Giveaway! Fishful Thinking Prize Pack With a Canon Digital Camera ($250 ARV)
January 28, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 386 Comments
What activities do you do with your kids to spend quality time together and guide them to reach their full potential? Fishful Thinking is a program sponsored by Pepperidge Farm that provides resources, tips, and activities for raising healthy and optimistic children.
Click here to join the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday 2/2 from 9-11 PM EST with Pepperidge Farm Fishful Thinking to share parenting advice and activities with other moms and Dr. Karen Reivich, renowned Positive Psychologist.
Prizes
One winner will receive a Fishful Thinking prize pack, which includes one Canon digital camera to capture life’s precious moments and “The Optimistic Child,” co-authored by Dr. Karen Reivich. ($250 Approximate Retail Value)
Extra Entries
To enter for a chance to win the Fishful Thinking prize pack giveaway, you must do the following and leave a corresponding comment and link on this post:
- Follow @PepperidgeFarm on Twitter.
- Visit FishfulThinking.com and find your favorite activity (found under each of the five ingredients). Tweet the name of the activity and a link to that activity. Include the #fishfulthinking hashtag. Here is an example:
My favorite #fishfulthinking activity is Praise with Purpose http://bit.ly/7UYYz6 What’s yours? #fishfulthinking #gno
- Tweet the following:
Discuss positive parenting & connect w/ moms Tues., 2/2 (9-11 pm ET) @ #gno! RSVP: http://bit.ly/bOsFEk #fishfulthinking
Extra Entry
Complete the following option to earn one extra entry for each tweet for a total of two extra entries. Make sure to leave separate comments for each with corresponding links to the tweet(s) on this post.
- Tweet the following:
Check out what 1,100 moms said about parenting on the #fishfulthinking Parenting Survey: http://bit.ly/4Q7LvH #gno
GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win @pepperidgefarm #FishfulThinking Prize Pack incl digi camera ($250 ARV). http://bit.ly/cedSUa #gno PLS RT
Terms and Conditions
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly. Mom It Forward and Pepperidge Farm employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Wednesday, February 3 at midnight PT 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. One entry per person.
For a complete listing of sweepstakes terms and conditions, please click here.
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways.
Join #gno Tuesday to Share Your Parenting Tips With Pepperidge Farm Fishful Thinking
January 27, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 13 Comments
As a mom, your schedule is packed, your life is a balancing act and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the daily demands of parenthood. But, did you know that there are easy tips and fun activities that you can do to build key skills like optimism and resilience in your kids? And, that you can do this while enriching the little moments you have with your children?
Fishful ThinkingSM is a program sponsored by Pepperidge Farm that provides resources, tips, and activities for raising happy, healthy children. Pepperidge Farm teamed with Dr. Karen Reivich, a leader in positive psychology research, and a mother of four, to provide parents with resources, tips, and activities they can use to help kids tackle life’s obstacles.
Who do you go to for parenting advice? Join us for a night connecting with other moms to share tips and activities for positive parenting! Join us here at #gno on February 2 from 9-11PM EST with Dr. Karen Reivich, the Mom It Forward gals, and the Fishful Thinking team to share a night of parenting support!
- What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, February 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #fishfulthinking.)
- Topic: Fishful Thinking: A Resource for Positive Parenting
- Who: @1momof5 @cecilyr @karenreivich @noflashcards @pepperidgefarm @sarah0514 @sitsgirls @springtacious @ssmirnov @reneejross @rockandrollmama @writingthewaves @youngmommy
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from Pepperidge Farm Fishful Thinking. Deadline: 2/3
- RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.
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Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.
Involving Your Children in Helping Feed the 35 Million Hungry Americans
January 26, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · Leave a Comment
According to the US Department of Agriculture, “At least 35 million Americans aren’t getting enough food each day. Yet about 100 billion pounds of food are wasted in America every year.”
This is an astounding fact. Ask yourself: Are you contributing to the waste or are you helping feed the hungry? And, are your children aware of this fact and involved in helping reduce the number?
Raising giving children is as simple as identifying every day opportunities to give and taking advantage of them together as a family. Feeding the hungry is one such opportunity. But how to begin?
Here’s five simple steps to involving your children in this cause:
- Find a food bank in your area. Visit FoodPantries.org to identify locations.
- Collect non-perishable items you aren’t using from your own pantry and home. (Be sure to check the expiration dates on canned food and baby formula and food.)
- To add an element of fun for your kids, have them decorate a cardboard box to put the food in.
- On the way to the food bank, share with your family the facts of people facing hunger in your area.
- On the way home, ask each child to describe his or her experience, specifically how it made him or her feel to help those in need.
Making the experience meaningful, fun, and emotional will help them create a positive association with giving.
This picture is used with permission. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Teaching Your Kids to Save, Spend, and Share
January 26, 2010 by TiaHejny · 4 Comments
By Eulalie Scandiuzzi
Imagine how different the economy would be today if every child knew the basic pillars of financial money management, saving, spending and sharing, as commonly as “stop, look and listen.”
Starting a conversation about money with kids can be tricky. But, here are six tips for parents to teach their kids to save, spend and share their allowances—even at a young age.
- Start with a visual tool. Most children, beginning at age 4 or 5, are visual learners, so using a hands-on tool like a bank with three compartments—one for saving, spending and sharing each, can better help them learn responsible money management.
- Make money a “yes” conversation. Use pictures to help your kids visualize their goals and then prioritize what they are saving for, what they want to spend their money on, and with whom or with what they want to share their money.
- Discuss wants vs. needs. As you set goals, identifying objects that represent “wants” and “needs” helps to overcome the desire for instant gratification.
- Allow mistakes. Children, like adults, learn from making mistakes. From time to time, allow your child to buy a toy you believe will not be enjoyed very long, for example. Sure, they may be disappointed in a few weeks, but many lessons can be learned from this experience. Encourage them, without guilt, to plan their future purchases, weigh the cost and the benefit of their choices and to think twice next time, even sleep on it.
- Encourage philanthropy. Help your children understand that they are part of a larger world community through discussions about sharing their money and/or donating time to causes of their choosing. Volunteering as a family is a great activity for all to participate, learn and grow.
- Be a good role model. Make sure your children see you doing the things that you are teaching them. Let them in on your bill paying, savings and investment plans and charitable giving. Discuss your attitudes and philosophies about money and tell them your dreams for how your money can fuel your passions.
For more on Eulalie Scandiuzzi and tips and hands-on tools for teaching your kids responsible money management, including an allowance how-to, visit www.moonjar.com.
Balancing Life 101 Part 2
January 25, 2010 by TiaHejny · 3 Comments
By Camille of www.makeitworkmom.com
The most important thing to remember as you try to balance a career and motherhood is that you’re not in this alone. You have to depend on other players to help you get through your day, and retain your sanity. Depending on your situation, your “teammates” may be different people.
If you’re married, you’re working as a team with your husband in raising your children, so it’s very important to keep the lines of communication open in order to decide which role you will each play.
- Negotiate the workload. At a time when stress levels are low, and both of you are able to focus on the conversation, determine who will be responsible for which chores around the house. If kids needs to be taken to extracurricular activities after school or in the evenings, decide who will be the chauffeur and when. You don’t have to be expected to do everything by yourself.
- Go on date nights. Of course, it’s important to build that partnership/relationship with your husband. So, take time away from being “parents” to focus on your relationship as husband and wife, even if it’s ordering dinner in, and talking, after the kids go to sleep.
If you’re a single mom, it may be easier to feel alone in your quest because you’re the sole provider and the sole parent at home. However, you must realize that there are other people on whom you can depend.
- Recognize your daycare provider. It’s important to feel comfortable with your child’s daycare provider so you can focus at work and not worry about your child’s safety or happiness. Take some time to do something nice for this special person who cares for your offspring every day. Make a treat, give a gift, offer a monetary “tip” every once in a while with a card to thank them for making your life more manageable during the day.
- Network with other working moms. For some reason, it feels better to know we’re not the only ones in a certain situation. Collaborate with friends or co-workers who are in your similar circumstance for tips or suggestions on how they handle things. Also, there are many networking websites for working moms like www.workingmother.com.
- Keep close ties with your family members. Your children’s success and happiness in life comes largely from their associations with exemplary people. Assuming your family fits this description, your kids will definitely benefit from spending time with them. Besides, your family knows your particular situation. They love you and they love your children and are willing to help out in any way. So, ask for help if you feel overwhelmed. If anything, I’m sure your mother wouldn’t mind a phone call every once in a while, asking for advice.
About the Author: Camille is a thirty-something mommy with two beautiful daughters, Ad and C8, living in two worlds. By day, she works full-time as an employment recruiter/ staffing supervisor, with a 100-mile daily commute, living in a world governed by policies and professionalism. And by night, she transforms into a mother, living in a world where everything is governed by “Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe” and fun. Like so many other moms, she wishes she could stay at home with them, but certain situations require her to work full-time. To learn more about Camille visit www.makeitworkmom.comor contact her via twitter @makeitworkmom.
Learn Tips to Increase Cultural Awareness and to Celebrate Diversity
January 22, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 8 Comments
You don’t need to travel the world to be culturally aware or to embrace diversity. In the same vein, you don’t need to take your kids out of the country to teach them about and how to appreciate other cultures.
Click here to join your fave #gno gals along with Putumayo Kids Music Tuesday, January 26 from 9-11 ET p.m. at the weekly #gno Twitter party to learn how to increase cultural awareness and celebrate diversity—for you and your kids!
- What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- Who: Thanks to Putumayo Kids for sponsoring!
- When: Tuesday, January 26, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with here us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #putumayokids.)
- Topic: Cultural Awareness and Diversity
- Who: @connectingmom @jessiev @lizstrauss @parentella @putumayokids @spanglishbaby
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a Putumayo Kids CD collection of music from around the world ($180 value) Deadline: Wednesday, January 27 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.
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Giveaway! Putumayo Kids Music 12-CD Collection ($180 Value)
January 21, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 206 Comments
With the Olympics right around the corner, now is the perfect time, if you already haven’t, to begin raising cultural awareness and pointing out the beauty in diversity with your children.
This week’s #gno Twitter party provides excellent tips for how to help your kids celebrate the vast and diverse cultures in our world. And this week’s giveaway gives you a great start to help with that as well—with music!
Prizes
One winner will receive the Putumayo Kids Playground Collection, which includes 12 CDs with songs from around the world. ($180 Approximate Retail Value)
Putumayo Kids is the children’s and educational division of Putumayo World Music. The Putumayo Kids music team chooses songs with child-friendly lyrics and rhythms by both renowned and undiscovered international artists. The collections of songs are tested in schools and with families. An international music selection contributes to the education of future global citizens while holding true to Putumayo’s mission of sharing music that is “guaranteed to make you feel good”.
Entry Requirements
Please do the following three things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:
- Visit Putumayo Kids, check out the various CDs in the Playground Collection, and leave a comment here, sharing the culture’s music you’d most like to expose your children to.
X - Follow @putumayokids on Twitter.
XXXX - Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win @putumayokids 12 CDs/kids’ songs from around world ($180 ARV) http://bit.ly/7KhrcI #gno PLS RT
Visit @putumayokids for awesome resources to raise culturally aware kids! http://putumayokids.com #gno PLS RT
Extra Entries
The following three entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Mom It Forward and Putumayo Kids employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Wednesday, January 27 at midnight PT 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. One entry per person.
For a complete listing of sweepstakes terms and conditions, please click here.
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways.
Balancing Life 101 Part 1
January 20, 2010 by TiaHejny · 10 Comments
By Camille of www.makeitworkmom.com
Of all the occupations in the world today, I believe the one most challenging, emotionally charged, and time-consuming is that of motherhood. It is a full-time job in and of itself. Then, if you add a career of any sort to that occupation, you’re dealing with quite the juggling act! Where is the balance? And how do you find it?
First of all, you need to determine what “balance” means for you. For me, balance is achieved when you find a system that allows for everyone to be happy, while still completing the necessary survival chores. In this balancing act are three main factors: Your children, your partner, and YOU! In a three-part series of posts, I’ll focus on each factor and list ways that can help achieve that balance for which we’re all searching.
Probably the main factor you’re mostly worried about in this balancing act are your children. Am I spending enough time with them? Are they happy? Will our relationship be as strong as if I were to stay at home with them? Of course! Here is what I would suggest:
- Lose The Guilt! It’s not like you’re going to a salon every day, getting pedicures and massages for yourself! Your circumstance requires you to be working, in order to provide for your family. There is nothing wrong with that. You can make adjustments to your lifestyle that will allow for time spent with your children, to strengthen that bond you may be worried about. If you need more convincing, check out www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com where four working moms have collaborated ideas on how to “resist the guilt and embrace the journey.”
- Incorporate your kiddos in your daily chores. Life doesn’t stop because you have kids. Dinner still needs to be prepared, the house (somewhat) cleaned, etc. I keep a play “station” by the kitchen with books and crayons to keep the kids entertained while I make/clean up dinner so we can still interact. Both bathrooms and kitchen have step stools handy for involvement from my little people. And we try to make cleaning together “fun”.
- Schedule “fun” time. No one in your household will survive if you stick to a rigorous routine. Break away from it every once in a while to take your kids to the park, bowling, or on a nature walk. Play dress-up, give piggy-back rides, or read books in a makeshift fort – anything that relieves the stresses you may have felt during your workday and puts the focus on you and your family.
- Maximize the quality of time spent with your children. Because of your work schedule, and by the time your kids go to sleep, you really only get to be with them 3-4 hours every day. Be creative with dinnertime, bath time, bedtime, etc. Take time to have conversations, sing, and play with them. These times you spend with your kids are the memories that will stay with them throughout their lives, much more than memories of a dirty kitchen floor!
About the Author: Camille is a thirty-something mommy with two beautiful daughters, Ad and C8, living in two worlds. By day, she works full-time as an employment recruiter/ staffing supervisor, with a 100-mile daily commute, living in a world governed by policies and professionalism. And by night, she transforms into a mother, living in a world where everything is governed by “Eenie-Meenie-Miney-Moe” and fun. Like so many other moms, she wishes she could stay at home with them, but certain situations require her to work full-time. To learn more about Camille visit www.makeitworkmom.comor contact her via twitter @makeitworkmom.
Giveaway! Net Nanny Internet Protection Service Annual Subscription (10 Winners)
January 16, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 25 Comments
With more and more advantages offered to children online, parents need to be more informed and have safety controls in place to protect their children from the dangers of the Internet.
Net Nanny offers an online service, specializing in alerts for potential instant messaging predators and cyberbullies, social network user profile reports, PC game controls with ESRB® ratings, and filter and block secure websites.
Prizes
Ten winners will each get one annual subscription to Net Nanny’s Family Pack Special, which provides online protection for up to three computers in your home (Approximate retail value: $59.98).
In addition, each winner will get a 2-month membership to JumpStart—award-winning adventure-based 3D online games that teach math, reading, and critical thinking skills.
Entry Requirements
Please do the following three things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:
- Visit Net Nanny, read about The Top Ten Internet Safety Tips, and leave a comment here, sharing one you found most useful or new to you.
X - Follow @netnanny on Twitter.
XXXX - Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:
GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win #netnanny Internet Filter Fam Pack & #jumpstart 2-mo membership http://bit.ly/81rbpC #gno
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Learn Internet safety tips from @netnanny Tues 1/19 (9-11 ET) during #gno Twitter party RSVP: http://bit.ly/82yneC PLS RT
Extra Entries
The following three entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed optional entry.
- Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
- Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
- Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).
The Fine Print
No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Mom It Forward and Net Nanny employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Wednesday, January 20 at midnight PT 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. One entry per person.
For a complete listing of sweepstakes terms and conditions, please click here.
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward, Inc. offers brands sponsorship opportunities, which include giveaways.
Internet Safety Tips at This Week’s #gno Twitter Party
January 16, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 18 Comments
Love the benefits computers offer your children, but worry if your kids are safe from the dangers of the Internet?
Join us here Tuesday, January 19 from 9-11 ET p.m. at the weekly #gno Twitter party to learn how to protect your kids from Internet danger.
- What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- Who: Thanks to Net Nanny for sponsoring!
- When: Tuesday, January 19, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #netnanny.)
- Topic: Internet Safety Tips (Protecting Your Kids From Internet Danger)
- Who: @alyssaavant @contentwatch @crisclapp @greeblemonkey @JumpStart_Erin @kidsemail @mommybrain @netnanny @netnannypm @nikki_s @theonlinemom
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a free annual subscription to Net Nanny good for up to three computers. Deadline: Wednesday, January 20 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.
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Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.
