I love my sweet little girl. I want her to know that she’s beautiful, not by the world’s standards like her features are symmetrical and her button nose is bumped at the right angle. Though she does have many American beauty attributes, I want her to realize that beauty comes in different shapes and sizes. And one day I want her to see that confidence is beautiful.

I think middle school is the place where confidence shys and strays or blossoms and blooms. Remember that young age when you weren’t sure whether your outfit made you look cute, puffy, or like a baby (because who at the age of 12 would be seen dressing like a baby? We were all trying to convince our mothers it was time to shave our legs for heaven’s sake!). Bless the day when we finally figured out that confidence and grace gave us the mature, beautiful look we all desired from Seventeen.

Also as preteens (and teenagers, and college girls, and wives, and moms…), we stood by mirrors and talked about which of the features we didn’t like and expected each other to join in.  While psychology tells us that self-actualization is a part of growing up, it doesn’t seem that women grow out of criticizing ourselves. Last year WOMEN sent over 5MM negative tweets (Twitter alone!) about beauty and body image. For the sake of our next generation, I beg you to start positive trends with me. We can change the flow of verbal self-harm to self-care. We gawk that people have the “audacity” to abuse themselves, but being overly critical of ourselves has the same impact mentally. So I’m going to start a different, positive trend now. I love my hair. I love that it’s thick and strong.

Mainstream media often doesn’t encourage us to promote our natural beauty, but I really appreciate Dove’s message which backs what I want my daughter to believe. (By the way, Dove products at Rite Aid can earn you 300 Plenti points when you buy $12 worth of products now through the 26th of September.  Plus, you can stack coupons to drop the final price even further! But you’ll have to hurry, the current newspaper coupons are set to expire on 9/20.) I wish more companies would support women in this battlefield of the mind.  

Take a few moments and check out their “Speak Beautiful” video.

$50 Giveaway exclusively for my followers on Twitter! 

You will need to Tweet to enter, but don’t let that stop you! You can read the Official Rules here.

Tweet a positive message and tag @Beauty4Moms (me) & @RiteAid, along with the hashtag #SpeakBeautiful.  Good luck!!!

Tweet a positive message to start a trend #speakbeautiful #riteaid and you can win a $50 @riteaid gift card @Beauty4Moms

— Ashley (@Beauty4Moms) September 21, 2015

The Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL and Super Bowl XLVII announced the details today of Papa John’s Super Bowl XLVII Coin Toss Experience.  This year it will include a new twist!  Each fan will vote “heads” or “tails” as individuals at papajohnscointoss.com  or at Papa John’s Facebook page.  The ones who correctly guess the Super Bowl coin toss will be awarded one free large topping pizza.

“Unlike last year when everyone who voted was cheering for ‘heads,’ this time people tuning in will be cheering for either ‘heads’ or ‘tails,’ depending on how they called the coin toss individually,” said Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who unveiled the promotion in a television commercial that debuted Sunday with Papa John’s Founder, Chairman and CEO John Schnatter and sports commentator Jim Nantz, who will call Super Bowl XLVII. “This should make it even more fun, and it guarantees that Papa John’s will give away more pizzas.”  We agree with Peyton, we love this promotion!!  Good luck!

No purchase is necessary and only legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.) 13 and older may be eligible to receive a prize.  Void where prohibited.  Voting takes place from 1/20/13 to 2/2/13. For Official Rules, visit www.papajohns.com.

If you like nail design check out my Super Bowl Nail Art!

Beginning this Monday, April 30, 2012, through Thursday, May 3, 2012, Domino’s is once again giving away yummy free Artisan Pizzas.  Here’s the breakdown:

Monday, April 30, 2012 — 25,000 free Artisan pizzas
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 — 20,000 free Artisan pizzas
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 — 15,000 free Artisan pizzas
Thursday, May 3, 2012 — 15,000 free Artisan pizzas

 

They don’t announce when each giveaway is happening so you’ll want to watch Domino’s Facebook page for when the giveaway goes live each day.  While you’re there don’t forget to follow Embracing Beauty on Facebook!  As soon as I hear about the giveaway I’ll let you know about it on my Facebook page but if you hear about it before me come and let everyone know!

Update:  This giveaway is now closed.  After many many entries, our lucky winner was Mary W.!  Congratulations, Mary!

We’ve done it again!  Yes, we have another iPad 2 to giveaway!  This giveaway is simple to enter with a few optional entries for those  who want to go the extra mile.  To enter, simply go to Embracing Beauty’s Facebook page and fill out the registration form.  Good luck!

Carter’s is now hosting their Bundle of Happiness sweepstakes!  They are giving away a gift basket worth $150 each week through the month of February!  To enter go to their Facebook page and click the “Win a Gift Basket” tab on the left side.  You only have to enter once and you are entered all month long.  This weeks winner will be announced on February 6, 2012.  Good luck!

While you’re on Facebook be sure to “like” Embracing Beauty to stay on top of the latest giveaways and deals!

Go to the Suave Beauty Facebook page, then click on the “Giveaway” tab and be one of the first 50,000 to enter the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Giveaway and you could win a free Keratin Infusion product!  They let you know right away if you’ve won.  I won and I bet if you hurry you will too!

Don’t forget to follow Embracing Beauty on Facebook for updates on the latest freebies!  Not to mention that we have a very exciting iPad2 giveaway going on over there exclusively for our Facebook fans!

Everyone has household chores they like more than others, right?  I don’t mind dusting or vacuuming but I despise ironing.  Second on my most hated list is emptying the dishwasher.  I don’t know what it is about it that bugs me so but I would rather wash all the dishes by hand than to empty the dishwasher.  Maybe it’s the bending over part that gets me, who knows?  What’s worse than emptying it is when I do and find that the glasses still have spots on them!  That means that I have to dab a little water on each glass and scrub it dry.  Not fun.

When I was offered a chance to review Finish Jet-Dry I was excited for the opportunity to try it out free of cost!  However, I was skeptical.  I had never used Jet-Dry before or any rinse aid actually.  I was thrilled to find that I could empty the whole bottle into my dishwasher and I wouldn’t have to think about it again for 40 washes.  40 washes.  Awesome.

Not only is Jet-Dry low maintenance but it works wonders on my spotted glasses.  Hooray! All of my glasses were sparking clear and squeaking clean!  I would pay good money to have these streak-less glasses but luckily with Jet-Dry I don’t have to!  Jet-Dry is an affordable product that saves me time.  Time is something that is precious in my family so I’m grateful for any product that will save me a few minutes here and there.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Finish and received a FinishJet-Dry product sample to facilitate my review, a sample to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

I have teamed up with a group of bloggers to bring you “A Sportman’s Dream Christmas Giveaway!” One lucky winner will receive an $90 Cabela’s Gift Card just in time for Christmas. The gift card can be used for in-store, online or for catalog orders.

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below to follow each of us on Facebook. You can also come back everyday and grab the extra daily entries. Giveaway starts today, 11/15 at 12:00 am EST and ends 11/30 at 11:59 pm EST. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents. Good Luck!

Before you enter could you take a quick second and vote for me in a HUGE $100,000 contest I’m in.  It only takes a second and you can vote every day through Nov. 28th. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! http://www.cheapsally.com/profile/ashley-walkup/

Mega Coupon Starter Pack ~ 10 Inserts!
Weekend Coupon Giveaway!

This giveaway ends Sunday, Oct. 30th at midnight EST. Good luck!

Don’t forget to enter our other current giveaways that are going on now:

– No tricks, just treats giveaway {lots of different prizes} Ends 10/31

– Apple iPad 2 giveaway Ends 11/20

To enter, scroll down below the prizes to the Rafflecopter widget. If it does not show up immediately, give it a few seconds to load.

Thank you and good luck!