Back to School: Ross $25 Gift Card GIVEAWAY

Today was R's first day of Kindergarten (2 out of 3 kids now in school, woo hoo!). It wasn't an actual school day but orientation day. I guess it still counts because the teacher had him take a photo with a First Day of Kindergarten frame around his body. I would have loved to take a photo of it to share but he wouldn't let go of me, so I had to hide behind his tiny body and that is how he took the photo. Thankfully he had finally stopped crying at this point to take the photo. It must be that middle children are just more sensitive because I thought the crying was over last year with the first week of preschool, but I was wrong. To make him feel better about his first day of school, R&I had special Mommy and Me time. We went to the orientation and then headed to Ross Dress for Less to get him some brand new pants to wear on his first day of school. Unlike H, R is particular about his clothes. He likes what he likes and insists upon getting it. Thankfully, Ross is a store where pretty much we can afford to buy whatever he picks.

Today our mission was to replace his favorite pants that now have two holes in them. Perfectly functional but not worthy of the First Day of Kindergarten! R quickly picked out some blue athletic pants with the signature double stripe down the sides that had a snazzy zipper feature for the pockets. He thought it would be funny to take a picture with them on his head. It's supposed to be 84 degrees tomorrow but he wanted long pants so he got long pants!

Ross had a great array of back to school items from backpacks to room decor. H had purchased his new backpack there a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I can't reveal the brand as Ross has an agreement with vendors not to mention or show brands. But I will tell you that the backpack at Ross cost 1/3 less than the same one at TRU. It's not a place to buy last season's remainders, but for the exact same items that you will find in style today. The back to school deals aren't just for kids. I wish that a Ross had been accessible to me when I had gone to college because I would have furnished my entire dorm room with the great deals that can be found there. Ross is currently running a Back-to-School Fashion Face Off promotion that will run through September 6th on its Facebook page. Each week you will be able to choose your favorite back-to-school Ross outfit for a chance to win one of three $125 Ross gift cards! And that's not all, Ross is giving one Random Mommy reader a $25 gift card to discover the great deals for herself!


HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:  Contest period runs from Wednesday, August 28th at 12:01 AM (Pacific) until Wednesday, September 4th at 11:59 PM (Pacific). Enter by leaving the name of your favorite coloring or craft supplies, and leave your e-mail address OR sign in to comments using your Blogger ID, making sure your Blogger profile is public and includes your e-mail address.

Bonus Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry, it counts if you've done any of these so leave a comment for each one)
1) Follow me on Twitter
2) Tweet this contest and leave the tweet url (once per day)
3) Like Ross Dress for Less on Facebook
4) Enter the Back-to-School Fashion Face Off Contest on Facebook

If you don't leave a qualifying comment and your e-mail address or public Blogger profile, your entry will be disqualified. I reserve the right to extend the contest period. At the end of the contest period, I will utilize Random.org to randomly choose the winner. The winner will be contacted by e-mail and will have 72 hours to respond to my e-mail. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, the prize will go to the next place winner as decided by Random.org. This contest is open for US Residents only. A huge thank you and much appreciation to my friends at Ross Dress for Less for their generosity! Good luck!
 
I did not receive compensation for this post. I received a gift card to facilitate my review. 

Guest Post: Joyce The Rock Star at BlogHer 2013

I've been to the annual BlogHer conference for the past three years. This year I had to miss it due to personal issues so I had my sister go in my place. Joyce has recently started blogging and I'm thrilled with her dedication. She finds the inspiration to blog almost everyday, it's pretty awesome! Check out her blog Joyce The Rock Star. Joyce had a blast at BlogHer and I wanted to share her insight from the Opening Keynote with my readers:

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The 9th Annual BlogHer Conference took place in Chicago’s Sheraton Hotel and McCormick Center this past July 25-27.  Bloggers from all over the world came to network with other bloggers and product/service companies, sample products and services, learn about blogging techniques and protocol, participate in workshops and roundtables, and listen to great, motivational speakers. 

The Kick-off Keynote address was by Ree Drummond; I had no idea who she was, but then I learned she was the Pioneer Woman.  Although I am a major bachelorette who cooks rarely, I have heard about the Pioneer Woman and her “awesome” cookbooks from married and single girlfriends who like to cook.  I learned so much about Ree and was very inspired by her story.  She started off her “speech” to us by apologizing that she truly is not a public speaker and she lamented that she had no podium to stand behind as a crutch.  She even went so far as to tell us that she was wearing SPANX, which perhaps made the audience feel that they could relate to her. 

Ree was an urban girl, but ended up falling in love with a cowboy and settled down in rural Oklahoma.  Since she was the last person her girlfriends expected to live in the country, she was called the Pioneer Woman, and the name stuck.  She started blogging in 2006 and shared amateur photos and recipes.  It was through her blogging that catapulted her successful career writing cookbooks, childrens’ books, and even having her own show on the Food Network.  It was truly inspirational that her success happened as a result of her blogging.  Throughout her speech, she did say many “ums,” to support her insistence she was not a public speaker.  I am also not the most eloquent or articulate public speaker, but knowing that her words through different media inspired so many people around the world was quite edifying.  She wrapped up the speech by singing (pretty badly) to pictures of her basset hound.  “Don’t ever be afraid of embarrassing yourself.”  I will carry that advice with me always.

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Thanks Joyce! I embarrass myself everyday so this is very good to hear!