It's taken me a while to fully admit this, but I have a serious shopping addiction. I didn't realize it until recently when I started encouraging my coworkers to buy things they really didn't need. Like my sweet cubemate who now searches for deals like a wolf circling its prey. (What can I say, she learned from the best!) Does that make me some kind of pusher?

I don't consider myself to be bad influence necessarily, as I'm helping those around me find happiness at a desirable or at least a lower price. And happiness can come in really pretty packages too...like a peacock colored hobo bag that is the perfect summer accessory or a pewter cotton sweater with just a hint of chiffon that could accentuate even the most simple top...oh wow, I feel that awesome high coming on!

Well, I can totally blame IWON (at least partially) for my fixation on fashion. Ever since they added Fashion Mah Jongg to the mix, I find myself dreaming more about shoes, purses, jewelry...I can't get these fabulous finds out of my mind. So now not only am I completely obsessed with shopping, but I'm addicted to this game! If you haven't played, you simply MUST!


So don't blame me when my assignments are two weeks late! IWON, you are simply enabling me! If my work suffers, it's just a consequence of all the excitement you are pushing. And I guess now, I'm kind of enabling you. Fun, isn't it?

Gotta run...just got an email alert about an online sale I cannot miss! I'll let you know if I find anything good!

I'm not sure if the weather has been crazy where you live, but here in New York, it's flat out insane. It's almost the end of April, and I actually had to wear gloves yesterday as I walked into the office. Gloves! I'm supposed to be getting ready to showcase my adorable open-toed sandals and I'm still barricaded in my boots. (Don't get me wrong, they are gorgeous, but those cute toes of mine have got to get some breathing room.) Fortunately those footsies will see the light of day this weekend because believe it or not, it's supposed to hit 80 degrees! What is happening here???

If you ask my husband his thoughts about our current weather's ups and downs, he'd say, "That's global warming for you!" All of a sudden he started watching the Discovery Channel, and now I don't hear the end of it. But the fact is, he's right. With today being Earth Day, I started thinking about how sometimes we treat our planet like our own personal trash can. We've all done it in someway or another. And I don't know about you, but I definitely don't want my little boy to have to clean up my mess. After all, I'm the parent - I should be cleaning up his!

So I'm making an effort to do a little more for the Earth and you should too! I'm starting to carpool whenever possible, using a programmable thermostat, and even washing in cold water to conserve energy. (All you fashionistas out there - cold water washing saves the look of your clothes too so you can continue to feel fabulous in your favorites for even longer. Just make sure your loads are full or else you'll needlessly be wasting water.) I bet you have your own tricks too. Let me know what you are doing for our precious planet. I could use some more great ideas.

And in the meantime, here's a little push to get you into the spirit of Earth Day. How about some Recycle Frenzy?!

After spending a short time sorting out those recyclables, you'll be ready to tackle the job at home!

Alright I'm off - gotta go throw yet another load of laundry in the machine! Ah, it never ends! Later!

There are some people in this world who are truly selfless. They open their hearts to others without any hesitation. And they don't do it for the recognition, but rather for the satisfaction they feel as a result of helping others. This truly describes the creator of our newest Team Challenge Spotlight team, diendrial.

This kind-hearted member has taken it upon herself to feed and care for the homeless in her community. And the most incredible part of her story? The money she and her husband use to keep this makeshift shelter in business comes from her very own pocket!

Joy of Freedom is her team, and as its lone member, she's been playing her hardest to compete for that cash donation. Food prices are rising, yet the demand for her help continues to be high. Most Sunday mornings, diendrial can be found serving breakfast to as many as 150 people, many of which have no place to call home. She also helps provide gloves and hats in the winter, prescription medication, and even motel rooms. For the past 12 years, she's helped so many people get back on their feet, and she only wants to continue this important work.

We at IWON salute your efforts, diendrial, and wish you luck both here and beyond. And for those of you looking for a team to join, you may want to check out Joy of Freedom and consider offering your support.

So for those of you who are fortunate enough to receive our monthly newsletter, you may have noticed a new section called My Monthly Obsessions. (For those of you not getting the newsletter, sign up and become a member already! After all, what could be better than a visit from me in your inbox? Don't answer that...)

Anyway, a woman like me is discerning. After all, in order to get my seal of approval, it's got to be one of the 3 Fs: fabulous, funny or fascinating.

So I'm going to take this opportunity to give you the goods on what I'm digging lately. And I promise, you'll want to check it out:

Fabulous: Susan Boyle

Honey, you have got some pipes and some rockin' confidence! Here's a woman who is not your typical pop artist to say the least. She's 47 years old, unemployed, and has never kissed a man (or woman I assume.) Susan took to the stage on Britain's Got Talent and everyone thought she'd be a major joke. Well she certainly had the last laugh as she belted out a breathtaking (that's right, I used the word breathtaking) version of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. All I can say is, WOW. If she can do it, then maybe I'll get the guts to sing I Will Survive at our next office karaoke night! You are fabulous, Susan! Just click on the picture below to check her out!

Funny: I Love You, Man starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal

HI-LA-RI-OUS! Mind you, I haven't been in a movie theater since before my son was a mere zygote, but I can guarantee you will love this comedy that brings the term "bromance" to a whole new level. Peter (Paul Rudd) is about to get married, but doesn't have any male friends for his wedding party. So he begins a quest to find his future best man. It's filled with awkward moments and gut-busting hilarity. I'm telling you - this one is well worth your money!

Fascinating: Watching my son figure out he has control over his own hands

Yes, I'm going to be a doting mom here, frankly because I can. My son recently realized he had fingers. I'm not quite sure when it happened, but ever since that moment, he has been truly fascinated with exploring how those little digits work. He could lay for several minutes just staring as he moves his fingers this way and that. Watching those big beautiful eyes discover yet another skill he's capable of intrigues me more and more every day as I realize this is just the beginning for him.

Alright, enough about me. What do you find Fabulous, Funny or Fascinating this month? Drop me a line and let me know!

One of the things I love most about Team Challenge is that you never know what can happen. And sometimes, a team that has never even scored a cash prize can rally together to take top honors! Well this was exactly the case in March for the Victory Junction Gang Camp! These passionate players scored a cash donation that will benefit a lot of children in need. Great job, Victory Junction!

And let's not forget about St. Judes who took the grand prize in our National Charities category. Plus we owe shout outs to our second and third place winners who also displayed impressive coin totals:

National Team Challenge Winners:

First Place - $5,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Second Place - $2,000 to Best Friends Animal Society
Third Place - $1,000 to Doctors Without Borders

Member-Created Team Winners:

First Place - $5,000 to Victory Junction Gang Camp
Second Place - $2,000 to Wounded Warriors
Third Place - $1,000 to Heavenly Angels

Join me in congratulating all of our March Team Challenge winners! And of course a big thank you goes out to all our Team Challenge members for encouraging such fantastic team spirit and supporting each other and your respective causes. Remember, don't ever doubt your ability to play hard and win it all! Victory Junction Gang made it happen and so could your team!

Happy gaming everyone, and good luck in April! Can't wait to see you back here next month!

Marie

I used to live in Manhattan not too long ago and prided myself on being able to keep up its rapid pace. It's no easy task, especially in Jimmy Choo stilettos. (My motto used to be: "Never sacrifice style for comfort." These days it's changed to "Don't wear it if you don't want spit up on it.")

Now that I'm a suburbanite, I find myself missing that hustle and bustle. You can take the girl out of the city, but you definitely can't take the city out of this girl. I think my mind is just set to move quickly. Sometimes I speak so fast that my husband needs a moment to process what's come out of my mouth. (This skill has come in quite handy when trying to mask a purchase that may have been a bit extravagant, shall we say?!)

But I'll tell you something, my momentum is definitely working in my favor when I play Speed Turbo Solitaire. It moves so fast - every game takes place in just two minutes. So it's definitely a test of speed and strategy - skills I utilize at any and every sample sale I visit. But you don't need to be a savvy shopper like me to fall in love with this game. You just need a quick trigger finger and a need for speed!

Plus you get nearly double the coins in this game than Turbo Solitaire. Boy, we definitely keep upping the ante on these classic card games, right? Well, we owe it to you for playing so hard in such a short amount of time! Now if only Bloomies gave those kinds of rewards...

Check it out and let me know what you think. In the meantime, I gotta run! Back into action I go!

I consider myself to be one smart cookie. There are a lot of things I know:

1) I know how to hunt down the best bargains without even breaking a sweat.

2) I know how to get my little boy to laugh so hard that he gets the hiccups. (Cutest sight ever!)

3) I know you can't sneeze without closing your eyes. (Try it and you'll see!)

4) I know the way to San Jose.

5) I know how to make a mean dinner reservation.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty other nuggets of knowledge rolling around in my head. However - and don't you dare think of telling this to my husband - I don't know everything. Hard to believe, right? It may seem as though I'm this omniscient force of nature here at IWON. After all, I look pretty smart, right? But there are many questions I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of how to answer, such as:

1) Anything having to do with technical issues at IWON - There is a reason I married a man who is a techie. Sure he's easy on the eyes, but the fact is I need the guy around to tell me why our home Internet keeps freezing. So if you ask me anything having to do with why your game screen is locking or why chat doesn't work or anything that requires knowledge of how a computer functions, I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of what to tell you. Fortunately, we've got a tremendous technical team here to sort it all out for you.

2) Where your coins went - If you earned them, then of course you deserve them. But I'm not the gal that can track 'em down for you - that's Talia's department.

3) When certain games are returning - I would love to be able to give you this info, but I just don't know. Trust me, I have too big of a mouth to keep details like that to myself. So as soon as I know, so will you.

Now, that's not to say I don't LOVE hearing from you. In fact, I want you to bombard me with lots of love on my profile page. But I want to make sure you understand why I may not have answers to all of your questions.

If you are looking for answers, you should first try to visit our Searchable Help page. You will find lots of good stuff here, and you may be all done after that. But if not, you can always email our customer service at iwon@mailca.custhelp.com and those folks will happily take a stab at your answering your inquiry.

Any shopping, parenting, entertainment or just plain fun questions? I'm waiting to hear 'em, and maybe I can share my extensive knowledge with you!

First a new game screen, now a new homepage! The initial shock of not getting my own space here has worn off, and I'm actually digging all the cool enhancements to the game screens. And now the design team here has apparently been working night and day to get our new homepage ready, which totally explains why I saw Louis, our Director of Design and Damn Good Stuff heading into the men's room with shaving cream and a 5 o'clock shadow at 8:00 in the morning! I actually ran into him as he was making some much needed coffee this morning, and here's what he told me to look out for in the near future:

User Bar - And I don't mean half-priced margaritas from 5-7 (although that is certainly something worth exploring.) Look up at the top of your screen, and you'll see a gray bar with all your stats handy. It will follow you as you navigate through the site so you can keep an eye on your progress.

Enhanced Quick Search for All Games - Find your favorite games fast with new search options!

Team Challenge Drop Down Menu - Bounce around between your team's page and check out the competition!

Gamers Feed - A universal spot to find out what all our members are up to while cruising around IWON!

Easy Blog Access - This feature is clearly my personal favorite. My adorable face is now sitting on the left of the homepage, making it quite simple to check in with me and find out what's hot here! Louis, my man, I never looked better!

Over the course of the next few days, you'll start to see these fantastic features pop up as you step into our new home. Once you're in, feel free to take your shoes off and get comfortable because we hope you'll be staying a while!

Hi everyone! I wanted to stop by for a second and catch up with all of you as I've been receiving a bunch of questions about IWON games and the new changes that have taken effect. I thought that perhaps you could use a helpful overview of what's new on the site, including details about locked down games and level rewards. Here's what you should know:

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