Real Women Scrap with Tasra Dawson

Learn How to Be the Hero in Your Own Life

Is that possible? Yep! I've got Noah Blumenthal, author of Be the Hero here to answer a few questions about how we can make change in our lives. It's not just philosophy or theory but three powerful practical ways to overcome challenges in work and life!

Keep reading after the questions for how you can get your hands on a FREE copy of Noah's book!

What inspired you to write this book?

My youngest daughter had a health scare during which we lived in the hospital for five days. The family who shared our room faced a much longer ordeal including brain surgeries, breast cancer, and numerous drug therapies. Yet they maintained an amazingly positive outlook and ability to respond effectively to their challenges. Their actions were a tremendous inspiration.

These ideas have been written about before, but I think most people have an especially hard time turning the vague idea of positive thinking into concrete, valuable action. I wanted to give readers a practical and easily usable set of skills to respond to life’s challenges as effectively as my friends from the hospital have. I was particularly eager to write a book that went beyond inspiration and draws on techniques from eastern philosophy, positive psychology, and even neuroscience to help readers create and reinforce really positive and resilient behavior patterns.

What are the top 3 things we should stop doing right now in order to "be the hero"?

1. Stop giving others the right to choose your emotions. No one else can make you mad. Your life can’t make you angry or sad or anxious. Only you can do that. So stop giving others the power....

Warriors in Pink FREE Stamp Set Winners

There was a heartfelt and excited response to this giveaway. So many women and men have had their lives affected by breast cancer either directly or indirectly. This stamp set celebrating warrior woman is one way to make something amazing out of something challenging.

If you missed the article and project ideas, make sure to go back and check it out! 

Martha Stewart and Ford are recognizing Warriors in Pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month. They've created a new stamp set, Symbols of the Warrior, that was featured on "The Martha Stewart Show" yesterday. 100% of net proceeds go to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation throughout the entire year. It's a perfect gift for someone special.

Without further ado, the two winners of the stamp sets chosen randomly by random.org number generator are...

Mannie (@mannied on twitter) She's got a colorful blog you just gotta see. I can't wait to see how she uses these stamps to brighten someone's world!

Ingrid (@ingridew on twitter) Ingrid is part of my tasra365 photo challenge, improving my photography 300% in one year. You can check out Ingrid's images at her site Ingrid365. 

Congrats to both of you! Stay tuned for more giveaways coming very soon!

FREE Martha Stewart Stamp Set—Symbols of the Warrior

Do you consider yourself a warrior? If not, change that perception because you are. Being a woman in all that you do and who you are makes you a warrior in my book.

We are fighters... real women in the midst of a battle for our families, friends, children, loved ones, homes, careers, health, finances, and sanity. Isn't it true?

Martha Stewart and Ford are recognizing Warriors in Pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month. They've created a new stamp set, Symbols of the Warrior, that was featured on "The Martha Stewart Show" yesterday. 100% of net proceeds go to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation throughout the entire year. It's a perfect gift for someone special. With the holidays coming, I'm thrilled to have two sets to giveaway.

Keep reading for details on how to win and some great scrapbooking and stamping projects inspired by the Martha Stewart team...

Branding the Man - FREE copy

Isn't that what women have been trying to do for centuries. We do it with boyfriends, husbands, sons. Maybe branding is a strong word, but how often have you met a man who admits that his clothes were picked out by the lady in his life? Happens pretty frequently.

So I was intrigued by the title of a new book, Branding the Man, by Bertrand Pellegrin, author and brand specialist. I thought it'd be interesting to hear from the man himself about what we can learn about the men in our lives. Bertrand was kind enough to agree to an interview exclusively for you! And he's giving away a FREE copy to one lucky reader. Read to the end to find out how to win your copy!

What inspired you to write this book?
I wrote this book because I think there are a lot of misunderstandings about who the modern man is; how he thinks of himself, how he shops, and how he views the retail experience. The old mantra that men "grab and go" is, in my view, not exactly accurate. The male customer is changing, and I believe they are a long-term investment that will pay off in dividends for a broad range of consumer markets.

If we're not retail store owners, how can we apply the information to the men in our lives? ...

Important News, Reviews, & Giveaways

Time for some great news and book reviews just for you. I've got 5 fantastic books and 1 exciting CD to give away, along with a daily review for the next seven days. 

If you're not already subscribed to the blog, you'll want to sign up to make sure you get updates each day so you can enter to win. Details for winning each day will be included in the daily post.

Let's jump in with... JUMP WITH JILL 

It's a new CD for kids from rockstar nutritionist Jill Jayne, MS, RD. One of the first messages on the inside of the CD cover is thanks to her brother Marky Mark. Wow! She really is a rockstar. You can even pick up a few free ringtones from her site.

With song titles like, "Healthy Is Good for Me" and "Superpower Vegetables," how can you possibly go wrong? As soon as I put this CD in the player, my son and I started dancing around the living room. Not only do the uptempo beats get you moving, but you're also singing about healthy food and nutrition. It's a perfect combination.

HOW TO WIN A FREE COPY

First, go to Twitter and if you don’t already have an account there, set one up. It’s free. 

Then follow me @tasradawson by clicking on the Follow button under my profile. Then, copy and paste the following tweet… 

Win a Jump With Jill CD from @tasradawson and @jilljayne. Pls RT. Details here: http://bit.ly/freejfj

That’s it. Just follow me on Twitter, send out that Tweet, and you’re done! (If you prefer not to Tweet, you can leave a comment here for entry as well!) You'll also love her promo video about the CD and her message: getting and keeping our kids healthy!

And the winners are....

Winner of the book, Welcome Home Woodhouse Family is... Dianne 

Winner of the DVD, What About Me? is... Cathi Carpenter 

Congrats to our two winners! Contact me with your address so I can send you your prizes. More reviews and giveaways coming very soon!

What's Happening Now @ Real Women Scrap

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* * * FREE KIDS DVD Giveaway * * *

Monday Musings of a Busy Mom

So my inbox has been constantly hammered with new deals, special promotions, good ideas...it's a good thing. The only question is what do I do with all the deals? Today I decided I'd share some of the fun finds with you! Happy hunting!

ALICE: Your new best friend... An incredible new site, Alice.com, is here to save us all. Think of it as Netflix, but for consumer packaged goods - things like toilet paper, toothpaste, dish detergent.

SUMMER WEBSITE CONTEST: Camy Tang, author and blogger is giving away 14 boxes of Christian books! The rules and prizes are on her site. 

BlogHer Conference: Johnson & Johnson is doing a sweepstakes to give 20 bloggers the funding to attend the BlogHer conference. Just visit BlogHer and go to the “Sponsored Content” or “BlogHer Conferences” sections and you’ll be able to sign up to win $1200 in cash! Contest open until July 7th. Check out the official rules.

And the winners are...

Winner of the The Noticer by Andy Andrews is...

Queue_t...Mom to 4 great kids, wife to one outstanding husband, worker bee and love to play and make fun crafty things. A girl at heart. lifelong learner. a sense of humor. Stories of life with one girl and 3 boys - I couldn't make this stuff up.

Winner of Battlefield of the Mind DVD by Joyce Meyer is...

Mrs. Deb (Debbie Anthony)...full of love, blessings, good food and gratitude.

Winner of The Note DVD is... 

Samme Rae (Samantha)

Congrats to all the winners! Send me your addy so I can mail the prizes to you. More giveaways coming next week!

And the winners are...

Thanks to everyone for your comments, joining me on Twitter and Facebook, and blogging about all the great book giveaways we've had the last two weeks. 

There are still more books and DVDs to win, so check them out today!

Without further ado, here are your winners...

My Resolution — Ginny and Michelle Beeby 

Step Into Your Future — Judy 

The Secret Holocaust Diaries — Peggy Forma 

The Calling — Susana Okada 

The Music Teacher — Julie 

The Women's Millionaire Club — Lisa Martin

Winners...please email me your mailing address by this weekend so that I can get your book in the mail.