SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.

For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

I’ll be honest — I can’t think of any really awesome gifts I’ve done. I mean, I’ve got the year that I made Bill’s mom cry with an awesome craft sale find of mine (she still puts it up). I’ve got the year that Kari (my sister) and I had our pictures done in secret for our mom and dad. Or the year my sister and I bought each other the same thing. Or taking my kids to Disney. But nothing compares to the baby shower I just went to a couple of weeks ago. It was for my cousin’s wife. Her mom is an expert sewer and seriously can make anything you want.

When Megan got to the gift her mom gave her, she first opened the card. Her mom told her she had to read it. Megan asked, “Out loud?” We all laughed of course, and she said yes. The room got quiet, and we all listened.

When Megan was 5, her mom was pregnant with her little brother. She had went to the fabric store with her mom. She was getting fabric to make a quilt. She had asked her mother if she could pick out some fabric for when she had a baby. Her mom let her and bought it with the fabric she had picked out for her brother.

Fast forward to now, over 20 years later. We all sat there with anticipation. Her mom had taken the fabric that 5 year old Megan picked out and made a quilt for her new baby. Seriously, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place. Luckily, the fabric wasn’t pink (they are having a boy)! Tell me that is not the coolest story ever.

Now, I’ve never given a gift that awesome, but I love that I get to share that story with you all! What’s the best gift you’ve given?

p>Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

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Many years ago (over 15 years), my aunt was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.  It’s a time I’ll never forget.  Due to the tumor she had, she literally looked 9 months pregnant.  I now know way more about cancer than I ever wanted to know.  She went through various treatment but fought it for many years and many remissions and recurrences.  She went from doctor to doctor and even tried cancer treatment centers.

That’s why I have to tell you about the partnership between Electrolux and Kelly Ripa.  They are kicking off a unique “Text-a-Thon for a Cause” to support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF). Moms can donate $5 to the cause by texting “KELLY” to 85944 from their mobile phones (standard text messaging rates apply) – or by logging on to www.kelly-confidential.com.  If you go to the site, you can also enter for a chance to win a luxury frontload washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color of ovarian cancer awareness.  (Mom Central will also be giving away a set too).  You can also send a virtual T-shirt to a friend.  For each T-shirt sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF. You can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Kelly Ripa; 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to OCRF.

Here’s Kelly’s PSA on such a great topic:

You never know when cancer will strike you, your family, or someone you know, so please take a few moments of your time, to help with this cause.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Electrolux and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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Last year, my friend Angela walked in  her first Breast Cancer 3 Day walk in Cleveland (60 miles in three days) with her mom who is a breast cancer survivor. They raised nearly $6,000 last year for breast cancer research and treatment. In order to participate this year, she has to raise a minimum of $2300.

Her good friend Margey of www.bellastradastudios.com has graciously offered to do a promotion with one of the products that she offers to help benefit her in her Breast Cancer 3 Day walk. Margey has generously offered to donate 20% of her proceeds from the Flying Wish Paper products that she sells to Angela’s walk. She is running this promotion for her from June 15th – July 15th.   Make sure you use the promotion code “3Day” so that the 20% can be donated!  (If you’d like to donate directly, click here)

This is such a great cause that I knew I had to pass it on too all of you!

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(Disclosure:  Womanly things discussed.  Read at your own will).

Let me start off by stating that I haven’t slept all night.  Will decided that he didn’t want to sleep, and somebody had to get up with him.  So I’m tired and crabby from that alone.

Will’s 2nd birthday party is tomorrow, so I am stressed about that.  My family is coming in today (need to finish cleaning).

And the surgery.  If you don’t know what’s going on, read here and here.  Basically, if you can believe this, my period has gotten worse on the estrogen I’ve been taking for 2 weeks now.  Worse.  Right now, if I could curl into a ball — I would.  That’s how bad my cramps are.  And this is on birth control.  Can you imagine how much worse this would be if I wasn’t?  So I sit here and feel sorry for myself which I sooooo know I shouldn’t be doing. There are so many people out there who have it way worse than we do — it’s just lack of sleep, the cramps, the freaking emotional roller coaster all these freaking hormones have me on — I just want this over.  I want this surgery (which is scheduled for June 24th) to be over.  Yes 2 weeks away.  So I’ll have this period that started May 4th until at least then.

My fears?  What are they going to find?  From what I’ve read, this could be as simple as a fibroid or a polyp.  Or not.  I have a lot of cancer in my family.  Like pretty much every kind that there is out there.  My aunt died one year ago today from lung cancer (she also had bone (I think) and breast), so that weighs on my mind.  Another aunt died of ovarian.  Though noone has said it to me yet, I have warned Bill about losing the girly parts.  Because this could turn out to be nothing, but this could turn out to be bad.  Very bad.  My next fear is that they find nothing.  Then I just spent several thousand dollars to find out nothing.  And then what?  Am I going to be told to deal with it?

Those are my thoughts on a Friday morning when I am suppose to be cleaning.

Added:  You know you are having a bad day when you notice on your Twitter feed that people are recommending for #followfriday, and it makes you all teary eyed.  Thanks again!

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I actually have to start off this post telling you a story that happened today on the way home from preschool.  There were a bunch of high school kids running (I would guess that it was the cross country team), and Madison (my 5 year old) got all upset.  I asked her what was wrong, and she told me that “they shouldn’t be running, because it is a sidewalk not a siderun!”  Now, I refrained from laughing at that moment since she did have a point, and she spent the entire summer last year being told she couldn’t run ahead of us on our walks.

Now, that you got to laugh at my funny story (that has to do with walking), I have to tell you about a great cause that I am involved in this year. Have you heard of BeeWell Miles?  If not, this is a cause you definitely want to get involved with.

Well, Bumble Bee Tuna is currently donating 15 cents for every mile that is logged into  BeeWellMiles.com (up to $200,000) to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  Now, think about it?  How many miles can you rack up without even trying?  I’ll tell you this — you’ll be amazed.  Madison had to go for some bloodwork last Friday, and I put on 2000 steps (2000 steps = 1 mile) just walking around the hospital!  Now, I’ve got over 20,000 steps in that picture above (I haven’t zeroed it out yet, and yes, that did take a couple of days).  Now, those 20,000 steps equals $1.50 which doesn’t sound like a lot.  If it wouldn’t have snowed, I would have way more steps.  One of the things we like to do in the spring and the summer with the kids is walk around the block.  Why not earn money doing something you normally would have?

Now, there is around 210 days left in this campaign, so that $1.50 will add up quite quickly.  Can you imagine how many miles will be walked if we get everyone we know to walk and log their miles?  The other great thing is that the BeeWellMiles site has great resources for you to use.  Not only can you log your miles, but you can figure out how long your favorite walking/running route is and figure out how many calroies you are eating.  You can interact with other visitors and share ideas and tips with them too.  Who doesn’t love a great contest on top of all this?  Each day you log miles or enter game codes from the pink label Bumble Bee cans, you could instantly win one of 15,000 prizes!!

As some of you know, I have an aunt who had breast cancer (who eventually died of lung cancer), so breast cancer causes are near and dear to my heart.  I would be surprised if any of you didn’t know someone who had or has breast cancer.  Why not raise extra money to help Breast Cancer Network of Strength doing something you do every day?  If you walk more to help raise more money, even better!  Getting healthier and giving to a great cause — what more can you ask for!

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