Forty Eighteen giveaways Archives

Disneyland Discount and Win a Gift Card

March 4, 2016 in Mailbox, Out the Door

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Disneyland. I spent almost 40 days at the Happiest Place on Earth in 2015. We had so much fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! It takes us some time to save up for our big annual pass year, and it’s always worth every sacrifice we make to save up those pennies. So I’m super excited to help you save more than just pennies on your Disneyland vacation!

Disneyland just raised their prices again, but you can still get the old lower prices until March 8 at Get Away Today. It’s all about who you know, and luckily for both of us, you know me! If you’ve never booked with Get Away Today before, you should definitely check it out. They are fabulous to work with, have really awesome deals (like everyone plays at the kids price!), and even send you fun gifts. With a savings of up to $36 on each ticket, the savings can really add up.

After you get a great deal on your Disneyland vacation at Get Away Today, you’re going to need a little extra cash for some Dole Whips and churros. So I’m having a little contest over on Instagram with a $25 Disney Gift Card as the prize! Here’s all you need to do:

First, follow 40eighteen on Instagram and watch for my Disney photos for the next few days.
When you see one, guess where we are in the Disneyland Resort in the photo. It’s okay if you don’t get it right. Your guess = one entry.
If you have the first correct guess on a photo as it shows up in my feed, you’ll get a little extra reward. First correct guess = one extra entry.
Tag a friend who is a Disney fan for an extra entry. You can tag as many friends as you want. It’s ok if they’re all in the same comment. Each tagged friend = one extra entry.

That’s it! Follow, guess, tag. Simple!

Remember, you have to follow 40eighteen and make your guess for any of the entries to count. This contest will run from 10:00 am March 4 until 11:59 pm March 8 MST. Several photos will be posted each of the 5 days of the contest, and one winner will be chosen from all of the entries. The winner will be announced on March 9 in an Instagram post and must claim their prize within 48 hours or forfeit to the runner up. Prize will be awarded as a $25 Disney gift card mailed to the winner. This contest is not affiliated with Instagram, Get Away Today, or Disney.

This post contains affiliate links. Your price is the same, and I earn a small commission on each sale. Thank you for supporting Forty Eighteen.

Tags: contests, Disney, Disneyland, family fun, giveaways, great deals, Instagram
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Feeling Lucky? Win a Disney vacation!

March 3, 2015 in Mailbox

Disneyland is my favorite! We’re having the Happiest Family Reunion on Earth at that magical place in a few weeks, and I cannot wait!!

I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count, and I have half a dozen trips planned this year, too. Going to Disneyland a billion times, I have learned a thing or two, and I’m going to write all about it this year. I could talk about Disneyland for hours, so I will split it up over a few months. Otherwise we’d end up with a novel — ain’t nobody got time for that!

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One thing that makes planning the perfect Disneyland vacation difficult is how expensive it can be! Disney just raised their ticket prices again this past week. A few reunion-bound family members haven’t bought their tickets yet, so while searching for ticket deals I found out that Get Away Today still has the old prices through tonight!

Those kind of savings really start adding up. Even if you don’t have a reunion planned in a few weeks, this deal is still great news for you because the tickets don’t expire until December 31, 2015. So you can buy them now and plan your trip later this year. Awesome!

I have recently started working with Get Away Today, and I really love their great deals! I just booked my first vacation with them this year, and I couldn’t believe the savings. With the fabulous hotel rates and a free night, it really was the best deal around!

Yikes, I sound like a commercial. Yes, I am an affiliate and I do get a small percentage when you shop through my link, but I really do love them. The whole booking process was easy, and the deal was unbeatable — and believe me, I looked. If you can find a better deal, I want to know about it!

15legit

The only thing better than finding a great deal on your Disney vacation is WINNING one! Amiright? Every once in awhile I see a friend on Facebook post a contest entry for a Disney vacation or cruise, but they’re usually from a bogus profile and not legit at all.

So I went searching for real sweepstakes from real sponsors with real prizes awarded to real people. And real people actually do win these things. My own sister has won 2 Disney World vacations in giveaways like these, so I know it happens.

This is what I found: 15 legit Disney giveaways and sweepstakes you can enter to win your own magical vacation. Each giveaway has its own set of official rules. I am not affiliated with any of these giveaways, I just like to win stuff. 🙂 Not all of these are sponsored by Disney – or even strictly Disney vacations – but they are all to Orlando or California, and most include theme park tickets.

Super simple entry – just log in and check the box:

Disney Channel Super Summer Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney World vacation for 5 including one night in the Cinderella Castle suite and 5-day Magic Your Way Park Hopper Tickets. Trip must be taken from May 21-25, 2015. Expires February 17.

Cinderella Perfect Fit Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night vacation for 4 to Walt Disney World including 3 nights in a Disney World Resort hotel and one night in the Cinderella Castle Suite, 5-day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper and Water Park & More options, a makeover for one child (age 3-12) at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and a $500 gift card. Expires March 27.

Disney Movie Rewards Big Hero 6: Big Adventure Sweepstakes – Win an Adventures by Disney vacation to San Francisco for 4 including 4 days and 3 nights in the city with a guided travel experience June 18-21, 2015. Expires May 1.

Disney Movie Rewards Sensational Dalmation-al Sweepstakes – Win a fabulous getaway for 4 to London, England including round trip flights, hotel accommodations, and a luxury tour of the city. Expires May 30.

Rafflecopter – several options for entry, choose to enter as many ways as you like

Pirate ‘n Princess Vacations Family Orlando Vacation – Win a 6-day, 5-night Orlando, Florida vacation including a 2-bedroom suite at the Nickelodeon Suites Resort, 4 round trip airline tickets and airport transfers, 4 $50 gift cards, 4 $50 Universal Studios Orlando gift cards, 4 4-day Disney magic Your Way Park Hopper Tickets, and 4 2-day Universal Orlando park-to-park tickets. Expires July 10.

Disneyland Vacation Giveaway – This one is 10 awesome bloggers working together to offer 10 fabulous Disney prizes from waffle and cake pop makers to Disney gift cards and a Disneyland vacation for 2! You can hop around to the 10 different blogs and enter to win each of the prizes with a rafflecopter at each one, so you can choose how and how many times you want to enter. This link goes to the Vacation giveaway, but you can follow her links to find the rest of the blogs and prizes.

Fill in the form – basic information like name, address, and email:

Scholastic: Tiny Travelers Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney World vacation for 4 including airfare, hotel, ground transportation, theme park tickets, and Disney character breakfast. Expires March 19.

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes: Stormstruck A Tale of Two Homes – Win a 3-night Walt Disney World Resort vacation for 4 including airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, 4-day Magic Your Way tickets, and $500 Disney gift card. Expires March 20.

Latina: Making Memories Together – Win a 5-day, 4-night Disney World vacation for 6, four different vacation packages to choose from. Expires March 31.

Experience Kissimmee: Kiss the Cold Away – Win a 6-day, 5-night Kissimmee, Florida vacation including hotel accommodations, theme park tickets, airfare, Boggy Creek airboat rides, and rental car. Expires April 12.

Visit Orlando: Once-In-A-Lifetime VIP Family Vacation – Win a vacation for 4 to Orlando, FL including airfare, hotel accommodations, theme park tickets, rental car, dining experience, behind the scenes tour, and more! Expires June 30.

Facebook – must log in to Facebook to see and fill out the form, “Like” is optional

Hapari’s 10th Anniversary Disney World Get Away Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day, 4-night Disney World vacation including hotel accommodations, airfare, Disney Parks admission, and SeaWorld admission. Expires March 30.

Florida Orange Juice: Orlando Family Vacation – Win a 6-day, 5-night vacation in Orlando, FL including hotel accommodations, airfare, ground transportation, and $1,000 gift card. Expires March 28.

Photo Entry – submit a photo meeting the contest requirements to enter

Disney Alexander: Funny Family Photo Sweepstakes – Win a 4-day, 3-night vacation for 4 to the Aulani Disney Resort and Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii including airfare, hotel, and ground transfers. Expires March 4.

National Geographic: Disney Parks Then and Now – Win a 5-day, 4-night Walt Disney Resort vacation for 6 including airfare, accommodations, 5-day Magic Your way Park Hopper tickets, $1,000 Disney gift card, character dining, and more! The winning photo will be selected based on Execution of Theme, Creativity & Originality, and Photographic Quality. Expires March 9.

Good luck! And remember I want to hear about it if you win one of these!!

I am so excited for our big family Disney vacation. Do you have any tips for me???

Tags: Disney, Disneyland, giveaways, sweeps
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52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family

January 22, 2015 in Family Room, Mailbox

I have never been one of those moms who cries at every milestone, sad to see my babies grow up. I love my babies, but I love to see how they will conquer the next stage of life. It’s exciting to see them get older and grow in wisdom and beauty and see their personalities blossom.

There has been one HUGE exception to this general rule, however.

Junior High. Ugh.

There is just something about sending my sweet, innocent babies to junior high that knocks the wind out of me and leaves me gasping for air.

Kindergarten? Bring it on! High school? No problem! But junior high still gives me nightmares and makes me wish I could keep my family in a force field, a bubble of safety where my babies can stay young and innocent.

But because school teaches much more than just reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, and Steve and I believe it is important for our kids to learn those valuable lessons, we send our little girls off to junior high, cringing and holding our breath and hoping we have prepared them well enough for those difficult years.

Since I don’t have a force field, I have to find other ways to strengthen my family, to fortify them against the dangers of the world. The most important way I know to do this is to teach them who they are, to instill in them an understanding of where they come from and what makes them great.

Ultimately, I want my daughters to know that they have another parent who loves them and knows them even better than Steve and me, a Heavenly Father from whom they have inherited divine attributes that make them great. I want them to understand that their relationship to God is the most important relationship they will ever have and that it needs to be constantly nourished. I want them to know how to talk to Him and how to hear His voice. I know that their relationship with Heavenly Father will be the greatest source of strength in their lives and can be their “force field” to keep them safe no matter what they encounter.

Instilling this knowledge in our children takes time and consistent effort, but life is so busy! Between youth activities, church meetings, orchestra concerts, play rehearsals, and team practices, not to mention homework, playing with friends, chores, and a million other demands on our time, we are lucky to spend time together on any given day. I have gone a full 24 hours without seeing Beth at all — and we live in the same house!! That’s crazy!

I was so excited when I heard about this new book from Nicole Carpenter: 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages. The idea behind this book is so simple but so powerful: daily 5-minute devotionals for your family. Nicole has put together 52 weeks of daily devotionals, arranged by topic so you can find exactly what your family needs in any given week.

I love that each daily message is short, but even more than that I love the extras that really turn your devotional into something meaningful. Each daily scripture discussion is right on topic, and the weekly questions start real discussions with opportunities to learn and bear testimony. I love that Nicole has included a reference to a conference address each week for more insight into that week’s theme. This could easily become your Family Home Evening lesson for the week.

I love that the book is small. That may sound strange, but it’s just not intimidating. At first glance it looks like something we can manage and enjoy. I have been thinking for months that I want to print a weekly quote and and display it in a frame where we will pass by it often and read it. Nicole is right there with a weekly quote, too! I can’t wait to get it printed so it is right in front of us and on our minds all week long.

I believe one of the best tools for strengthening our family is to make the gospel a part of our everyday lives. We live it, of course, but it’s also needs to be a normal topic of conversation. We talk about scriptures we have read, lessons we have learned, times that we have seen the hand of God in our lives and received answers to prayers.

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).

How will our children know the importance of the gospel in our lives if if’s only something they see on Sunday? We need to make sure we’re bringing the gospel into focus every day. I love that 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages brings the gospel into focus for a few minutes each day. I am so excited to make it through all 52 weeks.

I am even more excited for the chance I have today as part of this blog tour to give away a copy of Nicole’s book! You can enter using the Rafflecopter below. Or you can order your own copy of 52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family: 5-Minute Messages today and get to work building that force field around your family!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does junior high scare you, too? What do you do to fortify your family?

Tags: book, FHE fix-up, giveaways, kids, LDS, teens
5 Comments »

Favorite Popcorn Balls

May 17, 2014 in Kitchen, Mailbox

Welcome to the final day, Day #6 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-host by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps.

With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we want to make sure you have plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities. For the past six days we have been serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day.

We hope you enjoyed all of these wonderful ideas and thank you for tuning in each day. We have great prizes up for grabs and you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Be sure to check out previous days out here. Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways!

For our final day of Kick Off to Summer Week, we’re rounding out our Simple BBQ Menu with a simple, no-bake dessert that only takes a few minutes to throw together.

These Favorite Popcorn Balls were my go-to treat as a kid. I made them all summer long. I have fun memories of sculpting the gooey popcorn into animals and other fun shapes with my siblings. So much fun… and so tasty!

We always made this in two HUGE bowls, and that never seemed odd to me, so I was shocked to discover when I was a little older that our recipe that we made all the time had actually been doubled! I guess we really didn’t need that much sugar that often, so I started halving our recipe to cut back to “normal.”

Favorite Popcorn Balls

1/2 cube butter
1/3 c water
1/3 c light corn syrup
1 c sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla
Food coloring
A big bowl of popped popcorn

Combine butter, water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Now this is where you need to make a choice. Just how hard or soft do you want your popcorn balls to be? When my mom taught me how to make these popcorn balls, she taught me all about hard-ball stage and how to determine when your candy is there, but as I “perfected” my own version I realized I liked it a little more soft and gooey.

You can use a candy thermometer or the “cold water test” to determine when your syrup gets to the right stage. Fill a small bowl with cold water and drop a bit of the syrup into the water. Form the cooled syrup into a ball with your finger.

Soft-Ball Stage (235-245 degrees): When the syrup has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball in the cold water, but it flattens one removed from the water.

Firm-Ball Stage (245-250 degrees): When the syrup has reached firm-ball stage, the syrup ball will feel firm but pliable and slightly sticky. It will hold it’s shape when you remove it from the water, but it will lose its shape as it warms to room temperature.

Hard-Ball Stage (250-266 degrees): When the syrup has reached hard-ball stage, the syrup ball will hold its ball shape and deform only slightly with firm pressure. The ball will be quite sticky to the touch.

I like it somewhere in the soft- to firm-ball stage. Once your syrup is as done as you want it to be, remove it from the heat and add the vanilla and food coloring. Colored food is always a little more fun.

Form it into balls with a popcorn ball maker like this Jolly Time Popcorn Ball Maker (affiliate link) we had when I was a kid. Or you can form them by hand – just remember to grease your hands first so the sticky popcorn sticks to itself instead of you!

However you make them, my family’s favorite popcorn balls are a fun treat the whole family will love!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my blogger friends who’ve participated in this great event and show them how much you’ve enjoyed this week… drop them a line and show some love 🙂

Grilled Garlic and Basil Rubbed Pork Chops by From Gate to Plate
Mango Lassi by The Haas Machine
Shrimp and Corn Salsa Shooters by It’s Yummi
15 Barbecue Favorites by Summer Scraps
Greek Pork Kebabs with Tzatziki by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Favorite Popcorn Balls by Forty Eighteen
Making Memorial Day a Family Affair by Bits of Ivory
Sea Breeze Punch by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Steak Sandwich Stackers by Lady Behind the Curtain
Memorial Day Whoopie Pies by The Freshman Cook
Steak Verde Tacos by Clarks Condensed
Red, White and Blue Sangria by Love in the Kitchen
Sriracha Coleslaw by It’s a Keeper
Lemon Pomegranate Punch by Food Lust People Love
Peanut Butter Cup S’mores by Little Dairy on the Praire
Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Kebabs by Like Mother, Like Daughter
Vintage Patriotic Book Craft by We Like to Learn as We Go

We couldn’t let this week end without one more fabulous giveaway!

We want to offer you a $150 gift card to Amazon. How awesome is that?! We’re talking a $150 smackaroo’s to buy all of your Memorial Day necessities. Whether it’s a new grill, grilling utensils, cookbook, new cookware, or decor.. we’ve got you covered! It’s really easy to enter.. just follow along in the Rafflecopter!

Good luck and thank you for partying along with us this week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What a fun week! I’m ready to grill and party now!!! I hope you enjoyed it, too, and got some great new ideas and recipes for your Memorial Day and summer fun. You can find the rest of my Simple BBQ menu here.

Main dish • Easiest Ever Grilled Chicken marinade

Veggie Side Dish • Creamy Corn Salad

Fruit Side Dish • PB & Y Fruit Dip

Salad • Six Simple Pasta Salads

Drink • Perfect Fresh Lemonade

Dessert • Favorite Popcorn Balls

What is your favorite thing to grill?

Tags: dessert, giveaways, recipes
82 Comments »

Six Simple Pasta Salads

May 15, 2014 in Kitchen, Mailbox

Welcome to Day #4 of Kick Off to Summer Week, a multi-blogger event co-host by Lauren of From Gate to Plate and Summer of Summer Scraps.

With summer quickly approaching and Memorial Day in a few weeks, we want to make sure you have plenty of ideas for your Memorial Day activities. Each day we will be serving up a variety of different appetizers, main dishes, desserts, decor, printables and more all centered around the up-coming Memorial Day. We hope you enjoy all of these wonderful ideas.

Tune in each day starting with Monday, May 12 and ending on Saturday, May 17. We have great prizes up for grabs throughout the week so you will not want to miss out on any of the days! Follow #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 on Twitter to keep up to date with all of our spectacular ideas and giveaways!

I am on the hunt for a fabulous and super simple pasta salad. Naturally, I turned to Pinterest, and I found so many amazing pasta salad recipes I want to try.

To keep things simple in our Simple BBQ menu, I stuck to a few guidelines.

No more than 5-10 ingredients
No more than 3-5 cooking steps
Entire prep time cannot exceed 20-30 minutes

With those guidelines in mind, here are six simple salad recipes that would go perfectly with our Simple BBQ menu.

Delicious and Easy Pasta Salad by I Heart Naptime

Easy Pesto Pasta Salad by Wine and Glue

The Easiest Pasta Salad Ever by A Well Crafted Party

5-Ingredient Pasta Salad by Gimme Some Oven

Easy Summery Pasta Salad by Flamingo Toes

Tortellini Salad by Dream Home Cooking Girl

I think I may find some new favorites with this roundup. I can’t wait to try them!

We’ve just passed mid-week and we’re still rolling out more Memorial Day ideas for you! Look at all these awesome ideas the rest of the Kick Off to Summer Week bloggers have put together!

Macaroni Egg Salad by From Gate to Plate
Summer Fruit with White Chocolate Dip by Summer Scraps
Grilled Caesar Salad by Keep it Simple, Sweetie
Firecracker Cupcakes by It’s Yummi
Pasta Salad by Forty Eighteen
Red, White and Blueberry Cups by Bits of Ivory
Cowboy Coffee Cake by Lady Behind the Curtain
All American Burger by The Freshman Cook
No-Bake Cookie Butter Cookies by Clarks Condensed
Crispy Potatoes and Fennel by Love in the Kitchen
Asian Grilled Chicken Skewers by It’s a Keeper
Potato Salad by Life on Food
Outdoor Water Games by Play. Party. Pin.

Today’s sponsor for Day 4 of Kick Off to Summer Week belongs to World Market.

World Market has everything! From furniture, accessories, food and drink; everything you need for entertaining! They have beautiful multicultural pieces that are so unique and stylish (from over 50 countries!).

Work Market has something for every room, every theme, every occasion, and every season – and let me tell you their Gourmet Goodies are fabulous! I seriously wish I could win this fabulous prize! Did you know you can follow World Market on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter? Yup, now you do :).

We are giving away a $100 World Market Gift card to ONE of our lucky readers. Get excited because it just might be you! Enter in the Rafflecopter widget below. (Please be patient, sometimes the widget is temperamental and slow)

**Giveaway runs May 15 until May 22, 2014 at midnight EST. Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Winner must be 18 years of age or older. No cash value available**

**Disclaimer: This giveaway is being sponsored by World Market. #KickOffToSummerWeek2014 bloggers have not received product or been compensated as part of this giveaway!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have a favorite pasta salad? I would love the recipe!

Tags: giveaways, pasta, recipes, salad
15 Comments »

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Disneyland Discount and Win a Gift Card

Feeling Lucky? Win a Disney vacation!

52 Weeks to Fortify Your Family

Favorite Popcorn Balls

Six Simple Pasta Salads

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