RSVP to Learn Cleaning & Organizing Tips & Tricks at This Tuesday’s #gno Twitter Party
August 30, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 131 Comments
If you’re like me, you didn’t quite get to spring cleaning this year. I won’t mention that we’re still in boxes even though we moved the beginning of June.
Now that the kids are back in school, cleaning and organizing is just where my focus needs to be for a while. So, it’s a good thing Dyson is sponsoring the #gno Twitter party this week to help me get a little more motivated for fall cleaning.
Whether you love to clean or avoid it like the plague like I do, please come and share the good, the bad, or the ugly on housework, cleaning, and organizing with your favorite #gno gal pals this week. And, don’t forget to enter to win one of three Dyson vacuum cleaners.
- What: Dyson is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, September 1, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Join us as we party using this custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtag #gno.)
- Topic: Cleaning and organizing tips & tricks
- Who: @aordinarylife from An Ordinary Life, @createdbymom from Created By Mom, @mommygoggles from Mommy Goggles, @mommymandy from Mommy Mandy, @mychaos from My Organized Chaos, @organizersandy from Organize With Sandy, @troypattee
- Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Dyson.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Giveaway—Three Lucky Winners Will Win a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner
August 29, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 1,203 Comments
This week, Dyson is giving you the chance to win one of three vacuum cleaners!
Prize
Three lucky winners will receive one of the following. (See entry requirements below.)
- Grand prize: Dyson DC 31 (handheld)
- 1st place: Dyson DC 24 (upright)
- 2nd place: Dyson DC 23 (canister)
Entry Requirements
To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.
- Become a fan of the Mom It Forward Facebook page.
- Join Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect (see right sidebar).
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:
Check out these housework/cleaning nightmares & share your own: http://facebook.com/momitforward PLS RT
GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 a chance 2 win a #dyson vacuum cleaner (3 winners) http://bit.ly/7cqtk Ends Sunday! PLS RT
Extra Entries
You can earn up to five extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.
Share your best or worst housework experience on the Mom It Forward Facebook fan page.- Read the Summer of Service post this week and either share how you completed the challenge or leave one cleaning or organizing tip.
- Nominate a mom to be featured in the “inspiring moms” section of the Mom It Forward blog.
- Join the Mom It Forward Facebook group.
- Post the “Mom Is a Verb” button on your blog. (See right-hand sidebar for button with code.)
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Dyson and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, September 6 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older.
This Summer’s Last SOS Challenge—Giving the Gift of Cleaning and Organizing!
August 29, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 31 Comments
Does your spring cleaning ever turn into fall cleaning? Or, do you feel that the housework is never done? This week is the last in 14 weeks of Summer of Service challenges and is sponsored by Dyson, because it is all about making this week—starting with today!—squeaky clean for you, your friends and family, and/or your community. Here are 10 ways to do that.
- Make time to clean or organize one area of your house/apartment each day this week no matter how big or small.
- Put the days of the week on a different piece of paper and have your children draw a different day out of a hat. On the assigned day, help your child clean his or her room, teaching the skills needed to do it on their own.
- Go through all the sock drawers in your house, matching up all the pairs and throwing out those without a match.
- Have a family cleaning party. One example is to play songs like “Whistle while you work!” and see who can pick up the most things or get the most accomplished before the song ends.
- Be a clean person by living according to your values. For example, be honest and fair in all of your dealings, be a person of integrity, etc.
- Identify a friend or family who is sick, having a difficult time, or who could use a break. Stop by their house unannounced and do their dishes, empty their garbage, sweep and mop their floor, or clean the guest bathroom. If you know this person well and have access to their house, do it anonymously!
- Take your children to a local park or cemetery and spend 15 minutes picking up the trash.
- Call a local non-profit agency or church and make arrangements to help weed, pick up trash, or clean the facilities. If appropriate, take your children along to help.
- The next time you are at a friends, family members, or in laws for dinner, offer to do all the dishes after the meal.
- Have a laundry folding party as a family and play games as you fold and put away the clothes.
How Will You Give to Others This Week?
- What other ideas do you have for being squeaky clean this week?
- What are things that get in the way of cleaning for yourself, your family and friends, or your community?
- What are ways to overcome these challenges?
- How has being squeaky clean this week made a meaningful difference for you? For others?
Remember to enter this week’s giveaway where 3 lucky winners will get a Dyson vacuum cleaner!
Giveaway—Enter to Win $200 in Shoes & Ice Cream From Famous Footwear!
August 23, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 638 Comments
Did you know that two things most all women share is their love of shoes and ice cream? Famous Footwear blends these two ingredients together on its site Make Today Unexpected, which gives us women the chance to discover our style and flavor in a most unexpected way.
I just went there, took a short quiz, and found out my personal ice cream flavor is “Double Bubble Sorbet,” which means that I have the following ingredients: “tons of fun, a few rays of sunshine, a little bliss, some flirtatiousness, vivacity, brightness, and spunk.” Who knew? LOL!
I can’t wait to hear what your flavor is when you enter this stylish, not to mention FABULOUS, giveaway!
Prize
Grand Prize
Two lucky winners will receive the following. (See entry requirements below.)
- $100 Famous Footwear gift certificate
- $100 Ice cream gift basket, including ice cream, toppings, and sauces
Coupon
Whether or not you win this week’s giveaway, make your back-to-school shoe shopping spree a little more affordable by visiting MakeTodayUnexpected.com where you can enter to receive $10.00 off your next Famous Footwear purchase of $50.00 or more.
Entry Requirements
To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.
- Take the ‘Find Your Flavor’ quiz by clicking here. Leave a comment on this post with your flavor and e-mail address.
- Become a fan of the Famous Footwear’s Make Today Unexpected Facebook Page. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-Today-Famous/112646406371?ref=ts)
- Follow @maketodayfamous on Twitter.
- Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:
What’s your flavor? Find out by clicking here: http://www.maketodayunexpected.com/#/quiz. PLS RT
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win $200 in shoes & ice cream from @maketodayfamous #famousfootwear. http://bit.ly/Vq5Qf PLS RT
Extra Entries
You can earn up to four extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.
- Become a Famous Footwear REWARDS club member (free).
- On the Make Today Unexpected Facebook wall or on Twitter, post something unexpected that has happened to make your day or week more positive and link to it here.
- Make Today Unexpected in your life by commenting on this post: http://bit.ly/2qVE5X.
- Post the following message on Twitter and/or Facebook and leave a comment here, linking to your message:
Download #FamousFootwear coupon 4 back-to-school/fall savings: http://bit.ly/fogQH PLS RT
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Famous Footwear and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, August 30 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.
RSVP to Chat Shoes & Ice Cream at This Tuesday’s #GNO Twitter Party
August 23, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 121 Comments
In the spirit of a true girls’ night out, we’re kicking up our heels and having a little light chit chat this Tuesday on Twitter. And, what better topics of conversation for a stylish and flavorful party than shoes and ice cream. So, join your favorite #gno gal pals for a deliciously good time. Check out the details below.
- What: Famous Footwear on #gno (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, August 25, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno & #famousfw.)
- Topic: Shoes and ice cream (making today ‘unexpected’)
- Who: @barefootmomma from Barefoot Mommies, @dcrmom from Musings of a Housewife, @extraordmommy from Extraordinary Mommy, @famous_footwear, @maketodayfamous from Famous Footwear, @momspark from Mom Made That, @OhMommy from Classy Chaos, @sthrnfairytale from A Southern Fairytale, @shanmorris from Famous Footwear
- Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Famous Footwear.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Check out this fun video! Can you relate to the enthusiasm these women feel for shoes?
Make Today Unexpected
August 22, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 18 Comments
Do you ever feel that one day runs into the next without a lot of difference between them? This week’s Summer of Service challenge, sponsored by Famous Footwear, is about making this week—starting with today!—unexpected. Here are 11 ways to do that. If you have more ideas, please share them in the comments!
- Make today loud by screaming with excitement when good things happen.
- Make today pop by wearing bold colors.
- Make today frisky by… well, I’ll leave that up to you
. - Make today playful by flirting with your spouse.
- Make today lyrical by playing and bringing classical music to life in your home and making up and telling fun stories to your children about what the music means.
- Make today glamorous by being beautiful on the inside!
- Make today fearless by stepping outside your comfort zone to serve someone you may not know well or at all.
- Make today heroic by being someone’s hero in whatever way they need to be saved, served, or made to feel special.
- Make today huge by making a triple batch of cookies and surprising your kids with some when they walk in the door from school, sharing some with your neighbors, and giving some to your friends as a thank you just for being in your life.
- Make today electric by shocking someone. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Drop in on someone unexpectedly just to let them know you care about them. Do something for yourself that you don’t typically do that will make you feel really good.
- Make today dangerous by taking a leap of faith. Only you know what that will be, but do it. You know you’ve been wanting to for a while. Don’t hold back!
These ideas were prompted by this fun video by Famous Footwear!
How Will You Give to Others This Week?
- What other ideas do you have for making today unexpected?
- What are things that get in the way of adding variety between the days in your week?
- What are ways to overcome these challenges?
- How has making today unexpected made a meaningful difference for you? For others?
How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?
Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:
- Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
- Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
- Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
- Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Famous Footwear.
- Click here to join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.
Mom Creates Hip Children’s Clothing Line and Fights Juvenile Diabetes
August 22, 2009 by Danielle Smith · 2 Comments
Jessica Wiswall doesn’t even know how to sew.
This is amazing considering she created My Vintage Baby - a line of children’s clothing she says are, “a piece of yesterday designed for the hip child of today.”
A former marketing manager for Coca-Cola, Jessica chose to stay home with her children when she and her husband started a family. But in 2003, Jessica’s creativity began to overflow. She found herself designing one of a kind pieces of clothing for her daughter, Jaiden. She would envision what she wanted and then ask a friend to help her actually create the piece. She used chenille, hankies, aprons and and tablecloths to embellish the clothing. Eventually, she couldn’t take her daughter out in the clothes without being stopped by admirers.
So, with the help of a few crafty and talented neighbors, her vision of beautiful, vintage clothing for kids became a reality. Working from her own dining room and a neighbor’s garage, the designs Jessica pictured in her mind became a reality one piece at a time.
In the beginning, this creative mom of three had two goals: “to get in Neiman Marcus – we did it! and to be on Oprah – we are still trying!”
Her incredible tipping point occurred one day as she and her daughter were walking through Nordstroms. Naturally, her daughter Jaiden was wearing one of her designs. The children’s apparel manager came rushing over, asking where she had bought Jaiden’s outfit – saying that the store simply MUST begin to carry them. In a matter of days, Jessica was on a flight to Chicago to meet with the Nordstrom’s buyer. And the rest, my friends, is history.
My Vintage Baby is now in almost 600 stores nationwide. And Jessica is starting to shake things up a bit. The company has a new business model: My Vintage Baby Direct – which will allow the women who adore this line of clothing to sell it directly to anyone who is interested. This means lower prices, one-to-one interaction and, the people doing the selling will know everything there is to know about the brand and designs – definitely a personal touch.
My Vintage Baby Direct – still in its trial stage, will also allow Jessica to invest professionally in a charity close to her heart – the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Three members of her family – her husband, her oldest son, Jackson and her daughter, Jaiden all live with Juvenile Diabetes. The family has been active with the charity in the past – including participating in the JDRF’s annual walk.
In addition to this, the company also supports Angel’s Attic in Grapevine, Texas with clothing donations whenever they can.
My Vintage Baby carries girls clothing size 0M-10, boys clothing 0M- 10, maternity tees, diaper bags and blankets.
About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children.
RSVP for Tuesday’s #GNO Twitter Party to Swap Back-to-School Shopping & Planning Tips
August 16, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 89 Comments
The time has arrived. Some of you have already sent your kids off to school and for others, the time for school to start is right around the corner. During August’s #gno events so far, Crayola has shared amazing back-to-school shopping and planning strategies and tips to help make this shopping season more enjoyable, not to mention affordable. In its last week, Crayola is excited to offer you one more chance to win a Crayola Color Explosion gift pack, download a coupon for additional back-to-school savings, as well as talk with Crayola and your favorite #gno gals on Twitter this Tuesday night—other women just like yourselves, who are or who have been through the back-to-school shopping season. So, please come and share tips, glean from others, and enjoy a girls’ night out filled with community and connection… all from the comfort of your own home!
- What: Crayola Creativitycast on #gno (Click here to learn more about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, August 18, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno & #crayola.)
- Topic: Back-to-School Tips (making the back-to-school shopping season fun and affordable)
- Who: @brandyellen from Happily Blended, @cerisecheri from Crayola, @katjapresnal from Skimbaco Lifestyle, @michellelamar from White Trash Mom, @razzmatazzrob from Crayola, @skybluestacy from Crayola, @tjstaab from Currently Crafting
- Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Crayola.
- RSVP: The link list is not working this week, so please leave your Twitter ID in the comments.
10 Ways to Brighten Someone’s Day
August 16, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 67 Comments
This week’s Summer of Service challenge, sponsored by Crayola, is to brighten someone’s day by doing one or more of the following creative things. If you have more ideas, please share them in the comments!
- Run up to a loved one and give him or her an enthusiastic bear hug.
- Smile to those you pass on the street.
- Ask someone how they are doing, listen to the answer, and comment on it.
- Give others heartfelt compliments.
- Give someone a bouquet of flowers just because.
- Together as a family, identify another family whose day needs brightening, prepare some artwork (each person preparing something that is special to him or her)—even something as simple as coloring a page from a coloring book—and deliver it to the family together.
- For a date night with just you and your spouse, get some butcher paper and finger paint a picture for your children, hang it on the wall, and let them see it when they wake up.
- Kiss everyone in your family at least five times in a day!
- Gather your family together, turn on some upbeat music, and start dancing. Dance with each of your children, even if you have to do it while holding them.
- Give each member of your family a gift that relates to their favorite color (this can be store bought or homemade).
How Will You Give to Others This Week?
What other ideas do you have for brightening someone’s day this week?- What are things that get in the way of brightening someone’s day?
- What are ways to overcome these challenges?
- How has brightening someone’s day made a meaningful difference for you? For others?
How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?
Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:
- Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
- Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
- Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
- Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
- Click here to join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.
Giveaway—Crayola Color Explosion Gift Pack (Retail Value $200)
August 16, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 289 Comments
Giveaway and Coupon Details
One lucky winner will watch their child(ren)’s imagination ignite with Crayola’s Color Explosion gift pack ($200 retail value). (See gift pack products and giveaway entry requirements below.)
Whether you win the grand prize or not, everyone’s a winner in this week’s giveaway! Enjoy a discount toward Crayola products by downloading a Crayola coupon here (good through August 31).
- Color Explosion Glow Board
- CE Glow Dome
- CE 3-D Wide Edition
- CE Poster Sized Scenes—White (Pirates of the Caribbean)
- CE-white (Twisted Tropicals)
- CE-Extreme Surprises (white)
- CE-Extreme Surprises (black)
- CE-Black (Wild Safari)
- CE-Black (Neon)
- CE-Black (Tropical Seas)
- CE-Black (Star Wars scenes)
- CE-Black (Disney/Pixar Cars)
- CE-Hannah Montana
- CE- 3-D Scene (with an extra pair of glasses and 4 extra markers)
- Crayola Illumination Station
- Model Magic Fusion
- 12 ct. Twistables Slick Stix
- Crayola “Trayola” Twistables
- 24 ct. Color Sticks
- 12 ct. Colored Pencils
- Heads ‘n Tails Colored Pencils
- 24 and 64 ct. Classic Crayons
- Poster Crayons
- Window Crayons
- Window Mega Markers
- Classic 10 ct. Markers (Broad Line)
- Heads ‘n Tails Washable Markers
- Pip-Squeaks Mix ‘Ems Markers
- Color Switchers
- Picture frames & Pictures Coloring Book
- 2 Sticker Sheets
- Sidewalk Crayons
- 3-D Giant Sidewalk Chalk
Giveaway Product Details
Entry Requirements
To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.
- Brighten someone’s day during this back-to-school season by performing one of the random acts of kindness listed here and commenting here to tell us what you did.
- Become a fan of the Crayola Facebook Page.
- Follow @crayola on Twitter.
- Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:
Join #gno Tues 9-11 ET 4 a back-to-school wrap up w/ @crayola. RSVP: http://bit.ly/oyOz9 PLS RT
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win $200 in @crayola products. RSVP: http://bit.ly/2OcSQi PLS RT
Extra Entries
You can earn up to two extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.
- Share one of your favorite back-to-school memories on the Mom It Forward Facebook Page.
- Join the Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect (in the right-hand sidebar).
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Crayola and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, August 23 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.
