I have so much good stuff in my email today that I hardly know where to begin! I guess I will just get a move on and try to get as much useful information out to you as I can before preschool drop off!

I want to start out by talking a little bit about "Black Friday" shopping. I have, for YEARS, been a huge Black Friday Shopper and usually have done all my shopping for Christmas on Black Friday (well I do end up getting a stocking stuffer or 2 after). Last year my husband had to work on Black Friday, but I got in a few REALLY early morning deals before he left. This year he works Black Friday again, so I may or may not go out. Honestly, I got all my Christmas shopping for this year done by mid-January as I shopped all the after Christmas clearance and used coupons and got some MAJOR deals. So, I am basically done anyway.

However, my sister has decided to try the Black Friday shopping this year for the first time and has asked me to write up some tips and tricks to Black Friday shopping. I cannot possibly say all I want in one post, so I will just post a few Black Friday tips at a time.

Today I want to tell you how I have historically done Black Friday. When my newspaper comes on Thanksgiving morning, I am like a kid in a candy store! I sit down on my bed with the Macy's parade playing and the food already cooking in the kitchen and I whip out the ads. I go through and circle the GREAT deals I would LOVE to get in each ad-taking special note of the doorbusters. I write a list of each store, what doorbusters I would love to have and what time that store opens for their doorbuster sales. BEFORE Thanksgiving, I sit down with my husband and we write up a list of who we need to buy for and what we think we might want to get them.

So, after checking the ads, I compare the 2 lists and prioritize-are there specific items from my list of gifts I am looking for that are great deals somewhere on sale? What Doorbusters do I really want and are the at a place that usually has a ton of the items (like Walmart usually does here) or a place that limits the number to the first 25 (like Nebraska Furniture Mart)? Basically I look at what my odds are of getting what I want at the stores.

Once I have prioritized and listed which items I actually want to get and at which store they will be sold, then I look at the times the stores open in the morning and write up a plan of action as to where to go first, second, etc.

This has been my beloved tradition for many, MANY years. However, the last couple years have made my tradition a bit easier for a couple reasons. One is that last year at least, Walmart pricematched ALL the ads-even doorbusters! I went to one store! (The obvious downfall to that is that it is extra busy there and the more people that figure out they can price match the doorbusters, the less likely you are to get that item there.)

Second, and more important as far as convenience (especially when hubby is working and I am NOT going to take 4 kids to shop in those crowds for their own Christmas presents) is that LOTS of places have ONLINE doorbusters as well, and there is a growing "Cyber Monday" where online deals are often amazing as well.

Also, one more tip I will mention is that every year there are websites that leak the Black Friday deals and doorbusters before they are released. You can check those out, but be aware that you will still need to check your local ads when they come out to make sure what you are looking for and expecting is really on the local ad!

What questions do you have about Black Friday Shopping? Or what tips can you share with other Beckees Deals readers? I would LOVE to hear what your take on Black Friday is! Please comment or email me with questions or comments! (email is beckeesdeals@gmail.com)

Remember to enter BOTH of my giveaways (the BabyCenter one would make a GREAT baby shower gift)

You can enter to win this fun giveaway that includes yummy Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls as well as Scrapbooking items meant for a family fun Sunday brunch! Go here to check it out and to enter!! This giveaway ends next week and has around 20 entries right now!!!

AND this next giveaway is perfect for the expecting/new mom OR for a baby shower gift! You can enter to win this fantastic prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib!!! This giveaway ends on 11/27 (my baby sister's 22 birthday). Go here to check it out and to enter As of this post there are NO entries-the chances are good.

On a personal note, yesterday my husband accepted a fellowship at the Mayo clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona!! We are so excited to know where the next step in this long road will take us! We have plenty of time to plan (we will not move for a year and a half-summer of 2012). BUT, now that I KNOW where I am going, I cannot help but begin planning and researching and all that fun stuff.

So, I have never been to Scottsdale (Ok-actually I think my parents took me there as a child, but that doesn't really count). So, I need my wonderful readers, friends and family to help me out-what do you know about the Phoenix area near Scottsdale. I need to start looking for the areas we are willing to live. Here is what I am looking for-we will need to RENT a 4 bedroom house (as we will have 7 people by then) in a GOOD school district/area that is affordable on a fellowship salary (which is not much-so think inexpensive...). I am fairly flexible about most everything except the school area.

Also, let me know what fun and exciting activities and stuff I have to look forward to there! Send any advice, you have for me about Arizona as I start my exciting (and long) search...

I am a bit nervous about the summer heat, so maybe it is good that I just experienced the summer of no air conditioning to prepare myself...

Since we are talking coffee, I should mention that every Friday in November, Burger King will give you a free 12 oz cup of Seattle's Best coffee if you drop in before 10:30am. No purchase necessary! (But you can add flavored shots of syrup or whipped cream for an additional charge.) One per customer per day on November 5, 12, 19, and 26. Participation may vary, so call your local Burger King to see if they are participating.

Thanks Mom for Him.

You can get FREE coffee at Bruegger's tomorrow from opening until 2 pm. They do encourage you to donate to Children's Miracle Network if you can while there, but that is not required to get your free coffee.

Today at 4 pm EST (that is 3 PM here in the Central time zone) Bounce will be giving away t-shirts. They will go quickly I am sure, so go here now and LIKE them on facebook so when the time comes to sign up for the shirt, you will be all ready to go! Let me know if anyone gets one-I will be doing a preschool pick up when these go live...

Did you miss this post last night?! Check out the awesome coupon that will be going up on Facebook in about a half hour!!
Remember the fantastic Wholly Guacamole stuff I told you about here? Well, they have a FANTASTIC coupon promotion starting up on Facebook TODAY at 9 am CST (11/9)! Read all about it:

Looking for an excuse to partY? Wholly is too! So...they’ve decided to celebrate "Any daY that ends in Y"! WhY? Because anY daY is a daY that you and your friends and familY can hang out and munch on WhollY Guacamole, WhollY Salsa and WhollY Queso.

Celebrate todaY by going to Facebook.com/whollyguacamole and clicking the coupon tab for information about an awesome coupon that helps you save $4 off anY one (1) WhollY product! This is as close as they can get to FREE and still call it a coupon!! And since you alreadY love their WhollY Guacamole, you should use this coupon to pick up SOME ultra, fresh tasting WhollY Salsa, OR super creamY WhollY Queso.

Celebrate the daY!

Remember the fantastic Wholly Guacamole stuff I told you about here? Well, they have a FANTASTIC coupon promotion starting up on Facebook tomorrow morning at 9 am CST (11/9)! Read all about it:

Looking for an excuse to partY? Wholly is too! So...they’ve decided to celebrate "Any daY that ends in Y"! WhY? Because anY daY is a daY that you and your friends and familY can hang out and munch on WhollY Guacamole, WhollY Salsa and WhollY Queso.

Celebrate todaY by going to Facebook.com/whollyguacamole and clicking the coupon tab for information about an awesome coupon that helps you save $4 off anY one (1) WhollY product! This is as close as they can get to FREE and still call it a coupon!! And since you alreadY love their WhollY Guacamole, you should use this coupon to pick up SOME ultra, fresh tasting WhollY Salsa, OR super creamY WhollY Queso.

Celebrate the daY!

Do you remember I told you that CSN Stores let me pick something to review, and I ordered some items, the main one being the fabulous pair of boots pictured above?! I had a bit more left on my gift code, so I also ordered some more Mr Clean Magic Eraser scrubbers (I LOVE those) and a pen as well.

Well, I have gotten all items now and cannot wait to tell you all about my awesome boots!

First, I want to note that I love, LOVE my new boots! They are fabulous! A few things I really like are the chunky heels, the non-shiny black tall boot, and really they just make my legs look way better than they usually do!  One warning about these boots though-in my ever expanding and swelling pregnant body (IE my swelling legs), they are a bit tight on my calves. So, if you have bigger calves or yours are swelling like mine, this might not be the pair of boots for you. However, like I said, they look great and I love them. I can wear them really with whatever-jeans, skirts, whatever! I purposely picked the black so they match whatever I wear.  Also, they were quite inexpensive for boots like this, and the quality is pretty good. Look at me wearing my boots with a cute short skirt:

And with jeans:


Super cute boots, right?!


As for the service from CSN Stores it was great. I got the 3 items I ordered in 3 different boxes (the pen came first, then the Mr Clean Magic Erasers, then the boots). They all came quickly and without any trouble. I did have to laugh when the pen came though because it came in a huge box and all that was in there was the pen.

Overall, I have to say that I had another great experience ordering from CSN Stores, and I highly recommend checking them out! There really is something for everyone and they do a great job getting your order to your house quickly!

If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you probably already know that I am currently expecting my 5th child. He (well, it looks like it is a boy-we will verify that for sure next week) is due on April 5, which is my second child's 7th birthday. We could not be more excited about our upcoming new baby.

You would think after 5 pregnancies/babies, I would be a baby/pregnancy expert, but really I am still learning with each pregnancy. So, I was super excited to get the chance to learn about and check out babycenter.com.

Before I get into the Giveaway and review can I give you some information given to me straight from babycenter.com?

In an effort to be there for mom during her pregnancy and parenting journey, wherever and whenever she needs it most, BabyCenter continually strives to offer valuable parenting tools. Among the latest and greatest include:

BabyCenter My Pregnancy Today App
This new, free application for the iPhone and iTouch, guides expectant moms through their pregnancy journey, offering award-winning, medically reviewed health content; advice from obstetricians, midwives, nutritionists, and other experts; daily activities and reminders; and conversation and connection with other moms-to-be in BabyCenter’s community.

BabyCenter “Preparing for Labor and Birth” Online Class
The BabyCenter Class is a convenient, at-home option for moms who can’t attend hospital childbirth classes due to hectic work schedules or being put on bed rest. And the price is right, too! For only $39.99, the all-new 2-hour instructional course lets you hear from doctors, ask your questions, and build confidence for your big day. Preparing for Labor and Birth includes: An explanation of the signs and stages of labor; What to expect during labor; Labor and birth stories from new moms; An overview of your pain-management options; A tour of a delivery room; Suggestions for creating your birth plan; A checklist to help you prepare for the big day and more.

BabyCenter Parenting Books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby)
These two new practical and reassuring books provide pregnant women and new mothers with all of the information and support they need during this exciting new time in their lives, with a blend of expert advice and true “mom wisdom.” Both are great, highly visual, reference books to keep on the nightstand for that nagging question or concern that inevitably pops up in the middle of the night.

Mom Answers
This new interactive tool gives BabyCenter moms an emotionally supportive environment where they can ask questions and get answers straight from other moms who’ve had similar life experiences. It’s like having access to 8 million best girlfriends 24/7.

Milestones
The new Milestones tool provides BabyCenter moms the ability to quickly and easily record important pregnancy and childhood milestones and share them with friends and family via e-mail, Facebook, and the BabyCenter Community. It’s a fun way to create an online “baby book.”

Babycenter.com through MyBlogSpark provided me with a prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib. They also gave me access to their Online classes.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much wonderful information is available! Even as a 5th time mom I learned a lot from their tools. I thought the online classes had great useful information, and I loved being able to get that from home without finding a babysitter and going to the hospital for a class. LOVED the convenience.

The books they send were organized well and easy to read and follow and to find what you want to read about. Lots of great information! I have really enjoyed these items and thanks to Babycenter.com through MyBlogSpark, I am able to offer one of my readers the chance to win a Prize package that includes two new BabyCenter parenting books (BabyCenter® Pregnancy and BabyCenter® Baby), a package of Seventh Generation diapers, a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly and a BabyCenter bib!!!  Check it out:

If you are pregnant, a new mom, or think you might have a baby in the future, this would be a great giveaway for you to enter!! It would also make a great baby shower gift if you are not expecting yourself!!

Here is how to enter the Giveaway (PLEASE make sure to leave an email address in each comment so I can reach you should you win):

MANDATORY ENTRY (Must do this first for other entries to count): Just leave a comment sharing your favorite pregnancy or parenting story.

Once you have done that, you can get up to 6 extra entries by doing the following things (Just make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry, and leave me your email address in each comment so I know how to contact you should you win):

1. Become a Google Friend follower of my blog (You can do this over on the right side of the blog where the followers box is). If you are already a follower, just let me know that in your comment.

2. Subscribe to my blog via Email or an RSS feed/reader. (Yes-you can use this entry if you are already an email or RSS subscriber- just let me know how you subscribe to my blog).

3. Refer a friend to this blog and leave a comment after they become a follower or subscribe.

4. Become a Facebook fan of the blog here.

5. Tell me how you found this giveaway/blog.

6. Follow me on Twitter here.

This giveaway is for USA and Canada residents only.

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry with your email address. The winner will be chosen using Random.org on Saturday November 27, 2010 at about 11:59 PM Central Time (My sister's birthday-Happy Birthday Melanie!).