALL the other kids had brought a monkey, and she had brought a mouse, and so she wasn’t allowed to participate in show and tell, and sheee wasss soooo SAAAADDDDD!!!! WWWHHHAAAA!  At first, I was shocked and bewildered that I hadn’t gotten the memo about the monkey themed show and tell and had reassured Carina that I would talk with her teachers.  But, later in the evening, she mentioned that Ben had brought MONEY for show and tell. “Wait, so Ben brought MONEY and not a MONKEY for show and tell?”  I asked her.  The look on her face told me the cat was out of the bag.

Callen has been fudging on a few facts for the past couple weeks, so when he came upstairs from his nap with marker all over his face and claimed that he had no idea how it got there, I grabbed my camera.  Here’s his account. This clip is about 4 minutes long.  You don’t need to watch the whole thing to get the idea of what I’m dealing with, but if you watch long enough, you’ll see the sort-of confession.

So, just as with Carina, I had to explain to Callen in pre-school terms what a lie is, what the truth is, and why it’s important to stick with the latter. I explained that he’d get in more trouble for lying than he would for coloring on his face, and reiterated the idea that “mommy knows” when you are lying. I don’t know why I thought that the difference between a lie and the truth should be ingrained in their being, but it is not. Lie and Truth are just two more words to be added to the vocabulary, and it takes a while to learn syntax and proper application of each. It’s interesting to see them start to grasp the ideas and retrain their brains to use their powers for good.  I just hope my mommy brain can stay out in front of them.

When I came up with this idea back in 2009, I was looking for a way to show other moms how beneficial some me time could be.  I wanted to put together something that is affordable, accessible, and customizable to fit the varied needs of different moms.  The MOMcation weekend retreat is the result.

With an incredible amount help from a committee of fellow moms who recognized the value of some time away, MOMcation has grown each year.  This year the retreat is April 12-15 at Heifer Ranch, which is abouut 45 minutes outside of Little Rock near Perryville, AR.  We are still in the process of planning activities, but you can count on a mix of physical activities like hiking and yoga, opportunities to get crafty, hands-on workshops in areas such as cooking or couponing, social evenings, and plenty of opportunity to spend time doing whatever you please.

Each year we have a book discussion featuring a parenting-related book.  This year I am excited to say that we will be discussing the best-selling memoir, Planting Dandelions: Field Notes of a Semi-Domesticated Life by Kyran Pittman. Kyran, who lives here in Little Rock, says that her book is “a diary of becoming a family”.  Kyran will be joining us at MOMcation 2012 for our book discussion on Saturday!

I would like to invite all of you to join us for MOMcation 2012.  The early-bird registration deadline is this Saturday, February 18th. The early bird price for the entire weekend, including all activities, lodging, and meals, is $150.  After February 18th, the price will be $180.  We will also offer a Saturday-only option for $80 which includes all of Saturday’s activities plus lunch and dinner. If you do not have the financial means to pay for MOMcation, we also have scholarships available.

Signing yourself up to go somewhere without your family, to a place where you might not know anyone, to do things you don’t normally do can be a scary thing.  But, I can honestly say that no one is ever regretful of attending MOMcation.  There are MOMs in attendance who don’t know anyone else each year.  I hope you’ll consider making a commitment to take some time for yourself. I’ll look forward to sharing the weekend with you!

No surprise, then, that I found myself over at LeftLaneSports.com browsing their sales. If you haven’t visited their site, you have to become a “member” to see their goods, but it’s free and painless, and by going through this link, you’ll get a $10 credit to spend on a purchase of $50 or more from the site. I first landed there because I was given a $10 promo code from Klout.com, and I was really impressed with the brands and prices they have on the sale items. LeftLane runs a different set of sales on their already cheap sporting goods each week, so if you find something you like, don’t hesitate, or it will be gone.  In addition to the sale items, they also have several “departments” that have name brands at great prices too.

This week, amongst camping gear, ski helmets, and wetsuits, the sale department I’m most excited about is the “casual kicks” where they’ve got tons of fun and comfy looking flip-flops, sport sandals, skate shoes, and light hikers for up to 60% off. I like that I can shop by size on this site, so I don’t get distracted and start drooling over a pair of shoes that turn me into Cinderella’s evil step-sister. Hubby’s flip-flops from last year have slowly disintegrated one layer of foam at a time, so I’m thinking of snagging him one of these deals:

So, if you want to pretend it’s already summer too, or I dunno, maybe you need some ski gear, come see the great deals to be had. There are several items on the site that are priced at less than $10, so you could get them for free with your $10 credit (you’ll have to pay shipping).

Disclosure: This post has “invite a friend” links in it.  So, when you join and spend your $10 credit at LeftLaneSports.com, I get a $10 credit too.  (You can invite your friends and get credit too!)