The Sewing Mom

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Atlantic Luggage for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband has worn out more pieces of luggage than anyone else I know!  He does own one suitcase that he’s had for several years and he uses it for every trip he takes, whether he’s traveling by car or plane (and he’s even taken it on the train), this one suitcase has held up to everything.  The brand you ask?  Atlantic, a company that has been offering luggage since 1919.

My husband could definitely use another suitcase because the one he has is large.  Sometimes he only travels away from over for a day or two and doesn’t need a piece of luggage that large.  I’m thinking I will get him a new piece of luggage from Atlantic as a Christmas gift.  While I’ve been shopping for just the right piece to buy, I learned about the Atlantic luggage and Legoland sweepstakes where one lucky winner will win the Grand Prize, a trip to the Grand Opening of LEGOLAND® Florida.

The Atlantic luggage and Legoland sweepstakes began on September 19 and will end on October 30.    LEGOLAND® Florida is a theme park in Winter Haven, Florida and it has over 50 rides, shows and other attractions.  Be sure to enter the sweepstakes, after all, who wouldn’t like a vacation to sunny Florida!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.

This past weekend was so nice for me! My daughter was supposed to play in a softball tournament all weekend, but it was rained out. So, with absolutely no plans, I spent the weekend lounging around the house. Yes, I did manage to get a few things accomplished including getting the bushes trimmed. That’s the bad part of having time off from work with no plans, there is always something around the house that needs to be done. Next time I have a full 3 days off with no plans, I’m going to just get in the car and take myself someplace to stay in a hotel! Better yet, I think I’ll enter the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes so I can not only have my weekend, but, if I win the Grand Prize my friends can join me, all for FREE!

There are so many places to choose from to spend a peaceful weekend. The one place I’ve been wanting to go since we moved to Dallas, is Hot Springs, Arkansas. I’ve read so many nice things about that area and I’d love to go explore it for myself. With the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes, there is a daily giveaway of a free weekend stay at any Hampton Hotel and I think I would choose Hot Springs. Or, maybe San Antonio, there is a Hampton Inn right by The Alamo and that would be pretty cool too. The Grand Prize in the Sweepstakes is winning the entire hotel for a weekend (100 rooms for 2 nights), so all our friends and family could join us!

Click Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes to enter for yourself.

Just like most everyone else, our household has had to do some belt tightening as a result of the current economy. I’ve been working more hours and spending less and we’ve put a number of household projects on hold. I find myself constantly looking toward the future which, I have to admit, does appear to be a bit brighter for our financial future. By the end of this year we will have paid off several items, including my daughter’s orthodontist and her musical instrument. The next major event happens in April, the lease on our car expires.

Truthfully, I love our car, but, I’m not sure what I want to do when the lease expires. We could buy the car and it would be ours to do with what we please. I’ve actually been thinking though how nice it would be to not have a car payment of any kind. Our van is paid for, so we just have this car payment. I work from home and the only time the car gets driven is to take my daughter to school on the mornings she doesn’t ride the bus. I do run a few errands with the car, but I’ve found myself wondering if we couldn’t manage, at least for a while, with only one vehicle. My husband works just 10 minutes from the house, so, yes, there would be some inconveniences, but, I think we could make it work.

Of course, while I’m trying to convince myself that being a one car family could work, Charter has decided to host a Camaro Sweepstakes and the prize is the beautiful 2010 Camaro 2SS. This would be fantastic to win! Not only would we have a brand new car, it would be paid for!

Charter believes in high speed and fast service and the 2010 Camaro 2SS delivers both, just as Charter High Speed internet does. There is no purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes, but if you do order a Charter service online, you’re automatically entered. A random drawing will be held on or about Dec. 10, 2009 and one lucky winner will receive a beautiful new 2010 Camaro 2SS. Maybe this is my lucky day!

You can also follow Charter on Facebook and Charter on Twitter. In addition, there are gift cards from major retailers that are being given away for signing up online for a Charter service. This sweepstakes is open to those living in the continental U.S.  I think this car would be FABULOUS in my garage!

Have you ever wanted to change the company you use for your television or internet services with? I’ve considered myself many times. Do you know how hard it is to compare packages and check “bundles” to see if they meet your needs?

Well, Charter Communications has designed a user friendly website that allows customers to build a bundle of services that meets their individual needs. WOW! What a novel idea, a company that actually allows customers to save money while allowing them to get the services they need! To make Charter even more enticing, Charter is holding a sweepstakes for not just new customers, but current customers as well. Any one who orders and completes installation of cable, high speed or telephone online at Charter.com throughout the month of April is automatically entered to win a 22” flat screen HDTV and there is a winner every day. In addition to the daily prize, there is also a Grand Prize Package that includes a 52” LCD flat screen HDTV, a Home Theater System, and one year of free Charter Digital Cable® service with HD programming.

I have to tell you, I am looking at all sorts of way to save money in our house hold budget and television and internet service is one way I do believe we can save and still have good quality service. Winning a prize in the sweepstakes would be icing on the cake!

With the economy hitting our household the way it has, taking a vacation anywhere anytime soon seems to be about as realistic as me traveling to the moon. I am going to a quilt show in a few weeks, but I paid for my hotel months ago and I used air miles to get a free airline ticket, so it has stayed within the budget. There are so many places I would love to go, if only I could afford to go.

Then again, I just discovered that are are a ton of free things to do in Kissimmee, Florida and, Kissimmee is even having a sweepstakes that is free to enter and has fantastic prizes. In fact, Kissimmee is giving away three (3) weekend getaways (3 days/2 nights) for two (2); and two (2) weeklong vacations for four (4). Drawings will be held on or around 4/1/09, 5/1/09 and 6/1/09.

Besides the sweepstakes, there are all kinds of other free things to be had in Kissimmee, from free nights at area hotels to free food at area restaurants. My favorite is the free makeover being offered by Belk at The Loop. I’d love to do that! After a makeover I would love to take a bottle of wine and sit and relax out by the water. Of course, I might need a total day of relaxation after spending an entire day at Disney World!

Of course, I’ve all ready entered the Freedom to Enjoy Kissimmee Sweepstakes, but if you’d also like to enter, click on the link above.