If you are not familiar with Celtic Woman, let me introduce you:

Named Celtic Woman in order to represent the essence of a Celtic female performer, the group is comprised of vivacious, sublimely gifted young Irish women. The lineup of performers has rotated since the group began, but the signature sound of Celtic Woman has never changed. They perform classic Irish songs (“Green Grow the Rushes”), timeless pop anthems (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”), and inspirational songs (“Ave Maria”) with their signature Celtic Woman twist.

In December, PBS broadcast Celtic Woman’s “Believe” concert, which was “filmed during two sold-out performances at the majestic Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and stars vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lisa Kelly, Lisa Lambe and Celtic violinist Máiréad Nesbitt, under the distinct musical direction of Emmy-nominated musical director, David Downes.”

Celtic Woman’s Believe concert is now coming to cities all around North America, beginning with their first stop in Nashville, TN on February 3. And they will be right here in Houston on April 16! To see all the cities included on the tour – and to buy tickets – visit the complete listing for North American Tour Dates.

For more information on Celtic Woman, please visit:

• the Celtic Woman website
• the Celtic Woman Facebook Page
• product information for the Celtic Woman “Believe” CD
• product information for the Celtic Woman “Believe” DVD

GIVEAWAY: One winner will receive a signed copy of the Celtic Woman “Believe” CD and one winner will receive a signed copy of the Celtic Woman “Believe” DVD. This giveaway is for residents in US/Canada, all entries are due by 11:59pm Central time, Friday February 10.

To enter, please answer in a comment to this post: if you could attend the Celtic Woman “Believe” concert, who would you bring with you?

For extra entries, please:

• share this giveaway (JUST ONCE!) with your followers on Twitter by using the share button below and leaving “@StaceyNerdin” in the text
• get updates on future posts and giveaways by subscribing to Tree, Root, and Twig via RSS or email

Please leave an extra comment for any additional entry methods used.

Good luck!

Read the complete Official Giveaway Rules for Tree, Root, and Twig.

*Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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Celtic Woman “Believe” {CD & DVD #Giveaway} is original, copywritten content (unless otherwise indicated) by Stacey Nerdin for her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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A synopsis of BIG MIRACLE:

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and an animal-loving volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Local newsman Adam Carlson (Krasinski) can’t wait to escape the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market. But just when the story of his career breaks, the world comes chasing it, too. With an oil tycoon, heads of state and hungry journalists descending upon the frigid outpost, the one who worries Adam the most is Rachel Kramer (Barrymore). Not only is she an outspoken environmentalist, she’s also his ex-girlfriend.

With time running out, Rachel and Adam must rally an unlikely coalition of Inuit natives, oil companies and Russian and American military to set aside their differences and free the whales. As the world’s attention turns to the top of the globe, saving these endangered animals becomes a shared cause for nations entrenched against one another and leads to a momentary thaw in the Cold War.

I can’t wait to see the pairing of Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski! I love both of them and think the combination will bring something sweet and quirky to this movie. I’m also looking forward to “exploring” a bit of Alaska in this movie; one blogger I know who got to attend a pre-screening said the film made her want to book a flight to Alaska right away.

For a sneek peak, take a look at the official, full-length trailer (and I dare you not to be moved!):

For more information about BIG MIRACLE visit:

• the official BIG MIRACLE website
• the BIG MIRACLE Facebook Page
• BIG MIRACLE on YouTube

GIVEAWAY: Compliments of Universal Pictures, I have a deluxe BIG MIRACLE prize pack for one of my readers. The prize includes:

• $25 Fandango Gift Card to go see BIG MIRACLE
• Whale plush
• BIG MIRACLE t-shirt

Prize is valued at $55. US entries only, please. To enter, please answer in a comment to this post: have you ever been to Alaska? If so, what was your favorite part? If not, would you be interested in going there some day? All entries due by 11:59pm Central time, Wednesday, February 8.

For extra entries, please:

• share this giveaway (JUST ONCE!) with your followers on Twitter by using the share button below and leaving “@StaceyNerdin” in the text
• get updates on future posts and giveaways by subscribing to Tree, Root, and Twig via RSS or email

Please leave an extra comment for any additional entry methods used.

Good luck!

Read the complete Official Giveaway Rules for Tree, Root, and Twig.

*Disclosure: Prizing was provided by Universal Pictures; no compensation was received for posting. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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BIG MIRACLE & Fandango Gift Card #Giveaway is original, copywritten content (unless otherwise indicated) by Stacey Nerdin for her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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I was given a name – Becca from Mama B Blog – and an idea of what she might like for a gift. Then with a budget from JC Penney, I was able to choose something special for her.

I agonized over the choice, probably because there were dozens of great options from JC Penney’s Home Store, Kitchen & Dining section online. I finally decided on the Cooks 5qt Chafing Dish (Becca loves to cook and entertain), and according to her, I think I did ok!

Just this week I received my own package from my Secret Santa. Yes, it was after Christmas, but I actually thought it was fun to still have something to open after the bulk of festivities were done.

I opened my package to find this, a lovely salad set:

I was so excited because I had actually seen this product while searching for Becca’s gift, and loved the design and simplicity of it. It’s perfect!

I then listened to the JC Penney Santa Tag that accompanied the gift to find out who my Secret Santa was. All I had to do was hold my iPhone over the QR code, then an application was launched that played my Secret Santa’s personal voice recording. What a cool way to say “Surprise!”

Turns out my Secret Santa was Cindy from Akron Ohio Moms. Thank you, Cindy, for the awesome gift! And thank you, JC Penney, for sponsoring such a fun and festive program for bloggers this Christmas!

*Disclosure: I wrote this post while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of jcpenney and received a jcpenney Secret Santa gift and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

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One Last Surprise from Santa is original, copywritten content (unless otherwise indicated) by Stacey Nerdin for her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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I have to admit, I hardly paid any attention to the rinse agent dispenser of my dishwasher before working with FINISH.

You know where your dishwasher’s rinse agent dispenser is, right? If not (and I’d be happy to know there are more people like me!), here’s a look at ours:

The rinse agent dispenser is where FINISH JET-DRY rinse agents are poured. During the dishwasher’s rinse cycle, JET-DRY is automatically released and distributed across dishes.

We use FINISH JET-DRY because it definitely helps rinse away leftover food and detergent residue, helping avoid those spots on glasses and silverware that drive me so insane. Better yet, the FINISH JET-DRY Turbo Dry not only helps rinse dishes and reduce spotting, it also helps to speed up the drying process so dishes don’t come out of the dishwasher wet.

GIVEAWAY: FINISH knows that celebrating the holidays with family and friends can result in a lot of dirty dishes, so they’re sending one of my readers a FINISH JET-DRY product for free! To enter, please answer in a comment to this post: who does the dishes at your house? US entries only, please. All entries due 11:59pm Central time, Thursday January 5.

For extra entries, please:

• share this giveaway (JUST ONCE!) with your followers on Twitter by using the share button below and leaving “@StaceyNerdin” in the text
• get updates on future posts and giveaways by subscribing to Tree, Root, and Twig via RSS or email

Please leave an extra comment for any additional entry methods used.

Good luck!

Read the complete Official Giveaway Rules for Tree, Root, and Twig.

*Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Finish and received a Finish Jet-Dry product sample to facilitate my review, a sample to giveaway, and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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CLOSED: FINISH JET-DRY for the Dishwasher {Review & Giveaway} is original, copywritten content (unless otherwise indicated) by Stacey Nerdin for her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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I dug in my wallet for a dollar bill and asked my son if he’d like to put it in the man’s bucket to help those who didn’t have much money of their own. My 4yo was excited about the prospect, and we took a quick detour to visit the bell ringer.

To his great delight, the bell ringer handed my 4yo son the bell and said, “Would you like to have a turn, little man?” My son rang that bell with gusto and copied what he saw this man doing by calling out “Merry Christmas!” to people passing by.

It was a sweet moment, and gave me a chance to continue the conversation later with my son about why people give money to those in need.

The topic of charitable giving can be a tough one with children of any age, but here are just a few books that help to start the conversation.

The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving, by Ellen Sabin

Synopsis:

The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving is truly a gift for young readers ages 6 to 11 — inspiring, teaching and engaging them to give back to the world. It is a unique, interactive process that allows parents, teachers or friends to help children understand giving and participate in a stimulating experience. The 64 page, spiral-bound, hardcover book combines colorful illustrations and entertaining narrative with fun learning activities. The book helps them record their ideas, dreams and wishes for the world —making them the authors of their stories and creating a “scrapbook” of their journey into compassion, philanthropy and the power of their actions.

Raising Charitable Children, by Carol Weigman

Synopsis:

An easy-reading how-to guide for introducing children of all ages to charity and volunteering. Raising Charitable Children is packed with practical advice and inspirational, real-life stories of friends and family who have made philanthropy a fun, rewarding part of a child’s life.

The World Needs Your Kid, by Craig Kielburger, Marc Kielburger, and Shelly Page

Synopsis:

Inside this inspiring guide, you’ll find life lessons from remarkable individuals, committed parents, and compassionate children. Contributors include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mia Farrow, Jane Fonda, Robert Kennedy Jr., Jason Mraz, and Dr. Jane Goodall. Read revealing stories and insights from the not-so-typical childhoods of Craig and Marc Kielburger. The brothers, whose work now inspires more than a million youth every year, share groundbreaking lessons on teaching kids to care. Discover how small actions every day can make the world a better place. Find out how those same small actions can have a lasting influence on your child’s life. After all, it’s a proven fact that doing good for the world does a world of good for friendships, grades, and self-esteem.

I’ve been inspired recently to talk more with my children about charitable giving, thanks to Kidworth, a free service for families that helps teach children financial responsibility. The Kidworth model rests on three forms of money management: Share, Save, and Spend.

Kidworth, together with the resources I’ve listed here and many more that can be found online, is helping our family become more conscious of others and how we can be responsible financially and civicly in giving to others.

*Disclosure: I am a blogger Ambassador for Kidworth and this post was written as part of my partnership with them. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

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Teaching Kids About Charitable Giving is original, copywritten content (unless otherwise indicated) by Stacey Nerdin for her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

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