by Melanie

Disneyland Discount and Win a Gift Card

March 4, 2016 in Mailbox, Out the Door by Melanie

psst

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Disneyland. I spent almost 40 days at the Happiest Place on Earth in 2015. We had so much fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! It takes us some time to save up for our big annual pass year, and it’s always worth every sacrifice we make to save up those pennies. So I’m super excited to help you save more than just pennies on your Disneyland vacation!

Disneyland just raised their prices again, but you can still get the old lower prices until March 8 at Get Away Today. It’s all about who you know, and luckily for both of us, you know me! If you’ve never booked with Get Away Today before, you should definitely check it out. They are fabulous to work with, have really awesome deals (like everyone plays at the kids price!), and even send you fun gifts. With a savings of up to $36 on each ticket, the savings can really add up.

Disneyland discount 2016

After you get a great deal on your Disneyland vacation at Get Away Today, you’re going to need a little extra cash for some Dole Whips and churros. So I’m having a little contest over on Instagram with a $25 Disney Gift Card as the prize! Here’s all you need to do:

  • First, follow 40eighteen on Instagram and watch for my Disney photos for the next few days.
  • When you see one, guess where we are in the Disneyland Resort in the photo. It’s okay if you don’t get it right. Your guess = one entry.
  • If you have the first correct guess on a photo as it shows up in my feed, you’ll get a little extra reward. First correct guess = one extra entry.
  • Tag a friend who is a Disney fan for an extra entry. You can tag as many friends as you want. It’s ok if they’re all in the same comment. Each tagged friend = one extra entry.

That’s it! Follow, guess, tag. Simple!

 

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Remember, you have to follow 40eighteen and make your guess for any of the entries to count. This contest will run from 10:00 am March 4 until 11:59 pm March 8 MST. Several photos will be posted each of the 5 days of the contest, and one winner will be chosen from all of the entries. The winner will be announced on March 9 in an Instagram post and must claim their prize within 48 hours or forfeit to the runner up. Prize will be awarded as a $25 Disney gift card mailed to the winner. This contest is not affiliated with Instagram, Get Away Today, or Disney.

This post contains affiliate links. Your price is the same, and I earn a small commission on each sale. Thank you for supporting Forty Eighteen. 

by Melanie

LDS General Conference Giveaway

March 25, 2015 in Mailbox by Melanie

Spring General Conference Giveaway - $400+ in Prizes

It’s spring time which means General Conference will be here before we know it. Seventeen LDS Bloggers are joining me to share a few of our favorite things. We are so excited to be giving away over $400 in prizes. It’s been a treat to work with so many talented women to spoil our readers with products that strengthen the family and make our lives a little easier, too.

We as bloggers are so thankful for you – our readers! Thank you for your encouragement, comments, and time that you take out of your busy day to check in with us. We appreciate how you #sharethegood with us and hopefully we can share some with you as well!

Meet the bloggers who are taking part in this giveaway:

LDS Bloggers

Now for the giveaway! If you are anything like me, your wish list for Deseret Book is a mile long! We are excited to send two of you some fun money to spend there. We hope you love the recipes from the Six Sisters as much as we do and that Nicole Carpenter’s 5-minute messages will make family devotional more manageable! From bulking up your food storage with Thrive to the cutest projects by Fizzy Pops – there are so many wonderful prizes. Check them out and ENTER TO WIN below! There are TWO rafflecopters so be sure to enter each one!

Spring General Conference Giveaway - Over $400 in Prizes!

Prize Package #1

$85 Gift Card to Deseret Book

$50 Gift Card to Sweet Salt Clothing

Fizzy Pops Young Women Zipper Pull Kit ($50 value) with

YW Value Bottle Cap Printables from My Computer is My Canvas

Six Sisters Stuff Cookbook

52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family from MOMentity.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring General Conference Giveaway - Over $400 in Prizes!

Prize Package #2

$85 Gift Card to Deseret Book

$75 value Food Storage Package from Thrive

Six Sisters Stuff Cookbook

$50 Gift Card to Sego Lily Soap

Doodle Journal for General Conference by A Lively Hope

Pink Star CTR Necklace and I am a Child of God Pin from Ringmasters

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be announced and e-mailed April 2.

We’ve compiled a few of our favorite General Conference Activities, Recipes, and Ideas. Comment with your favorite traditions or add a link below!

LDS General Conference Activities and Ideas


by Melanie

Feeling Lucky? Win a Disney vacation!

March 3, 2015 in Mailbox by Melanie

win

Disneyland is my favorite! We’re having the Happiest Family Reunion on Earth at that magical place in a few weeks, and I cannot wait!!

I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count, and I have half a dozen trips planned this year, too. Going to Disneyland a billion times, I have learned a thing or two, and I’m going to write all about it this year. I could talk about Disneyland for hours, so I will split it up over a few months. Otherwise we’d end up with a novel — ain’t nobody got time for that!

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One thing that makes planning the perfect Disneyland vacation difficult is how expensive it can be! Disney just raised their ticket prices again this past week. A few reunion-bound family members haven’t bought their tickets yet, so while searching for ticket deals I found out that Get Away Today still has the old prices through tonight!

Those kind of savings really start adding up. Even if you don’t have a reunion planned in a few weeks, this deal is still great news for you because the tickets don’t expire until December 31, 2015. So you can buy them now and plan your trip later this year. Awesome!

I have recently started working with Get Away Today, and I really love their great deals! I just booked my first vacation with them this year, and I couldn’t believe the savings. With the fabulous hotel rates and a free night, it really was the best deal around!

Yikes, I sound like a commercial. Yes, I am an affiliate and I do get a small percentage when you shop through my link, but I really do love them. The whole booking process was easy, and the deal was unbeatable — and believe me, I looked. If you can find a better deal, I want to know about it!

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The only thing better than finding a great deal on your Disney vacation is WINNING one! Amiright? Every once in awhile I see a friend on Facebook post a contest entry for a Disney vacation or cruise, but they’re usually from a bogus profile and not legit at all.

So I went searching for real sweepstakes from real sponsors with real prizes awarded to real people. And real people actually do win these things. My own sister has won 2 Disney World vacations in giveaways like these, so I know it happens.

This is what I found: 15 legit Disney giveaways and sweepstakes you can enter to win your own magical vacation. Each giveaway has its own set of official rules. I am not affiliated with any of these giveaways, I just like to win stuff. 🙂 Not all of these are sponsored by Disney – or even strictly Disney vacations – but they are all to Orlando or California, and most include theme park tickets.

 

Super simple entry – just log in and check the box:

Disney Channel Super Summer Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney World vacation for 5 including one night in the Cinderella Castle suite and 5-day Magic Your Way Park Hopper Tickets. Trip must be taken from May 21-25, 2015. Expires February 17.

Cinderella Perfect Fit Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night vacation for 4 to Walt Disney World including 3 nights in a Disney World Resort hotel and one night in the Cinderella Castle Suite, 5-day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper and Water Park & More options, a makeover for one child (age 3-12) at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and a $500 gift card. Expires March 27.

Disney Movie Rewards Big Hero 6: Big Adventure Sweepstakes – Win an Adventures by Disney vacation to San Francisco for 4 including 4 days and 3 nights in the city with a guided travel experience June 18-21, 2015. Expires May 1.

Disney Movie Rewards Sensational Dalmation-al Sweepstakes – Win a fabulous getaway for 4 to London, England including round trip flights, hotel accommodations, and a luxury tour of the city. Expires May 30.

 

Rafflecopter – several options for entry, choose to enter as many ways as you like

Pirate ‘n Princess Vacations Family Orlando Vacation – Win a 6-day, 5-night Orlando, Florida vacation including a 2-bedroom suite at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort, 4 round trip airline tickets and airport transfers, 4 $50 gift cards, 4 $50 Universal Studios Orlando gift cards, 4 4-day Disney magic Your Way Park Hopper Tickets, and 4 2-day Universal Orlando park-to-park tickets. Expires July 10.

Disneyland Vacation Giveaway – This one is 10 awesome bloggers working together to offer 10 fabulous Disney prizes from waffle and cake pop makers to Disney gift cards and a Disneyland vacation for 2! You can hop around to the 10 different blogs and enter to win each of the prizes with a rafflecopter at each one, so you can choose how and how many times you want to enter. This link goes to the Vacation giveaway, but you can follow her links to find the rest of the blogs and prizes.

 

Fill in the form – basic information like name, address, and email:

Scholastic: Tiny Travelers Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney World vacation for 4 including airfare, hotel, ground transportation, theme park tickets, and Disney character breakfast. Expires March 19.

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes: Stormstruck A Tale of Two Homes – Win a 3-night Walt Disney World Resort vacation for 4 including airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, 4-day Magic Your Way tickets, and $500 Disney gift card. Expires March 20.

Latina: Making Memories Together – Win a 5-day, 4-night Disney World vacation for 6, four different vacation packages to choose from. Expires March 31.

Experience Kissimmee: Kiss the Cold Away – Win a 6-day, 5-night Kissimmee, Florida vacation including hotel accommodations, theme park tickets, airfare, Boggy Creek airboat rides, and rental car. Expires April 12.

Visit Orlando: Once-In-A-Lifetime VIP Family Vacation – Win a vacation for 4 to Orlando, FL including airfare, hotel accommodations, theme park tickets, rental car, dining experience, behind the scenes tour, and more! Expires June 30.

 

Facebook – must log in to Facebook to see and fill out the form, “Like” is optional

Hapari’s 10th Anniversary Disney World Get Away Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Disney World vacation including hotel accommodations, airfare, Disney Parks admission, and SeaWorld admission. Expires March 30.

Florida Orange Juice: Orlando Family Vacation – Win a 6-day, 5-night vacation in Orlando, FL including hotel accommodations, airfare, ground transportation, and $1,000 gift card. Expires March 28.

 

Photo Entry – submit a photo meeting the contest requirements to enter

Disney Alexander: Funny Family Photo Sweepstakes – Win a 4-day, 3-night vacation for 4 to the Aulani Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii including airfare, hotel, and ground transfers. Expires March 4.

National Geographic: Disney Parks Then and Now – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney Resort vacation for 6 including airfare, accommodations, 5-day Magic Your way Park Hopper tickets, $1,000 Disney gift card, character dining, and more! The winning photo will be selected based on Execution of Theme, Creativity & Originality, and Photographic Quality. Expires March 9.

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Good luck! And remember I want to hear about it if you win one of these!!

I am so excited for our big family Disney vacation. Do you have any tips for me???

by Melanie

52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family

January 22, 2015 in Family Room, Mailbox by Melanie

I have never been one of those moms who cries at every milestone, sad to see my babies grow up. I love my babies, but I love to see how they will conquer the next stage of life. It’s exciting to see them get older and grow in wisdom and beauty and see their personalities blossom.

There has been one HUGE exception to this general rule, however.

Junior High. Ugh.

There is just something about sending my sweet, innocent babies to junior high that knocks the wind out of me and leaves me gasping for air.

Kindergarten? Bring it on! High school? No problem! But junior high still gives me nightmares and makes me wish I could keep my family in a force field, a bubble of safety where my babies can stay young and innocent.

incredibles forcefield 1

But because school teaches much more than just reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, and Steve and I believe it is important for our kids to learn those valuable lessons, we send our little girls off to junior high, cringing and holding our breath and hoping we have prepared them well enough for those difficult years.

Since I don’t have a force field, I have to find other ways to strengthen my family, to fortify them against the dangers of the world. The most important way I know to do this is to teach them who they are, to instill in them an understanding of where they come from and what makes them great.

Ultimately, I want my daughters to know that they have another parent who loves them and knows them even better than Steve and me, a Heavenly Father from whom they have inherited divine attributes that make them great. I want them to understand that their relationship to God is the most important relationship they will ever have and that it needs to be constantly nourished. I want them to know how to talk to Him and how to hear His voice. I know that their relationship with Heavenly Father will be the greatest source of strength in their lives and can be their “force field” to keep them safe no matter what they encounter.

Instilling this knowledge in our children takes time and consistent effort, but life is so busy! Between youth activities, church meetings, orchestra concerts, play rehearsals, and team practices, not to mention homework, playing with friends, chores, and a million other demands on our time, we are lucky to spend time together on any given day. I have gone a full 24 hours without seeing Beth at all — and we live in the same house!! That’s crazy!

website header amazon bestseller2

I was so excited when I heard about this new book from Nicole Carpenter: 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages. The idea behind this book is so simple but so powerful: daily 5-minute devotionals for your family. Nicole has put together 52 weeks of daily devotionals, arranged by topic so you can find exactly what your family needs in any given week.

I love that each daily message is short, but even more than that I love the extras that really turn your devotional into something meaningful. Each daily scripture discussion is right on topic, and the weekly questions start real discussions with opportunities to learn and bear testimony. I love that Nicole has included a reference to a conference address each week for more insight into that week’s theme. This could easily become your Family Home Evening lesson for the week.

52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family book cover Armor Your Children

I love that the book is small. That may sound strange, but it’s just not intimidating. At first glance it looks like something we can manage and enjoy. I have been thinking for months that I want to print a weekly quote and and display it in a frame where we will pass by it often and read it. Nicole is right there with a weekly quote, too! I can’t wait to get it printed so it is right in front of us and on our minds all week long.

I believe one of the best tools for strengthening our family is to make the gospel a part of our everyday lives. We live it, of course, but it’s also needs to be a normal topic of conversation. We talk about scriptures we have read, lessons we have learned, times that we have seen the hand of God in our lives and received answers to prayers.

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins”  (2 Nephi 25:26).

How will our children know the importance of the gospel in our lives if if’s only something they see on Sunday? We need to make sure we’re bringing the gospel into focus every day. I love that 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages brings the gospel into focus for a few minutes each day. I am so excited to make it through all 52 weeks.

52-Weeks-to-Fortify-blog-tour1

I am even more excited for the chance I have today as part of this blog tour to give away a copy of Nicole’s book! You can enter using the Rafflecopter below. Or you can order your own copy of 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages today and get to work building that force field around your family!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does junior high scare you, too? What do you do to fortify your family?

by Melanie

The 12 Days of Christmas Wish Lists: Grandparents

November 22, 2014 in Mailbox by Melanie

Today brings us to Day THREE of The 12 Days of Christmas Wish Lists. Don’t forget to check out all 12 Days of Christmas Wish Lists for more help finding the perfect gifts for the ones you love.

  1. Geeks and Gamers
  2. Bloggers
  3. Grandparents

Today is all about Grandparents. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your grandparents or your kids’ grandparents, you can find something they will love on this list.

grandparents


1. e-Reader cover

grandparents_amazoncover

Steve’s parents love their e-readers. I really love real books with real paper pages and that one-of-a-kind book smell. I’m a huge fan of this e-reader cover that combines the look of an old leather-bound book with a high tech e-reader.

2. Family Multi Canvas Prints

iconI love to decorate with family photos, so I love this canvas print photo collage. Family photos full of smiling grandkids filling grandma’s wall = perfect gift. You can use this code PBLS02CANVAS50 to get 50% off all canvas prints through the end of the year.

icon3. Personalized Photo Calendar

grandparents_calendar

What do grandparents love more than loving on those cute grandkids? Pictures of those cute grandkids! So why not fill a calendar full of family photos and give those grandparents something sweet to look at all year round.

4. Grandma’s cookie jar

grandparents_targetjar

I’m pretty sure it’s a law that grandmas have to have cookies for their grandkids. My grandma always had a huge jar of Oreos on her kitchen counters. As a kid, I just thought that’s what grandmas do. As an adult I realized she kept Oreos on her counter because she didn’t like Oreos. Haha! I love that she chose a cookie she didn’t like so she wasn’t tempted by them all day. I do the same thing with treats for my kids. In fact, I do the same thing with Oreos because I don’t love them and my kids do. Grandma’s cookies need a cute cookie jar like this one!

5. Custom throw

grandparents_personalizedthrow

Turn your favorite family photo into a custom throw. It’s like snuggling up with the grandkids when they can’t be there.

6. USB Turntable

icon
iconBring grandma and grandpa’s record collection into the digital age. Plug this Sony USB Turntableicon into your computer to turn LPs into MP3s. My dad had a record with a song by Ed Ames that was my favorite Christmas song when I was a kid. It’s not your typical radio Christmas song. I have searched everywhere I can think of for a CD or an MP3 of that song and can’t find it anywhere! So my dad pulled out his handy dandy USB turntable and burned me a CD. Now I get to listen to the Ballad of the Christmas Donkey every Christmas. I know, I know. A song about a donkey was my favorite Christmas song? Yep, it sure was. And now that it’s on YouTube, you can enjoy it, too. You’re welcome. 🙂 What was your favorite Christmas song as a kid?

7. Water Wand

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No more bending over and crouching in the dirt to water the garden when you have this telescopic water wandicon. It extends from 36″ to 55″ and has 7 different spray patterns so you can control the flow and water everything just right. And the best part? You turn it on and off with your thumb! I think this is going on my wish list, too…

8. Photo Art

grandparents_minted

Turn your family photos into stunning works of art. To get started, simply click on this link. Find the design you like, mouse over it, and click “shop now.” Select your size, then click “personalize” to add your photos. The hardest part is choosing your favorite design from so many gorgeous choices.

9. Grandkid Mugs

grandparents_personalmug1 grandparents_personalmug2

Personalize these mugs with smiling faces to represent each and every grandchild. That will put an early morning smile on any grandparent’s face. Which mug design to you love? You can click on that image to find it.

10. Book

grandparents_bnbook

I like to imagine I will have all the time in the world to read my growing must-read-books list when I’m a Grandma. It may not be true, but a girl can dream. In the meantime, I share my must-read books with the grandparents. I love stories of goodness no matter the circumstances like this WWII Book.

11. Rules Doormat

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iconThis doormaticon cracks me up, mostly because it’s true. Grandparents have their own rules where spoiling the grandkids is completely acceptable. Why not point out exactly where the rules change.

12. Keepsake Journal

grandparents_amazonjournal

Grandparents love to tell their stories, and we love to treasure those stories. Imagine the memories you will create when you work on this keepsake journal together.

What are you getting for your grandparents or your kids’ grandparents this year? Remember you can check out the rest of the wish lists for help finding the gifts you need.

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