Went Back to the Well, I Did. And It's My Bloggiest Giveaway Eh-Vah.

This giveaway is closed. Five winners have been selected and I'll announce them as soon as I've notified all five via email. Thanks for your interest and participation!

Y'all responded to my giveway a couple weeks ago with such copius enthusiasm that it seemed a terrible shame I couldn't give a book to everybody. But when I tripped over a reminder about this week's Bloggy Giveaways Carnival, my tears of sadness dried and a bright! green! rainbow appeared over FriedOkra Manor, because the Carnival seemed like the perfect opportunity to approach Simon & Schuster for a second helping of Deirdre Imus's natural intellect. ('Cause nothin' says PRO-FESHNUL like a nice "Gimme more!" email, y'know?) And now life's worth livin' again, since I have FIVE copies, I said FIVE NEW COPIES of Growing Up Green to give away.

As if that weren't cause enough to send me out into the front yard for a ceremonial cartwheel or two, I'll be daggummed if the marketing manager at Simon & Schuster didn't also offer up FIVE copies of the first volume in the Green This series, Green This: Greening Your Cleaning, to pair up with the Growing Up Green books so that each of FIVE LUCKY WINNERS will get a SET of two wonderful, helpful, packed-with-smart-and-important-information-and-tips books, fresh off the press, hot out of the oven, and brimmin' with my love and hopes for your family's complete greenification.

Well, when she responded to my email with her great news, cartwheels didn't seem enough, so I attempted a round-off/back handspring combo.

And allow me to assure you that typing with all but one limb in traction is no easy feat.

The synopsis of Green This, from the Barnes & Noble website:

"Change the way you clean and keep your family's home wholesome and healthy with the help of expert and activist Deirdre Imus.

We all grew up thinking chemical smells like bleach and ammonia signaled "clean." But as Deirdre Imus reveals, some of the chemicals we use to maintain our homes are doing us and our families much more harm than good. In Greening Your Cleaning, the first in her Green This! series, Deirdre shows how cleaning house the environmentally responsible way can be as effective and often cheaper than the more traditional, toxic, means. This volume includes:

• Simple, efficient cleaning methods for every room of the house
• Spotlights on everyday products (all purpose cleaner, glass/window cleaner, laundry detergent) and the toxic ingredients you should be wary of
• Summaries of the latest research on the toxic effects of ordinary chemicals
• Resource lists of widely available "green cleaning" products and retailers

Filled with tips and testimonials, Greening Your Cleaning will show you how to streamline your cleaning products and practices, and how easy it is to make 'living green' your way of life."

And, according to the back cover of my copy of Growing Up Green:

"... Environmental activist and children's advocate Deirdre Imus addresses specific issues faced by children in every age group - from infants to adolescents and beyond. With a focus on preventing rather than treating childhood illnesses, Deirdre concentrates on educating and empowering parents with information such as:

• How to make sure your child is vaccinated safely
• Which plastic bottles and toys are least toxic
• How to lobby for safer school environments and support children's environmental health studies
• Advice from leading "green" pediatricians and nationally recognized doctors such as Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (Dr. Oz, people!)

Chock full of research and advice, Growing Up Green makes it easy for you to introduce your child to the "living green" way of life.

Deirdre Imus is the founder and president of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology®, part of the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey. She is also cofounder and codirector of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, and the author of the bestselling book The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys."

I'll do a drawing on Friday morning, so y'all leave your pertinent information in the comments of this post to be entered. As long as there's some clear way for me to contact you at your own blog or via email, and you live in the U.S., you'll qualify for the drawing. I love you deeply, my friends abroad, but shipping these books overseas is cost prohibitive. (Grovel, grovel.)

Hey! There's another great giveaway over where I moonlight - Chic Critique. Pop over and register to win a $25 gift card to Sephora.