Giveaway, Dinner, and a Blogger Question

Happy Sunday!

While I wait for the Pats to start, I am multitasking - reading and commenting on my fellow bloggers posts, making Crock Pot beef stroganoff, creating TpT products (Valentine's Theme!), and lesson planning. Don't worry, I do this all the time, and usually everything turns out fine.

Amidst my multi-tasking, I found a fab giveaway from Teaching with Love and Laughter! Lori is hosting a giveaway in which Learning Resources is giving away a fun, educational game on parts of speech. Maybe you could use something like this in your class - I know I could use this in my classroom. For sure.

I also found a newbie giveaway-er (yes, it is a thing), Michelle, from The Lightbulb Lab. I just recently found her blog and immediately became a follower! I love it :)
The Teacher Wife
Check out her fun giveaway, and make sure to say "Happy Birthday" and "Thank you!"
Also, Sister Teachers is hosting a wonderful giveaway full of awesome products and gear to celebrate the fab accomplishment of reaching 300 followers! Congrats!
Sister Teachers
Super easy entries...do it NOW!

And, another 300 Follower Giveaway, courtesy of Fourth Grade Flipper! Make sure you check out giveaway because there are 2 different giveaways (K-2 resources, and 3-5 resources) and you can enter for both! Oh, and there are 2 winners which means more chance of a win!

Another awesome giveaway comes to us, courtesy of The Picture Book Teacher's Edition! A unique giveaway for sure! The prize is a picture book with a packet included to use with the book. Love it and I sure hope I win :)

In other news - If you are looking for an easy, slow cooker dinner recipe for the whole family, look no further! I stumbled across this recipe a couple of months ago and have been making it for Sunday dinner nearly every week! While my family is small (only us 2), it makes 6 servings. The fiancé adores this meal and always look forward to Sunday. What is better than spending the day watching the Pats in the playoffs and eating a warm, home-cooked meal that tastes like heaven!
The only changes I make are using low-fat cream cheese, and omit the button mushrooms. I also add cooked egg noodles to the Crock Pot for the last 1/2 hour or so to allow the flavors to simmer and infuse the noodles. Delish!
Before:
Not appetizing
After:
Appetizing
Prior to the cooking, I realized I did not have the necessary beef broth, so had to make a quick Stop & Shop run. Little did I know (or little did I think...because clearly I wasn't thinking), it would be jam-packed with people. Not only was it a Sunday, but the store opened only two days ago, and they were celebrating the Grand Opening by having balloon animals, free samples, and all-around shenanigans. It was a mad house, but I needed my beef broth... so alas, I succumbed to the chaos and waited in line for 25 minutes for a 79 cent can of beef broth...
Teaches me to plan ahead...
I have this recipe saved on my Yum Yum board (see what I did there...) on my Pinterest. Check it out for other delicious recipes to try and add to your usual dinner rotation. This one certainly won a spot! :)
Question time:
I would like to host a 100 Follower Giveaway in the near future. While I am not there yet, I may be there shortly. I have some questions for my fellow bloggers:
  • How do other people go about hosting a giveaway?
  • How do you choose what to giveaway?
  • What program do you typically use to host this?
  • Does Rafflecopter always cost money? Can I use it one time? Is it worth purchasing a blogging license to use?
  • How do you recruit others to join in on your giveaway (offer their time, designs, products, etc.)?
  • What is the best way to market my giveaway if I have limited followers?
  • Any other tips for hosting a giveaway would be helpful..
I would appreciate any answers you may have about this. I would really love to host a giveaway. Leave comments below!
Thanks so much :)

Cheers,
Photobucket

Comments

  1. I use the free version of Rafflecopter and it works fine. I'd be happy to donate to your giveaway and mention it on my blog. I personally like to giveaway a winners choice because that is what I like to win. A lot of people giveaway something they'd like to advertise. You can ask for donations on the tpt sellers forum under giveaways but I was overwhelmed by the number of donors. In the future I'll just email bloggers I follow and respect and ask them to donate. Feel free to email me with questions as you set up the rafflecopter.

    -Mercedes
    Surfing to Success

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    Replies
    1. This is very helpful! Once I plan a bit more, I will be sure to contact you :)

      Thanks so much Mercedes!

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    2. I am pinning this response. Isn't Mercedes so helpful! I just started following you after stumbling upon your blog through my normal blogstalking activities! Love it. I am planning on going back to your giveaway post and entering. Your blog is chock-ful of quality stuff! Congrats on 100. You are already well past that now!

      Toodles,
      Brandi
      My Teacher Friend

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  2. Hi Rae, thanks for stopping by and following me and I am now your newest follower. I wanted to give you a link that helps out a lot and if you have any questions she is awesome at helping you with this blogging stuff. http://teachingsuperpower.blogspot.com If I knew how to answer your questions I would...but I am still learning and I'm kinda slow. :)

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  3. Rae,
    I use Rafflecopter too. (the free version) It has been so easy! I would love to donate something for your giveaway.
    Have a great day!
    ❀Beth Ann❀
    Taming My Flock of Firsties
    bakteach16@gmail.com

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  4. I am going to have to try that recipe out! I am always looking for a good slow cooker meal! I am an avid runner also. Good luck with the giveaway!
    Kate
    http://funinecse.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm also now YOUR newest follower. Glad we found each other! ;-)

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  6. Hi Rae! Thank you for stopping by my page and commenting. I also use Rafflecopter (free version). Through Rafflecopter I'm able to randomly select a winner. I advertise giveaways via twitter, Pinterest and my FB fan page. Good luck!

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  7. The dish sounds delish! Thanks for the mention of my blog in yours. I'm so happy you found me and now I've found you! Hooray! I have had only had one giveaway (I've only been blogging about 2 months), and I used Rafflecopter. It was free, and when I was deciding what to giveaway, I asked myself what would almost any teacher want--answer: Starbucks!!! That's why I chose a giftcard, and I made it so that I give one away for every 25 new followers (an incentive for more to follow-perhaps...), but I am NOT an authority on giveaways. As you put it so well, I am a newbie!! Still wet behind the ears...LOL!!! Tnank you for your kind comments in your blog and for taking the time to leave a comment on mine.
    Michele
    The Lightbulb Lab

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  8. YUMMMY! That recipe looks so good and easy! I am always looking for good recipes my family will love. I am pinning this one to find later. Dinner is made for the week already!

    Thanks for stopping by my by blog!

    Andrea
    Reading Toward the Stars

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  9. Beef stroganoff is one of my absolute favorite dinners!! Yum! I also use rafflecopter (free version) and it is so easy to set up. Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you entered my 300 follower giveaway! It ends on January 17th:) Check it out at the link below!
    ~Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper

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  10. Hi Rae! Glad I found your blog! I have only had one giveaway, but I used the free version of Rafflecopter and it worked out fine. I would also be happy to donate to your giveaway. Shoot me an email when you're ready!

    Nichole
    Craft of Teaching
    craftofteaching@gmail.com

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  11. Love your blog! I'm your newest follower! I saw you comment posted on DeeDee's blog and knew I had to check you out! I'm a relative newbie blogger myself and love making connections with inspiring teachers! Looking forward to sharing ideas in the future! Blessings!

    www.mrsehleskindergartenconnections.blogspot.com

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  12. I would be happy to donate something to your giveaway as well. Just shout when you're ready!

    Angela :)
    Hippo Hooray for Second Grade!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for offering help Angela. Email me if you are interested in helping further in anyway: rachaelaschauer@gmail.com

      Rae

      Delete
  13. Thanks for following my blog! i'm following right back! Love your theme!

    When it comes to giveaways, I have only done 1 official one and then i just gave away something for to one person who commented on a certain post. That can work for smaller prizes. Rafflecopter is a great FREE resource. As for how to publicize, consider using things like pinterest and twitter, and rafflecopter can really help with that. I am somewhat a newbie as well, but it seems to me that you have a couple really good volunteers for donations already! That seems great! I too would be willing to share a redbox code as a giveaway from my blog! Hope all that helps! Thanks again for following my blog!

    -Simone

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  14. Hey Rae,
    Thank you so much for the shout out about my book + packet giveaway. I have only had one other giveaway and the prize was a $25 gift card to Amazon. This is my first time using Rafflecopter...so far so good.
    Good Luck!
    Shawna
    The Picture Book Teacher's Edition

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  15. love your banner! :)
    followed you back!
    www.listeningratherthenspeaking.com - marie<3

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Rea! Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day.

    Heather
    The Busy Busy Hive

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  17. I'm you newest follower! I use the free version of Rafflecopter. I'd be glad to donate something for your giveaway. I am definitely going to check out your Yum Yum board!
    Mary at Pitner's Potpourri
    Pitner's Potpourri Shop on Teachers Notebook

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