Who would have ever thought five years ago that “Social Media” would be a household phrase in the year 2011?  It’s become the norm.  It’s now imperative that companies big and small utilize it.  However, if you’re not familiar with the “social media” world, it can be a little overwhelming.  No, wait!  Scratch that.  It can be A LOT overwhelming. 

When I was asked to review the new book “Perspectives On Social Media Marketing“, I thought, “Sure!  Why not?  That’s right up my ally!” … and I never thought for one second that I’d learn as much as I did.  This book is a tad bit different than most, where as you’ll find two different perspectives given for each of the 89 topics discussed in the book.  Bonin Bough gives the brand perspective, while Stephanie Agresta will share her opinions through the agency point of view.  Each will bring up good points and use great examples to get their thoughts across and teach you all there is to know about social media marketing.

The format of the book is quite simple to read and fantastic for using as a reference guide later on.  Each topic is displayed in question form, followed by the response of each author.  It could be compared to attending a conference on social media marketing where the attendees ask questions and the experts answer them.  Very easy to follow and understand.  Whether you are a beginner who is scared to death to get started, or a long time user of social media … you will learn from this book.  Trust me.

Because social media has become such a huge part of the way we communicate not only in business, but in our personal lives too … I am so excited to offer you the opportunity to win a copy of this must have book.    Just leave a comment below and a winner will be randomly chosen the morning of  Friday, January 21, 2011.  The winner will be notified via email.

Disclosure: IowaMoms.com received two free copies of Perspectives on Social Media Marketing for review and giveaway purposes. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed here are solely that of IowaMoms.com.

I swear I must be living under a rock, because I’ve never heard of this series that has just wrapped up it’s third season …

LEVERAGE follows the adventures of a highly skilled team out to settle scores against those who use power and wealth to victimize others. The gang is led by former insurance investigator Nate Ford (Hutton), who got involved in the con business after his former employer refused to pay for treatment that could have saved his son’s life. His highly skilled team includes Sophie Devereaux (Bellman), a grifter who uses her acting skills to corner her marks; Eliot Spencer (Kane), a “retrieval specialist” with bone-crunching fighting skills; Alec Hardison (Hodge), a gadget and technology wizard who keeps the team informed; and Parker (Riesgraf), a slightly off-center thief adept at rappelling off buildings or squeezing into tight places.

By the end of the second season, the LEVERAGE team had scammed a hedge-fund manager who happened to be in the custody of U.S. Marshals; used Eliot’s martial arts skills to corner a corrupt fight promoter; and took over a private school to recover millions of dollars lost in a Ponzi scheme. They also went head-to-head with an almost identical team of grifters to recover a painting, took down an oppressive sweatshop owner, cornered a fake psychic, freed Nate’s ex-wife from a Ukrainian jail and thwarted a gunrunning scheme by a corrupt mayor. But for Sophie, her conflicted relationship with Nate left her questioning if she wanted to continue working with the team. She took some much-needed time away, arranging for a friend and fellow grifter to take her place temporarily. But even though Sophie has now returned to the team, there are still some unresolved issues between her and Nate.

The third season of LEVERAGE opens with Nate in prison after having to make a tough choice on the most recent con. He could either allow his team to be arrested or simply give himself up to his nemesis Sterling, a former insurance investigator now working for Interpol. Nate soon discovers, however, that the prison is corrupt. The only way he can bring the crooked officials down is to get his team to help him stage his jailbreak. But that’s only the beginning of Nate’s challenges. He must also contend with a shadowy intelligence agent known only as “The Italian,” played by actress and model Elisabetta Canalis, who blackmails him into helping bring down a financier. Between “The Italian” trying to control Nate and Nate trying to hold both his crew and his personal life together, it’s looking to be a challenging and twisted summer for the LEVERAGE team.

Because we think this is a series that is worth watching, we have the complete first two seasons on DVD to giveaway to one lucky winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment below to be entered to win.   On Friday, October 1st, the winner will be randomly chosen from all of the comments received. 

If you have missed it all like I did, you can find out all the info, meet the cast and watch full episodes here.  

I have a book giveaway on my blog. Follow the link…

http://sincerelystacie.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-and-giveaway-boy-who-came-back.html

The book is titled “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven” by Kevin and Alex Malarkey. Alex and his dad were in a terrible car accident and Alex traveled to heaven and came back to tell his story. It is a moving story. For more, read my review.  The giveaway is available through September 12 and I will draw a winner on Sept 13, 2010.

My Boys is back for Season 4!!!  This TBS hit comedy about a group of close friends who always make time to get together, drink beer, play their weekly poker and support each other through the ups and downs of dating, break-ups and career highs and lows.

Season 3 ended with the gang in Arizona for the Cubs spring training game. Brendan is threatened by a professional baseball player meanwhile sparks fly between Kenny and Stephanie, Mike tries his best to get a base hit off a professional pitcher and Bobby helps P.J. write her best article yet. As the group returns to Chicago, Bobby and P.J. stumble upon Kenny and Stephanie kissing…

As a new season blossoms, the friends continue to joke around, bond over beer and poker and have fun, but this time around, they also have to face the realities of life, financial issues, career decisions, and getting into serious relationships.

Season 4 premiered on July 25th at 10/9 central on TBS. Grab a beer and tune in or set your DVR to watch their latest trials and tribulations. Although the season already started, you can easily catch up by viewing full episodes at Hulu.com.

If you haven’t caught the previous episodes of My Boys, no fear, we are giving away a complete disk set of Season Two and Season Three to one lucky winner.  Just leave a comment below … and you’ll be entered to win.   Doesn’t get any easier than that!  On Friday, September 3rd the winner will be randomly chosen from all of the comments received. 

Are your kids crazy for Zhu Zhu pets?

Then they are likely to love the new line of pets called KUNG ZHU made just for the boy of yours.

Check out my post and sign up to win by July 11, 2010! 

You’ll find the link here!

So many people suffer from arthritis pain, and you can learn that ‘moving is the best medicine’.    May is Arthritis Awareness Month and throughout the entire month of May, there will be over 100 Arthritis Walks held nationwide to help raise awareness and funds to help improve the lives of those that live with arthritis.  Do you live near one of them?  You can find out here, and help support the cause. 

The Ad Council and Arthritis Foundation have teamed up to put together a great website where one can take a quiz to find out if they are at risk of having osteoarthritis.  Knowing the facts are important.  Take a minute and learn about the causes, risks, symptoms, and diagnosis for osteoarthritis.   If you are at risk, or do suffer … it does not need to dictate your life. Come find out what exercises will benefit you the most, how to manage your pain, and how to talk to your doctor.  It can change your life.

Visit the website – Fighting Arthritis Pain - In addition to everything mentioned above, there is also an online community, local events and programs and also some awesome resources.  It’s worth a few minutes of your time time check it out.

And that is not all, we have been given a  “Moving is the Best Medicine” Premium Package to give away to one of you!

The package includes: 

   • a copy of Walk With Ease
   • a DVD of Tai Chi For Arthritis
   • a set of light dumbbells
   • Pilot Dr. Grip Pen
   • Hefty 1 zip storage bag coupons
   • Cardinal Easy Open Binders
   • ThermaCare heating pack

The contest is open to US residents only.   Just leave a comment on this post and you are entered to win.  If you’d like to tweet or share this giveaway on facebook or your blog , please feel free to do so.  The will give you extra entries, but please remember to leave a separate comment telling us you’ve done so.  Winner will be drawn randomly from all entries and contacted on Friday, May 28, 2010. 

Good Luck!

Disclosure:  IowaMoms.com has been given two premium packages (contents listed above).  One to keep and one to give away to a random winner.

I am giving away an emergency safety kit from Energizer on my blog.

Go to http://sincerelystacie.blogspot.com to enter. 

The contest is open until 11;59 PM on May 9, 2010.

Leave a comment on my blog post with your email address so I can reach you. 

Also, let me know you found the giveaway through IowaMoms.com.  Thanks!

Have you ever unintentionally come across a TV show that you would have generally never paid a bit of attention to … but you ended up loving? 

Well … I did! 

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked by the TNT team to view a sneak peek of the second season of SouthLAnd, a high impact drama based around a fictitious police force in and around the Los Angeles area.   I agreed and as silly as it sounds, it was the title that intrigued me the most.   Because I didn’t want to view the second season before the first … I rented it and sat down one afternoon to check out an episode.  Maybe two.  And I watched the ENTIRE SEASON. 

It was THAT good. 

While I want to make sure it’s known that this is an adult drama … as it can be a bit racy at times, it really grabbed me and now I CAN NOT wait for the second season to begin next week. 

However … I have a SouthLAnd DVD set of Season One that I’m giving away over on my blog … all you have to do is leave a comment to enter … so head on over and do just that.

BUT HURRY! 

Giveaway ends tomorrow (February 25th). 

So do not delay!  Enter to win right now!

Are your lips suffering from dryness this winter? Are they cracked and chapped? Well, mine have been and I have been using lots of different products to try and keep them smooth and soft.

Go to my blog to register for the Softlips Lip Protector Giveaway! 

Who doesn’t need softer lips this winter?

CBS Films’ upcoming film Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, is inspired by the true story of John Crowley – a man who defied conventional wisdom and great odds to pursue a cure for his children’s life threatening disease.

To celebrate Crowley’s story, a wonderful opportunity has been created.  Do you have a specific cause close to you? If so, you have a chance to get the word out about it, and also possibly win some money for that cause!

It’s so easy.  All you have to do is create and upload an inspirational video. Once your video is uploaded, you will be entered into the sweepstakes for a chance to designate the charity of your choice to receive $10,000.  HELLO!  Did you hear that? $10,000.  What an awesome gift to your favorite charity that would be, huh?

• To get started, upload your video by visiting: http://extraordinarymeasuresthemovie.com/#/quilt
• Once it’s published, tell all your friends to vote for you.
• What a wonderful feeling it would be to present your cause with $10,000.

I told you it was easy.

Good luck.   And be sure to let us know when your video is up so that we can come vote for you.

Oh … and don’t forget to check out some of the other inspirational stories on that website above … if you don’t have one of your own, you’re sure to find one that you would like to vote for.