Sweepstakes Mama presents #Sweepstakes101 Twitter Party

Join the Sweepstakes Mama team for #Sweeptakes101!!

Learn to how to get started entering sweepstakes! And winning ofcourse! She will go thru tips to become a seasoned sweeper like her and take time to answer questions you might have!

SweepstakesMama.com is an awesome site for the best sweepstakes online! We have a page for Instant Win games and our Twitter party calendar is updated daily!

Join us on Twitter at 9pm ET hash tag is #Sweepstakes101

RSVP by going to www.sweepstakesmama.com

Join @sweepstakesmama
@sweepreviewmama


Hope u can make it!

**The Skeptical Sweeper News**

Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to give you guys a heads up on what's going on with me!

I'm proud to announce that I am now a part of the Sweepstakes Mama team. For about a month now I've been learning the ins and outs of posting sweepstakes and being involved in the happenings with the blog. I was a part of the 20 minute chat held by The Motherhood last week. It was my first party type experience as a panelist and I was super stoked! It was a cool experience and looking forward to many more!

So if you haven't, go to www.SweepstakesMama.com and check out my posts and get to sweeping! Follow her site as well and you'll get emails when new sweeps are listed and you'll also receive emails each weekend with a round-up of all the new sweeps! You can also feel safe in knowing that all the sweepstakes we list are legit, I know that is a concern for a lot of people that want to enter sweepstakes but don't.

Also I will continue to post my Mamavation Monday posts but during the week starting next week will be touch and go. We are preparing for our move back to E. Texas and it's going to be a bit tricky. I'll be travelling back to FL in July to drive my car home and then we will head to west Texas and make our new home there courtesy of the US Army. Home will be intact by mid-August and the madness begins on Wednesday. (Yikes!) So you guys will see possibly a lack of posts regarding sweeping. As always I am always available if you have any questions- you can reach me via email candyolivares@gmail.com or leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

I will continue to blog here as The Skeptical Sweeper and hope to learn some new tips and technique and share with you all. I'll always be skeptical ya know. ;)

I appreciate my small following; you all really mean the world to me.

Candy,
The Skeptical Sweeper

Come Party with the Sweepstakes Mama Team 4 a chance to win $100 Gift Card!

Come join us the Sweepstakes Mama team! And your's truly; for the Moms Who Win Chat! This will be my first chat as a panelist! Very excited!   For participating in the chat you'll have a chance to win a $100 Wal-Mart gift card!!!


Leave me a comment if you are planning on attending! There's no RSVP but I want to make sure and say hello if you are there!!


 Moms Who Win: Finding and Entering Online Sweepstakes.  With all of the brands offering blog giveaways, Twitter parties providing prizes, and online sweepstakes that exist out there, you could regularly win fun prizes - if you knew where to start. Join Shannon Schulte of Sweepstakes Mama for tips on where you can find great sweepstakes and Twitter parties and start getting involved.
 
When: Thursday, June 7, at 1 p.m. ET.  We will chat for 20 minutes!
 
Where: On The Motherhood, right here - http://bit.ly/K701O6
 
Who: The all-text chat will be hosted by Shannon Schulte, blogger at Sweepstakes Mama.  Joining as co-hosts are these fantastic bloggers:

Alicia, Sweepstakes Mama, http://www.sweepstakesmama.com 
Candy, The Skeptical Sweeper, http://theskepticalsweeper.blogspot.com/   THAT'S ME!! LOL 


Co-host Twitter IDs:
@SweepMamaAlicia
@candypo

Host Twitter IDs: 
@SweepsMama
@theMotherhood
@EmilyMcKhann
@CooperMunroe
@eolson426

Twitter Trivia- Yes You Can Win!!

Any trivia buffs out there? I know not exactly sweepstakes but bare with me. You've seen my posts regarding Twitter and how awesome it is to win sometimes multiple times a day.. (If you are lucky like some people..) Trivia can be a way to win! Yes- when a brand buzzes about Trivia check it out! You could get a Free Bloomin Onion like I did a couple weeks ago!

When I'm full on alert while on Twitter sometimes I'll notice a tweet about up coming trivia. Wednesday seems to be a hot day for trivia #WinItWednesday is a popular hash tag! Last week I won a a t-shirt from @PureBarre and this week I won some K-Cup coffee samples from @CafeExpress! I dont' normally like to talk about my wins because I want this blog to be about you! And your wins ofcourse! It gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing I helped you win!

Back on to #WinItWednesday.  I also wanted to share a photo of what came in the mail today- thanks to my dear Twitter.  Also some contests will only ask for a re-tweet -hey that's a no brainer- no work, just hit the little re-tweet arrow! Also make sure you follow the brand as well.

Thanks to @ScrubbingBubbles and a fellow Twitter friend I won a Scrubbing Bubbles prize pack that was delivered via UPS! Oh yeah.. UPS! Love it!

Sometimes brands will ask you to post a reply or re-tweet a statement including a fellow Twitter friend. When your post is chosen you and your friend that you listed in the post win! YES! A Two-For-One WIN!!  That doesn't happen in sweepstakes!!

Not sure if I'm that lucky, I'm becoming a Twitter hooker regular or just being a good person is helping me out with these but thankfully I've gotten lucky with #WinItWednesday.

I tell you what, leave me a post with your Twitter handle and when I see the, I call them "Partner" posts I'll post your twitter handle in there with mine and hope we are chosen to win!! Just make to keep an eye out for my tweets and make sure to follow the brand that we are tag-teaming for a joint prize! If not it won't work.. and the brand won't award us a prize.. Atleast I wouldn't if you didn't follow me.. hahaha.

I plan on posting once a week- hopefully more but it will just have to depend on what life has thrown my way that week.

I'll have another post hopefully on Friday to release some good news on my end.

So leave me your Twitter Handle and make sure to Follow Me @candypo  

Here's another question- do you think I should change my handle to @SkepSweeper ? I've contemplated it yet am not sure I want to make the complete plunge..silly I know.

Candy
The Skeptical Sweeper

Skeptical Still? Keep Reading, Start Entering so you can start WINNING!!!

#FF - Fabulous Friday - Win some cash!!!

Hey there everyone! How was your week?! Are you glad it's over?! I am!! Here at our home we look forward to the weekends. Family time and ofcourse lots of FUN!

What are you doing this weekend? Me.. well actually we are headed to Orlando this afternoon. Going to the Lego store so my son can pick out some Legos & I've got to pick up my race packet for the Disney's Everest Expedition race tomorrow night! Super excited! I'm doing it with my friend Krista as a team.  It's a 5k race so not too scared about this one, although it has some obstacles to get thru and a scavenger hunt! Very excited as this is my first Disney race and hopefully not my last.

So I was thinking today about sweepstakes. Unfortunately as time has not been on my side (as you have seen with my lack of posts =( } I ask you to think about sweepstakes. I've asked what you'd like to win, but have you thought about "Why you'd like to win?" It can be some work to get all registered and then make sure to enter each day to maximize your entries. I will admit it's annoying sometimes, but when you get that email saying you won it makes it all worth it!

The person with the fourth response will win $5.00 Paypal money. If you don't have a PayPal account it's a great idea to set one up. A lot of sweepstakes from blogs you can win a cash prize sent directly to your Paypal account. Who doesn't like instant cash-ola!!  If you don't have a PayPal account and would rather not set it up I can mail you a $5 bill. Your choice!

Good Luck!

If you haven't won anything lately, this could be your win! Leave me a comment answering:

Why you want to win and what sweeping strategy has worked best for you.

Remember- 4th comment listed wins!

Sweepstakes 101 Twitter Party **TONIGHT**

Are you available tonight at 9pm ET? If you are Join me (I'll be tweeting to win also!) and participate in a Twitter party thrown by the "Queen of Sweepstakes," herself- Sweepstakes Mama!

Here's the info below! Hurry and RSVP to be eligible to WIN!! Good Luck to you!!! Hope the Skeptical Sweeper Readers are WINNERS tonight!

Join us for the #Sweepstakes101 Twitter Party tonight at 9pm ET!

Want to learn how to win frequently and BIG?
If you are new to Sweepstakes Mama, and want to learn how to organize your bookmarks, find local sweepstakes, or have any sweepstakes related questions, we’re here to help!

Join us for a fun chat and let us help you get on the road to winning!

Be sure to follow @SweepsMama, @SweepMamaAlicia, and  RSVP here to be eligible to win a few fun surPRIZES!

http://sweepstakesmama.com/2012/04/sweepstakes-101-twitter-party.html

Where Do I Find Sweepstakes?? Part 1

That's one of the first questions I am asked, "Where do I find the sweepstakes!?" Great question! Sweepstakes are sneaky little things, unless your feelers are on you can find them everywhere! Yes! They are everywhere. 

Here's Part 1-

Your Local Grocery Store

Every grocery store there are chances to win! Not necessarily sweepstakes being conducted by the actual grocery store but individual companies with products in the store. In the canned aisle sweespstakes can be advertised on the cans of different products! 

Canned aisle- A lot of soups have Educational Box Top slips that can be used to give your local school $0.10 for every top- what you don't know is that if you go to the Box top website there are sometime weekly sweepstakes that can double your contribution to the school or give you even more! That's a good thing to do for your local schools. I normally don't posts sweepstakes but this is a great sweep-stake that can benefit a lot of children. Gotta love that! 

Candy section- Sweet sugary goodness and a chance to win?! Say it aint so! YES-YES-YES! Packages of candy will be have that favorite phrase "Chance to WIN" plastered over it. There's always a chance to win some candy and money! Scan the candy stand as you are waiting in line to check out. Also if it's a candy that you enjoy it's a win-win situation. 

At the door- Yes! Some grocers have local sweepstakes that they put on so their customers can keep coming back! At our local grocery store back home they run several promotions I think about twice or more a year with either scratch tickets or board game themed. The more you shop there the more pieces of the puzzle you pick up and you could win BIG! 

Online

Sweepstakes are every where online.  All you have to do is go to your favorite search engine, (ie., Yahoo, Google, Bing, etc) type in SWEEPSTAKES and you are off to a great start! The search engine can also take you to the different blog sites that provide lists and endless lists of sweepstakes. If you want easy access to sweepstakes I say sign up! If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt skip signing up for the sites. The websites provide a great service to readers by listing a lot of sweepstakes daily. Some even list the "HOT" winnable sweepstakes at the top of the page! 

I am a member of two different websites and frequent a site that lists a lot of instant win games. I enjoy the instant win games. Message me if you'd like to know which sites I frequent. 

Facebook, Pintrest & Twitter are also great sites to go thru for sweepstake notices. A lot of companines and brands will have a Facebook promotion and a Twitter- so if you are a member of both communities hey that's two chances for you to win! Some can be local sweepstakes, national sweepstakes or just specific for their Facebook and or Twitter followers. Even Pintrest has chances to win! Depending on who you follow or have "Re-pinned," you can come across a chance to win.   

Quick post for today! I will continue the places you can find sweepstakes in the coming days. With sweepstakes the possibilities are truly endless and if you look you will find them! Getting the win comes with persistence as well. 

Remember you can't win if you don't sign up! 

Skeptical Still?  Keep reading, start entering so you can start WINNING!!  

Candy -

The Skeptical Sweeper 

Wishing you a #FF Fabulous Friday!

It's Friday and I'm very happy! A few reasons for my happiness/excitement :

1)  It's Friday! End of the work/school week for my family so we can have some fun this weekend!

2)  The Ultimate Blog Party 2012 began today! Well the registrations the partying begins on Monday, April 16th with a Twitter party from 9pm-10:30pm eastern time! Be there or Be Square!!

3)  My son has a baseball game in the morning! Ezra and I will be rooting him on while daddy stands along the fence doing some daddy coaching.. LOL

4)  Take time to relax and enjoy our family time.  The work week can get so busy

5) My last long run with Fit 2 Run in training for the Iron Girl Half Marathon next weekend in Clearwater, FL! Goodness I can't believe it's next weekend already!! It's my first half marathon. I've been training since January so I'm looking forward to completing it.  I told my husband last night that I will be purchasing my 13.1 bead to go on my Pandora bracelet and a couple stickers/magnets with the 13.1 for my car!! If they made a shirt, I'd buy it too! I'm almost sure they do! It's a feat I've never in my life ever even considered attempting, so I'm really proud of myself.

Anyways enough about me! Tell me about you?! Is there something you are excited about for this coming weekend? Or in the near future?

Have you tried out a Twitter party yet?! If you haven't come out to the #UBP12 Twitter party on Monday. You must RSVP- You can do so here: http://www.5minutesformom.com/53476/ultimate-blog-party-2012-live-events/

When you "see me" at a party say hello!! Remember I'm @candypo on Twitter.  SkepticalSweeper is too long for a Twitter Handle so I need to get creative.. soon!

Okie dokie guys and dolls! Leave me a comment- You never know what post I'll be choosing the $5 Amazon code winner from.  One a month and we are half way thru the month..

Skeptical Still? Keep Reading and I hope you have started entering.. Let me know if you win something!!

Candy -
The Skeptical Sweeper

Instant Gratification - Twitter Part 2

Instant gratification. The faster it happens the happier I am. During the month of January & three weeks of February I felt it everyday! I won pretty much every day except Sat-Sun (I don't do sweeps during the weekend).  I won from doing trivia and or participating in Twitter parties. The trivia or re-tweet contests are too easy not to do. The message will say "RT for a chance to win," so all you have to do is hit the nifty little Re-Tweet button and you're entry is received. No sign up for this blog, follow me here or there just Re-tweet. Of course I must add that you will need to follow the brand or person on Twitter to even be considered to win. But that's too easy right.

Chat online for an hour and during that hour you could potentially win a prize. What's easier than that right! Unless random chooser isn't on your side it's still a lot of fun to chat during a Twitter party. Either way it's an hour lost. Sometimes I think to myself that I'm just making time fly by doing these parties. Possibly trying to talk myself out of doing them but then "winning" takes over and tells it to hush. LOL

What if anything intimidates you about this process? Because it is intimidating, (or it is at least it is to me) I compare it to being the new kid in town. It can actually be like that at every Twitter party you participate in unless you develop friendships with other bloggers and twitter party-ers.  I'm not saying trade your bff's for the ladies online, just be able to sign into a chat and say, "Oh there's @candypo ! I wonder if she's won anything or which party she's going to after this one!" The more I see it, the more I think the world really revolves by networking.  That's why I highly recommend also joining in on a sweepstakes website such as www.sweepstakesmama.com  A lot of us" sweepers" "run" in tight circles where we bounce off of one another during parties. There was recently a party that the hosts were put in Twitter "jail" and myself and another fellow online friend were asking the special guest questions! We became the hosts for the party at that moment. It was very funny. Did you noticed Twitter "jail?" The Twitter Gods have deemed that certain people can only "tweet" so many times per day. I myself have been placed in jail a few times. My account is held and I can't post any more tweets. I can't even send a message, it's complete Twitter lock-down.  Pretty sad, huh? Eh, it gets better. Just taking watching my tweets from now on.

Most recently I noticed I surpassed the 10,000 mark for tweets! I should have paid more attention I would have done something cool. Oh well.. maybe at 20k? LOL

Have you tried out a Twitter party yet? Have you won?? Share with us! This blog is meant to share my experiences with doing sweepstakes and winning-sometimes.  I would like for it to be interactive so that my readers also share in their winnings and or experiences as well.  

The Balancing Act

My family and I will be taking a Spring Break vacation and I will be away from blogging during this time. Let's face it I can'y stay away. My posts may be a little shorter, but I am sure I'll be online to post a few blogs while on vacay.

I won't however, be participating in Twitter parties during this time; or at least not for my own personal purposes. I'm planning on doing a tutorial with a friend of mine. 

Recently a friend and fellow blogger posted a blog about finding the balance between being online doing sweeps and having time to do everyday chores and having family time. Check out her blog post here: http://www.blogher.com/obsession-sweepstakes  Check out her site too www.sweepstakesmama.com

I have spoken to other friends about the time they spend entering sweeps and being online for Twitter parties or searching for sweeps and etc.  Some of it may sound alarming to people that aren't normally "connected" as I like to call it aka being online.  Being on the computer isn't the only way you can be connected or online; you can be via your mobile phone, tablet or iPad or worst all of the above at the same time.  I have found that when I'm not sitting in front of my computer I check email, Facebook and Twitter on my iPhone.  You would hate to miss an email letting you know you won something right? It's part of the madness.. LOL 

How do you find your balance? Do you struggle with having to decide on what you want to do because of lack of time? Leave me a comment on what your struggles are with balancing life and fun. 

Whoa it's been quite a week!

Sorry for the delay in posts, life has been a little bumpy this week. Nothing serious just lack of sleep and my sweet cranky baby.  I'll have to update my bio so you'll know a bit of my background.

Thanks to my wonderful husband and baby taking naps I have been able to participate in a couple Twitter parties this week. (If you are wondering, I did get some sweet wins!)

Did you "party" or "sweep" any this week? I "ran" into one of my readers a few nights this week on twitter.  I can't wait til her first win! I know it will happen soon! We will def post when she does too!  Once you begin your sweeping journey let me know! Share with us so we can be excited for each other.  My mantra on sweeping is, "Don't be jealous of someone else's win, they have put themselves out there for it and as soon as you do, you too will win!"

I get so excited when I read about other people's wins. 1- Because I feel that it makes a "Win" more attainable to to me as well.  If they won so can I! =) And thank God I have! I share my winnings with all of my family.  I can't wait to send my parents and inlaws on trips!

Have you mentioned to your loved ones that you are going to or have started entering sweepstakes? My parents & sisters think I'm crazy, but are amazed at what I have won so far.  My husband, he gets excited and has plans for the future.. I tell him not to get cocky. LOL  You never know when I'll run out of "luck."  Not sure if it is luck either.. I'm not sure what it is. But whatever it is.. I'm very happy about it. And if I stopped winning, I don't think it would break my heart either.  I'll just chalk it up to what it was, a Great ride! But for now this car doesn't plan on stopping.  Let's begin your sweeping story as mine goes along with it. =)

Let's get some comments going and share my site with friends!  I'll be taking Fri-Sun off this week. Feb 3 is my birthday so I'm going to take the day off. But from now on no new posts will be listed on Sat & Sun.  I've got some reviews that I'll be posting and more information on how you can also become a successful sweeper and winning at Twitter parties in the coming weeks.

The Skeptical Sweeper-
 Candy

You have a package on the Way!

A phrase that will make your heart jump with joy! Are you familiar with UPS Alerts? It was recommended that I set up a UPS account to receive notices when packages are headed my way via UPS. I signed up back in December and LOVE it! With the amount of sweepstakes I do enter (a lot), I forget to check and see if I win. Some contest will alert you of your win via an email. I understand some also notify you via telephone, so always answer your phone. Anyways on Sunday received an email from UPS Notifications stating there was a package on the way to me. The box was listed as 8lbs. What on earth could be coming, I wondered.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait too long, I received the box today! A couple weeks ago on Twitter, a company had a contest asking for a tip regarding dental care. I tweeted a response with the appropriate hash tag. I was notified that my tip was chosen along with four other people to receive listerine prize packs. I was super excited! That's what I received today! 7 bottles of Listerine, toothbrushes for children & adults, 1 flosses (full size), 5 hand held flossers. Totally cool prize!
Point of the story- if u are on twitter and see a company offering a chance to win via tweeting a message- do it! That's just another chance for you to score some freebies! Send multiple messages if you like. I submitted two for this one. And don't forget the hash tag!

Check out the pic of my loot :) Have a question? Leave me a comment or send me an email.

Skeptical still? Keep reading, start entering & start winning!!!

Sites I Follow & You Should too!

Starting to sweep you have to be a part of some great sites. My top two favorite sweeping sites are
Sweeties Sweeps & Sweepstakesmama Links to their sites are on my page on the left.

Wendy aka "Sweetie," opened the world of sweeping to me. Her site offers fabulous insight and information. Sweetie also has a Secret Sweeps website, I highly advise that you become a member of this site  $25 annual fee. If and when you do just tell her I sent you.  Sweetie also offers sites on Freebies & Coupons a great way to receive freebie samples of different products.

Sweepstakes Mama is also a great site! Sweepsmama has a lot of sweeping info on her site as well and she also has giveaways. Make sure and sign up for those!


The sites might seem similar but they offer so much on the wide spectrum of sweeping and winning. Check out each site and maximize your chances to WIN! 

You will notice that Sweeties Sweeps shares a link to a Twitter Calendar located on Sweepstakes Mama's web page. So when you start partying on Twitter that calendar will help you decide which party you want to participate in that day.  Twitter Parties.. another post that you'll want to read. =)

Skeptical Still? It's totally ok to be. Keep reading, start playing and start winning!

The First Win

Sweeping or completing sweepstakes is exciting.  I first started to sweep I guess last year, but if it makes any sense I didn't really know what I was doing and just entered stuff here and there. Well not that I totally know the secret to winning big.. Because I don't. I'm still very new to the wide world of "sweeping."  With that said I want to give you an idea of how I've done since I first started "actively" and "seriously" sweeping on November 1st 2011. A list is posted on my blog on my instant win game wins and I also plan on putting out  a list of items I've won from Twitter parties.  That's a whole different animal that we'll discuss later.

First win ever came from an IWG (Instant Win Game) it happened to be an individual state contest so the odds were better but still nothing is ever guaranteed in the land of sweeping. LOL  Anyhoo I enter my information and "spun" the wheel.  $100 gift card to a local sporting goods store. I was so excited.  It felt awesome knowing that I had won a gift card. It was also in the middle of the night so I couldn't scream out loud to tell everyone of my win. LOL I received the email confirming my win and hope to receive my gift card in a few weeks after the promotion ends.

Now when playing a sweepstakes game when you win an instant win game you may not receive your prize until after the sweepstakes has ended.  Always read the Official Rules of each game so you aren't caught waiting by the mailbox for your prize. Because you could be there for a few months. With that said there are some sweeps that send your prize out immediately. So always read the rules just to make sure.

My advice to you is to join two of my favorite sites. The names are on another post. Find the post, sign up and then you are sure to start winning.

Skeptical Still? It's totally ok to be. Keep reading, start playing and start winning!

My Sweeping Successes- Instant Win Style

I began my sweeping story on Nov. 1, 2011.  I began with instant win games (IWG). The IWG can be so much fun some times it's drag and uncover matching items, slot machines or matching games. I love the spin to win games! I guess because it reminds me of the casino. LOL

Here's a short list of a few of my conquests thru online sweeping:
2 Tickets for Southwest Airlines  (facebook sweep)

Amazon Kindle Fire (blog sweep)
Gift cards to Amazon, Sports Authority, Merrel, Target, American Express & Best Buy (online sweeps)

Candy bars from Mars, Dove & Mike & Ike (online sweeps)
Pens (facebook sweep)

*These are all wins I have won from instant win games online.  I will post list of wins from Twitter parties on another post. Twitter that's a whole other story, you'll want to tune in for that one.

So for a couple months of "heavy" sweeping I'd say I've done pretty dang well. The thing about sweeping is that you have to stay with it.  Persistence is key.  Don't give up if you don't win the first month or two or three.  Stick with it. If you want to win, you have to stick with it.  

Skeptical Still? It's totally ok to be. Keep reading, start playing and start winning!

For the Skeptic in You

The Skeptical Sweeper, I know what you are thinking.. Yeah if I sign up and give up all my information what's the chances that I'm actually going to win??  This is the beginning of a beautiful blog I hope. As I learn to blog and sweep (aka enter sweepstakes) we shall learn together and hopefully end the Skepticism and truly believe that we can Win sweepstakes! So this will be the first of many blogs and hopefully I can get it together and offer you sweeps as well! You just might win on my site!

Next post I'll tell you about myself and I how I am still skeptical, but love to see how others can and do "Win Big!"

Skeptical Still? It's totally ok to be. Keep reading, start playing and start winning!