Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

I am so excited about this giveaway it’s ridiculous. To date, it is my BIGGEST one ever. Huge. If you could see me typing I am also jumping up and down at the same time. Let me first begin with how this giveaway came to be.  A company called CareRally.com recently contacted me about doing a giveaway to promote their AWESOME new Facebook application, “Know a good doctor?”

The idea behind “Know a good doctor?” is simple. And brilliant. But before I put my enthusiasm behind any company, I like to make sure that I would use it myself as a mom so I took it for a spin.

By logging onto this app through Facebook, you can easily search for any type of doctor, dentist or specialist and see which ones your friends refer.

I LOVE this because there have been countless times I have sat down to look at a list “approved” insurance providers (we have an HMO) and been at a loss because how am I supposed to know how GOOD they are?! I spent endless hours researching pediatricians and OB/GYNs before I had my first baby.  Same thing when it came time to pick a pediatric dentist in Orange County. This would have saved me a ton of time!

Using “Know a good doctor?” was SO EASY. If you are looking for a doctor in a specific area, it is very easy to search. It also takes less than one minute to add a favorite. First you search to see if they are in the database, if they are you can vote and comment.  If not, you can add them. It’s as simple as adding their name, city, quick thumbs up or thumbs down and an optional comment.  That’s it.

The beauty in this application is that it has taken the days of making phone calls or sending emails to find out which local doctors your friends refer to an end.

With our help, “Know a good doctor?” will quickly become THE resource for moms everywhere as they seek for the best care for their family.

Hooray! It’s a **HUGE** Tiny Giveaway!

This giveaway is a little different, but I am going to make it easy-easy-ocean-breezy!  Vote for any Doctor you know & trust & you can win a night* at Montage Laguna Beach in the gorgeous month of September 2011!

{By the way, I just stayed a glorious night at Montage Laguna Beach for the first time. In case you missed my post, this is what could be in store for you if you win…And that, my friends is the reason for the happy dance!}

Here’s how you can enter:

1. If you use Facebook, click here on Facebook’s “Know a good doctor?” or go to CareRally.com.

2. Search for your Doctors and submit your votes.

3. Add your favorite Doctors and submit your votes.

4. Ask your friends to so the same.

How to win a night at Montage Laguna Beach*…

It’s very easy to rack up entries in this exciting contest, you get an entry:

1.  For every Doctor you add and / or vote for

and

2. Every time a friend of yours votes for their Doctors you get an entry- so you definitely want to tell your friends about this!

So for example if you added a a doctor, voted for them and then had a friend add her doctor, vote for them and then another friend voted for her doctor who’s already in the database… you just got 5 entries.  The entries can add up fast, meaning a better chance of winning!

The fine print & details:

Contest runs through August 30th, 2011 at 11:59pm PST. CareRally will be able to track the votes and entries clicking through from Tiny Oranges. From the eligible entries, CareRally will select one winner at random to receive a one-night stay at Montage Laguna Beach valid from September 1st – September 30th, 2011. Prize includes tax + resort fees. Parking + incidentals not included. Room is subject to availability. CareRally will contact winner via email and the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their name, email, address and phone number before another winner is selected. CareRally will send Montage representative the winner’s information to coordinate reservation. Approximate value of prize is $750 – $1,000. Wowza!!!

I will announce the winner on my Tiny Oranges Facebook page that Friday, September 1st!!!

GOOD LUCK MAMAS!!!  Start searching, adding and voting for your favorites so we can build up this Orange County resource for all the mamas looking for the BEST doctors for their family!

{Disclosure: Montage Resorts is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor}

My mom and I took the girls and one of Emma’s friends to the fabulous OC Fair last week at the Orange County Fairgrounds and since I am on a kick this week with doing lists I thought I will do one on my top 5 tips on visiting the fair with little ones! An outing like this can be crazy fun for the kids, but there are some things I might suggest to make it even that much more enjoyable. Plus, I also have two admission tickets and two ride passes to giveaway too! Make sure to read below and enter!

Top 5 Tips on Visiting the OC Fair with Little Ones

1. Plan your attack before you go. Before you even leave your house, you can click here and view the schedule for the day.  This way you can plan the things that you want to do the most and schedule your “route” accordingly. The Fair is BIG so you don’t want to be criss-crossing back and forth, better to plan your list of things to do and map it out ahead of time.

2. Don’t try to over-do it! It is a TON of fun and a LOT of stimulation for little ones, so don’t feel like you have to see everything.  The day we went, we first went to Kid Land for all the little kid rides (SO fun for ages 2+), then went to watch the pig races, after the races I let the girls run around in a little area with hay, then we went back through Kid Land as those rides were a HIT, got dinner by Kid Land, then on our way out went through Centennial Farm.  For my kids’ ages, this was a fun list of things to do!

3. Bring a stroller. Even the five-year-olds got tired so I kicked myself for not bringing my double jogger as I just brought a stroller for my two-year-old.  It is a lot of walking so I definitely recommend bringing strollers.

4. Bring a picnic blanket. We went late afternoon and it was crowded and there were no tables to sit and eat dinner on.  We sat on the grass which was no biggie, but I wish we had brought a picnic blanket as it would have been more comfortable.

5. Remember water, hats, sunscreen, anti-bacterial hand gel + baby wipes. It can get toasty so make sure to remember to drink a lot of fluids and protect your skin!  The pig races were also a bit dusty so I was glad I had my wipees and hand gel.

Click HERE to see the OC Fair discounts and promotions so you can check to see if anything is going on before you go. You can also visit www.ocfair.com for hours and pricing and all the information.

Most importantly, have a ball! The OC Fair is a family tradition and sure to be full of a ton of great memories!

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive two general admission tickets and two ride passes (3 rides per pass.) Parking is not included.

Contest runs through Sunday, July 31st, 2011 at 5pm PST. Winner will be contacted via email so please leave your email address in the comment (won’t be published.)

Good luck!

How to enter…

1. Subscribe to my Tiny Oranges email updates by entering your email in the top right column.  Once subscription is confirmed, head back here and leave a comment that you are a subscriber. If you are already a subscriber, just comment and tell me so.  You can unsubscribe anytime, but this way you will get my post updates and won’t miss two of my biggest giveaways in the history of Tiny Oranges coming up soon!

Extra entries! Please leave a separate comment for EACH option!

2. “Like” the OC Fair on Facebook (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

3.  Follow @OCFair on Twitter (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

4. “Like” Tiny Oranges on Facebook (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

5. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter (or tell me if you already do) - 1 ENTRY

GOOD LUCK!

{Disclosure: I received complimentary media tickets from the OC Fair but this is not a compensated post.}

Friends, could you spare 30 seconds to vote for Tiny Oranges?  You can vote 1 x a day through 8/11!  We are currently in 2nd place and competition is fierce with all these awesome mom blogs so I need your help!! THANK YOU! Smooch!

What is it about darling children’s boutiques that can inspire me to literally browse for hours?  Sometimes I actually go into a cuteness trance when perusing the shelves and racks. If you share the love for a darling children’s boutique like me, please allow me to introduce you to Totsie!

So, Totsie, meet my readers, and readers, meet Totsie!  And take it from me, you will be so glad you met!  AND, Totsie is giving away a gift card this week so make sure to enter below so you can enter to win!

Newly opened on Old Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach, Totsie is the entrepreneurial baby of Megan Marshall, who at 21-years-old (yes you read that right!) realized her dream of owning a boutique and made it happen.

I love it when I see women who put thought into action!

Taking her experience in retail combined with her love for children, it was Megan’s vision to create a children’s clothing and gift boutique with a “funky vibe” where moms, grandmas and people in Orange County could shop for the cutest and hippest kid finds!

Totsie carries children’s clothing in infant sizes through 4T.

Some popular brands she carries include:

Splendid Littles, Ella Moss, Egg Baby, Aden+Anais, Milk+Honey, Little Giraffe, Lifefactory and Reese Li Diaper Bags.

To cater to her moms, she also has a section with Votivo candles (my favorite!), Bella Bags and more!

A Totsie website is coming soon! In the meantime, visit the Totsie Children’s Boutique page on Facebook for hours, information and to stay up to date on the latest.  You can also follow @TotsieBoutique on Twitter.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

One lucky winner will win a $50 gift card to shop at Totsie Children’s Boutique!

To enter, please do the following, and please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each entry option:

1. Subscribe to the Tiny Oranges email updates (top right column), confirm subscription via email, and head back here to tell me you are a subscriber (or tell me if you already are a subscriber!)  - 1 ENTRY

2. {Like} Totsie Children’s Boutique on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

3. Follow @TotsieBoutique on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

4. {Like} Tiny Oranges on Facebook – 1 ENTRY

5. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter – 1 ENTRY

6. Simply comment and tell me your favorite brand that Totsie carries – 1 ENTRY

Contest runs through Wednesday, 7/27/11 at 5pm PST.  Please leave your email in the comment so I can contact you (won’t be published).

GOOD LUCK!

Totsie Children’s Boutique
359 Old Newport Boulevard * Newport Beach

949.645.1805

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and one that I am thrilled to share as I know my readers are always on the lookout for a new darling OC children’s boutique!}

The 2011 OC Fair is coming!  Hooray!  The always entertaining OC Fair is coming this year Wednesdays through Sundays 7/15 – 8/14 to the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa with LOTS of fun in store for the whole family!

Have you heard of The Hangar?  It’s a new entertainment venue at the OC Fair and will be celebrating its second year of live entertainment with SUPER FUN tribute bands. The concert ticket price INCLUDES Fair admission for the day so it is an incredible deal for a day of Fair fun + a great concert {not to mention some COOL air conditioning!}

The exciting line up of tribute bands includes…

Friday, July 15 Arrival from Sweden (ABBA)

Saturday, July 16 (noon) Hotel California (Eagles)

Saturday, July 16 (8:30pm) Elton the Early Years

Sunday, July 17 Surfin’ Safari (Beach Boys)

Sunday, July 17 (8pm) HAPA w/Special Guest Tupua

Wednesday, July 20 Areomyth

Thursday, July 21 Atomic Punks / Motley Inc. (Van Halen)

Friday, July 22 No Duh (No Doubt)

Saturday, July 23 Space Oddity (David Bowie)

Sunday, July 24 Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez (not a tribute band)

Wednesday, July 27 Queen Nation

Thursday, July 28 Strangelove (Depeche Mode)

Friday, July 29 Journey Unauthorized

Saturday, July 30 “Led Zepplin Live!!”

Sunday, July 31 Common Sense/Better Chemistry/Badfish

Wednesday, August 3 Purple Reign

Thursday, August 4 Cubensis/Moonalice/Delta Nove

Friday, August 5 Springsteen!

Saturday, August 6 Which One’s Pink (Pink Floyd)

Sunday, August 7 “OC Fair Sunday Blues”

Wednesday, August 10 Dog N Butterfly (Heart)

Thursday, August 11 Moonwalker (Michael Jackson)

Friday, August 12 Sweet & Tender Hooligans (Morrissey and The Smiths)

Saturday, August 13 Dead Man’s Party (Oingo Boingo)

Sunday, August 14  Mark Wood & the Parrot Head Band (Jimmy Buffett)

You can click HERE for the list of times and ticket prices.

Hooray! It’s a Tiny Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive 4 tickets to MARK WOOD & THE PARROT HEAD BAND concert on Sunday, August 14th at 8pm. You can either take the family or make it a moms’ night out!  I don’t know about you, but for me, it is hard to not be in a good mood when listening to Jimmy Buffett music!

Again, the tickets will also include admission to the OC Fair for the same day as well.  Please note parking is NOT included in this prize.

Contest will run through Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at 5pm PST.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Please also leave your email address in the email field (won’t be published) so I can contact you if you are the winner. Here is how to enter!

1. Simply comment and tell me your favorite Jimmy Buffett song – 1 ENTRY

2. “Like” the OC Fair on Facebook (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

3.  Follow @OCFair on Twitter (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

4. “Like” Tiny Oranges on Facebook (or tell me if you already do) – 1 ENTRY

5. Follow @TinyOrangesOC on Twitter (or tell me if you already do) - 1 ENTRY

6. Tweet about this giveaway and come back here and tell me you did so! – 1 ENTRY

GOOD LUCK!

{Disclosure:  I will receive free media tickets to the 2011 OC Fair.}

We have now slept on our new iComfort® bed for three weeks and both my husband and I are madly in love with this new mattress.

It’s amazing. Incredible. Life changing.

We have both never slept better in our entire lives. I sleep through the entire night without waking up most nights. Which for me is rare.

In the mornings I feel rested and am waking up earlier naturally because I am sleeping so much better the whole night through.

I had no idea a bed could make a difference to this degree. It’s been remarkable to me.

I have a full review and my *** OWN giveaway *** to come this summer, but in the meantime, here is another chance to win this heavenly iComfort® bed in a fun new contest sponsored by Serta.

It’s SO EASY.  So ENTER, ENTER, ENTER because it is the best bed you will ever sleep on!

Here’s how:

1. {Like} the Serta Mattress Facebook page

2. Share your favorite summer photo with a brief description (200 words or less) of how it represents a Smarter. Cooler. Better. Summer and you will be entered to win a new iComfort Sleep System!  Click here and click “Enter Contest.”

One entry per person, contest runs now through July 8th, 2011.

Do it today! I want one of my awesome readers to have the chance to win this sleep system!!!!

Wishing you a restful, lovely weekend!

{Disclosure: I received a free iComfort bed and base compliments of Serta and they paid for my travel costs to attend the iComfort Blogger Experience. Serta will also provide me with a stipend for tax purposes. The opinions and reviews here are my own and have not been changed or altered by anyone else. And if you talk to any of my close friends and family, they will tell you how they have not gotten me to SHUT UP about how AWESOME my bed is!!!}