Parenting Question: What Would You Do If Your Child Went Missing for 3 Hours?

February 27, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 9 Comments 

Awhile ago, I wrote a post after my boys had gone missing in the neighborhood for about 45 minutes. At the end of that post, I asked a similar question to this post’s title: What would you do if your child(ren) went missing?

What’s prompting me to ask that question again today is a little jaunt down memory lane.

When I was 8-years old, I wanted to go shopping. The mall was 15-20 minutes from my house. My mom was gone. I was left home to babysit my 4-year-old sister. Leaving an 8-year old home alone could be fodder for an entirely different post, but I’ll stick to the point. I had to be resourceful. When a girl “needs” to go shopping, a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, right? For me, that meant calling our local taxi company and hiring a cab to take me, my 7-year-old girlfriend, and my 4-year old sister to said mall. I.WAS.EIGHT!

A little background. My grandma was an alcoholic. She had lost her driver license and so whenever we visited and she wanted to take us anywhere, we’d always have to go in a taxi. It was the only reason I would have been exposed to them as they weren’t abundant in the city of Mesa, Arizona in the 70s. I thought it was totally normal for a person who couldn’t drive to use one to get somewhere they desperately needed to go—like the mall!

Back to the story!

Part of my being resourceful also included borrowing some of my dad’s money and figuring out how to not have the neighbors get in the way of me reaching my final destination. The solution? To have the taxi pick us up in an adjacent neighborhood about three blocks away in front of a stranger’s house.

Mission accomplished!

We spent 2 1/2 glorious hours at the mall. I only had about $3 to spend, so I bought my sister some earrings. Tell me if I wasn’t the most thoughtful sister evs. I didn’t make sure she left the house with shoes on and she ended up shoeless on our journey to the mall, but I bought her earrings. Doesn’t shopping trump everything?

Back to the homestead. My parents had returned home shortly after we had left. My mom called my friend’s house, looking for us. She went around the neighborhood. She started getting worried. And then she found it. My clue! See… I wasn’t totally cold hearted. I didn’t want my mom to worry…too much! So, I wrote a note: “Mom, I’m going to Reed Park… in a taxi.” Sure, it was a half truth, but that last part was all the clue it took for her to call our local Dial-A-Ride and find out about our adventure.

The taxi driver dropped us off exactly where he picked us up, which required us to walk 3 blocks back to our house. We had lots of stares and heard lots of whispers as we made the trek. I didn’t really have a chance to make a grand entrance or say goodbye to my friend when we reached my lawn, because I was whisked away by my nervous mom who marched me right down to my bedroom.

I wasn’t allowed to play with my friend EVER again. Apparently, her mom thought I was a bad influence. WHAT? I was resourceful!!! I saw a need and I met it with limited resources and only a pinch of stealing and lying.

The up side: My sister’s feet returned to their original color. Her ears glistened with the new earrings. I had a huge adventure notch on my belt. And I had given my parents a wild ride! Everyone’s looking for a little something to spice up their life, right? That was me: life spicer upper!

But no matter how many positive spins I put on this story, the fact of the matter is that while I knew I was a shopping diva, in my parents’ eyes, they had two daughters who were MISSING, which was more than quite a scare!

What would you do if your child went missing for 3 hours?

Filed under: Parenting, mom
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Healthy Smoothies Kids Can Pack for School Lunch

February 25, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 2 Comments 

You know all those juice pouch drink thingies? You stab them with a straw, if you can get the plastic off the straw that is. Then, juice comes gurgling out, usually down the pouch and onto your kids’ hands. And, although they do typically end up offering thirst-quenching goodness, the kids usually end up with sticky hands or a bent straw. And don’t get me started on the unheathly-ness of most of these things. Sugar to the max! Right in the middle of the school day if they’ve packed them in their lunches.

So, when I received an offer to review Ella’s Kitchen Smoothie Fruits, I was intrigued. The pouch had a twist off top. No straw. No stabbing. No gurgling. No stickiness. And the crushed fruit snacks were, get this, 100% organic with all sorts of free—gluten free, dairy free, egg free, wheat free, allergen free, spoon free. Seriously! What would be in it? Oh! Fruit! OK! Sign me up.

I shared the ages of my boys—9 and 6 1/2—and waited for the box of goodies to arrive. When it showed up on my doorstep a couple of days later, I found two Smoothie Fruit pouches for toddlers and kids (perfect for my boys, even though my 9-year-old tells me he’s now a teenager). But, I also found six, count them six, pouches of Stage 1 Baby Food. What would I do with those and why didn’t they send more product for my boys to try?

Connor tried the Red One with strawberries, grapes, green apples, and bananas. He downed it in about two seconds and wanted another one. Score! I tried it too and loved it. I’m all about fruit and smoothies and gurgle-free pouches. It passed my test with high scores.

Chase tried the Yellow One, which had bananas, cantaloupe, oranges, and green apples in it. Although cantaloupe is his favorite fruit, he didn’t care for this variety. Bummer!

We snapped some pics and called it good! I had arranged with my friend to have her baby test the Stage 1 Baby Food and was going to deliver it the next day.

Think again!

The next morning, I woke up to six empty or half-empty packages. My boys, thinking the pouches all contained Smoothie Fruit mixes, tried every single flavor and moved on if they didn’t like one. Carrots, Apples, and Parsnips? Gone! Apples and Bananas? Check! Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples, and blueberries? Half gone! Strawberries and applies? Sucked dry! Broccoli, pears, and peas. Half gone! Peaches and bananas? Gone and then some!

When Ella’s Kitchen says “Great taste, kids love it!”, they know exactly what they’re talking about. Apparently Stage 1 Baby Food isn’t just for babies anymore!

My kids provided the bottomless pit stomachs and thanks to Ella’s Kitchen for providing the Smoothie Fruits and the Stay 1 Baby Food my boys thought was Smoothie Fruits.

Filed under: Reviews, mom
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Giveaway! Fun and Educational PBS Kids Prize Pack

February 25, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 347 Comments 

The holiday gift giving season is over, kids are wrapped up in school, and homework is on the brain. With that in mind, PBS Kids put together an amazingly fun and educational prize pack for one child in your life to encourage a learning and love of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Prizes

Three winners will receive a PBS Kids prize pack, valued at $100 each.

Entry Requirements

Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

  1. Visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/exploringscience/ and leave a comment here, sharing one game or activity or piece of information from the site you’d like to do or share with your child or another child in your life to help them learn and love STEM.
    XXX
  2. Follow @pbsparents AND @pbskids on Twitter.
    XXXX
  3. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a @pbsparents prize pack (3 winners/ARV $100 each) http://bit.ly/9YyZka #pbskids #gno PLS RT
XXXX

Check out awesome @pbskids site http://to.pbs.org/8NGWsp 4 gr8 kids’ STEM (science, tech, eng, math) activities PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

  1. Post a picture to the Mom It Forward Flickr pool of your kids doing a STEM activity.
  2. Share tips in the comment section on this post for ways in which parents can help their kids learn and love STEM subjects.
  3. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
  4. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
  5. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

Items featured in image may differ from those included in the giveaway. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, March 3, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void in Maine. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

Filed under: giveaways!
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Help Your Kids Learn & Love STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

February 25, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 9 Comments 

Helping your kids learn and love STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math)  often feels like a chore. And for some, it can seem overwhelming, especially if you didn’t do so well in those subjects when you were younger.

But today, the educational landscape has changed. STEM is taught in a much more hands-on, interactive way. As a parent, taking advantage of opportunities to help your child learn and love these subjects can be as simple as visiting a local children’s museum, taking your kids rock climbing, or talking about gravity when a spill occurs instead of hurrying to wipe it up.

Want to learn more tips for helping your kids get excited about STEM, then join the #gno gang along with PBS Kids this Tuesday, March 2 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT)!


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.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Filed under: #gno information!
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Mom 2.0 and the Beet Jell-O Challenge—Are You Mom Enough to Take It?

February 24, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 10 Comments 

Aren’t Jell-O jigglers the funnest snack evs? Props to Kraft for creating such a colorful treat that moms and kids alike can enjoy. These wiggle worm wonders make me want to jump up and dance. Oh! The power of food.

And while we’re on the topic of the power of food, let’s talk about what transpired from this gal and this gal connecting last year over a juicy Jell-O chat and this gal jumping on the Jell-O bandwagon during a #gno Twitter party, changing this gal’s and this gal’s palette, perhaps, forevs because of it.

Ready for the Mom 2.0 Beet Jell-O Challenge? Are you mom enough to take it? Let’s see!

Like I said, Rachael and Holly connected at a #gno Twitter party. The topic may have been on parenting or shoes or green living, but Jell-O became all the rage when the two discovered they had a common bond. Rachael tried to tout her Thanksgiving Jell-O as the worst concoction evs and Holly adamantly declared her grandma’s beet Jell-O as victor of worst Jell-O recipe known to man. Even though I had seen a pic of Rachael’s Thanksigiving Jell-O, I was “Ewwwing!” over the thought of beets and Jell-O combined (not to be confused with the sound a sheep makes, but rather a child’s squeal of disgust).

Then, life went on. Jell-O conversations went back to wiggly, jiggly happiness and talk surfaced about the Mom 2.0 Summit and what to wear to the Mad Men party. As it turns out, #gno Twitter parties and Jell-O have a positive way of bringing people together, because after connecting online, Rachael, Holly (descendant extraordinaire of the Beet Jell-O recipe creator, featured on far left), and I decided to be roommates.

Then we heard the news! So you get the same sensation we got, you must pause, click here, and read Holly’s post to get the full effect.

Have you clicked yet? Here! Click here! I’ll wait!

Yes! She was bringing Jell-O and we were invited to take the Beet Jell-O Challenge! You saw that the recipe had three kinds of Jell-O—all fruit flavors, my favorite. But, did you also see that it had pickle juice, pimentos, and celery? Oh! And lest I forget to mention the mayonnaise. Yes! You heard me right. MAYONNAISE (pimento flavored mayonnaise at that).

We put it off as long as we could. We tried to recruit challengers. We tried to rally supporters. But, when Rachael and I returned to the room late one night, there it was. Open, ready, and waiting for us with five onlookers seeing if we were mom enough to groove to the beet.

If I could send a smell out through this post, I wouldn’t even do that to you. Horrific! Pungent! Wretched. And the taste? EXACTLY THE SAME! The picture here is pre challenge. What would follow, if anyone had captured it, would be Rachael wiping off her tongue with a towel and me heaving over the toilet. We may have lost our lunch so to speak, but we mommed up and took the challenge. Would you?

And this isn’t over? We’re bringing Jell-O back in a big way at Evo Conference this summer where we hope to continue the Jell-O challenge for both best and worst Jell-O recipe evs. Jell-O shots? The rainbow mold? Beet Jell-O? Can you beat them? Get ready, get set, CREATE!

Full Disclosure: Neither Kraft nor its Jell-O brand compensated me in any way, shape, or form to write this post! In fact, they don’t even know about it! I just heart the brand, its product, and its memory-making experiences that much!

Disclosure Part II: Kraft Jell-O is not an official sponsor of Evo Conference.

Top photo courtesy of Flickr. Other photos courtesy of Holly.

Filed under: Technology and Social Media, me
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Mom 2.0, Religion, and Politics—The Story of Three Mormons and A Bloggess

February 23, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 11 Comments 

You know how you’re not supposed to talk about religion or politics and especially not at the same time and definitely not in the same post? (Who made that rule BTW?) Well, let me be clear right from the get go that I’m breaking those rules, because this here post is about both! Consider yourself forewarned.

Back in November, my friend Rachael and I pitched to speak at the Mom 2.0 Summit in Houston, which took place last weekend and was awesome defined. Where else can you chat with her even if momentarily, check out her style, share life goals with her, be inspired by her, laugh til you cry with her or cry til you laugh (whichever comes first), lunch with her, have your chest painted by her, be dazzled by her vibrant soul, want to hug her til you die, squeal in delight when you meet her IRL or see her again even though it has only been two weeks or act like you’ve met her before when you haven’t but thought you had, and party with her, her, and her all weekend long? Awesomesauce, right? (Which is an even higher level of plain awesome in case you aren’t familiar with the term!)

To my surprise, the lovely Laura Mayes, hostess extraordinaire of this smashing shindig and author at Blog Con Queso selected me as a speaker. Wait! Let me interrupt myself. Yes! You heard me right. Blog Con Queso! My soul mate, right? She had me at queso, which is cheese in Spanish. Cheese and Spanish on the same site. Hold me back! What’s not to love? And there’s so much more I could share about her awesomesauceamazingness (two words I’ve always wanted to combine), but I digress.

So, the topic was selected and Rachael and I were excited. We booked a suite and sent out invites for roomies. What do you get when you combine Jyl and Rachael with an Amy, Holly, Jenny, and Laurie? Beet Jell-O! I’ll reserve that for another post, but as a preview, think beets, three kinds of Jell-O, mayonnaise, and pimentos. Did I forget to mention pickle juice. But again, a story for another time.

Back to the panel. We found out in January that Allison had been added to our panel. We are all friends IRL, so score! But we did kind of step back and say, “Hmmmmm! Three Mormons on a panel. Interesting choice!” Should we dress like Big Love and confuse people? Should we start with a thought and a prayer? Should we let people think we each had 9 kids or reveal that we are bringing down the average at 2.5 a piece? Oh! The fun we could have! And then the news arrived.

Our fourth panelist would be none other than Jenny! As in Jenny Lawson. Wait! Jenny Lawson! Isn’t that The Bloggess? Isn’t she the rockingest, funniest blogger evs? And totally irreverent in a sweet yet sarcastic sort of way? OH! MY! GOSH! She could totally say the prayer!!!! This panel was going to rock.

We met, I kid you not, two hours before we went on stage in our suite and talked for a few minutes about our panel and spent the rest of the time getting to know each other. Six words: Most.Meaningful.Part.Of.My.Weekend! That girl has soul… in the most genuine, sincere way. Since the three of us already knew each other, we wanted to bring Jenny into the group. We taught her the Mormon gang sign (see pic above) and decided that we could all be sister wives if Mormons practiced polygamy. OK! That last part is a half truth (the part about us deciding to be sister wives). Or maybe a lie (we don’t practice polygamy). But, who wouldn’t want to be a sister wife with The Bloggess, especially after screaming WOLVERINE at the top of your lungs? Seriously! We went against the urge to introduce her to the missionaries (but only because we were about to go on a panel in a few minutes… that’ll be saved for our next trip to Houston).

So, we get to our panel where Jenny made us all jealous we weren’t wearing a wig. Then, she became the Czar of Martindale (you must read Jenny’s blog for background here). I told you! Religion and politics at one time. She’s officially in government now in a rule-the-world-sort-of-a-way. Double jealousy except for the part where a cat is her boss, because that flat out terrifies me and I’ve had some pretty freaky bosses. But, with her new powers, she saved a baby. Although, I’d like to think it was because of her prayer. She prayed to save babies from falling down wells, which was interpreted as “stages,” because a baby crawled up on our stage, nearly fell off, but was saved. Yes! She prayed! Tell me Mormon girls aren’t only way fun sober, but highly influential!

For the serious part… We had fun sharing the ins and outs of making meaningful connections via the integration of online and offline campaigns. Sound like mumbo jumbo? I could go on all day long about my passion for this topic, but suffice it to say that we spoke about how bloggers and brands can work together online and offline to make a meaningful difference. What’s not to love about that, right?

While this was a definite highlight of my conference experience, I’d be remiss if I didn’t spotlight some others:

  1. Hearing Jenny snort. Nothing makes you laugh more than when your friend snorts.
  2. Taking funny face pictures with Amy.
  3. Sharing said pics with Marie, Allison, and Rachael over chips and guacamole. Who doesn’t love appetizers and tears of laughter all at once?
  4. Talking with Heather in the airport, swapping both BYU and tailbone stories. Any relation? Hmmmm! Something to consider.
  5. Taking the beet Jell-O challenge that no one other than Rachael and Marie was brave sane enough to try.
  6. Watching Precious with my roomies. Oh! The tears!
  7. Winning a weekend stay in the Executive Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston.
  8. Finally turning my dream of being 5′9 into a reality. Thanks White House, Black Market for your awesome sales rep that talked me into trying on shoes that were 100% not my style. They rock my world!
  9. Eating my fair share of apple dippers with caramel sauce while wearing a McDonald’s hat bag on my head at the #Cheezbergher party.
  10. Getting seconds of Barilla’s Three Cheese Tortellini. Mmmmmm! Let me say it again: Mmmmmm!
  11. Taking in the beauty and talent at the Mom 2.0: Defining a Movement art exhibit. Breathtaking!

Dying you missed Mom 2.0? Don’t worry. Join the adventure in April 2011 in New Orleans.

Wondering how to connect with bloggers and brands before then? Check out Evo Conference in the magnificent Rocky Mountains this summer. Early bird ends soon!

[Photo at top courtesy of Flickr. From left: Marie, me, Laurie, and Amy. Photo in middle: courtesy of Design Mom. From left: Allison, Rachael, me, and Jenny. Photo at bottom courtsey of Jenny on the Spot. From left: me and Jenny.]

Filed under: Technology and Social Media, me
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Build-A-Bear’s Huggable Heroes Program Rewards Giving Children

February 22, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · Leave a Comment 

Brands have great charitable outreach partnerships that make it easy for kids to give. But, fewer of them have programs that reward kids for their own community service efforts. Build-A-Bear does both in spades.

I was so impressed with their community involvement and mission that I took the brand up on their offer to treat my boys to a workshop and got the low down from the manager about their Huggable Heroes contest first hand (nominations due February 26).

I won’t lie to you. I didn’t think Build-A-Bear was for us. One, because I thought my boys were the wrong audience for the store. And two, because somewhere in the back of my mind I was afraid they might like it and I’d have to fork out money on a regular basis to meet their bear-building needs. But I thought again and figured if they could be addicted to WebKinz, why wouldn’t they enjoy building their own bear—or bunny and dog as it turned out! And, to calm my nerves about the addiction, well… I could always say no, right? I am the mom after all. So off we went!

The process was simple.

  1. Select a “bear.”
  2. Choose a sound. I loved this part the best, but didn’t realize we could record ourselves until after, which may be all the reason we need for repeating the workshop experience. Your own voice in a bear, or dog, or bunny. What’s not to love about that, right?
  3. Pump stuffing into your bear for a strong or fluffy result.
  4. Give your bear a heart. Loveable bears are all the rage. No tin man Build-A-Bears for the Pattee boys!
  5. Primp and pamper your new BFF at the bath and brush station.
  6. Dress it. Who knew Chase liked Nascar! The things Build-A-Bear teaches you about your kids.
  7. Finally, name it. Bunny was “christened” Chocolate before we even arrived at the store and the Nascar racer dog became “James.” I was rooting for something along the lines of Bubba or Joe Dean, but I had no influence.

The last station before leaving was informal and totally for me—a chat with the manager to learn more about the Huggable Heroes program. Here’s what I learned and how you can participate:

  1. Visit a Build-A-Bear store or click here on the website between now and February 26 to pick up or download a Huggable Heroes nomination form/entry rules and requirements.
  2. Complete the simple form for a person you know between the ages of 8 and 18 who is making a difference in his or her community.
  3. Mail the form and required entry items in postmarked no later than Friday, February 26. That’s this Friday, folks!

Is this worth doing? Absolutely! Ten Huggable Heroes will be rewarded with, among other goodies, $10,000, which is divided up into a $7,500 college scholarship and $2,500 for the cause of their choice.

I give Build-A-Bear a million stars, two thumbs up, 9 paws (my favorite number), or a high rank of your choice for their ability to provide the perfect family fun activity while at the same time both offering kids with community involvement opportunities and encouragement and rewards for their service and individual outreach!

Disclosure: My family provided the bear-building excitement and enthusiasm and Build-A-Bear offered us the amazing memory-building opportunity. I highly recommend the experience to anyone with kids young or old. I barely made it out of the store without making one of my own! A St. Patrick’s Day bear. Are you kidding me? How did I resist?

Filed under: Brands That Give
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Giveaway! CoverGirl Smoky Eyes Makeup Prize Pack

February 18, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 559 Comments 

Have you seen the Smoky Eye makeup look recently? Dying to own it? With CoverGirl’s help, now you can!

Prizes

Three winners will receive a CoverGirl prize pack, valued at $100, including each of the following:

  • Smoky Eye kits (3)
  • Make-up Bag
  • EyeShadow kits (6)
  • Perfect Point Liners (3)
  • Pencil Sharpener
  • Lash Curler
  • Pack of EyeShadow applicators (3)
  • Clean Make-up Remover
  • Shadow Blast Duos (3)
  • Lash Blast Length Mascara

Entry Requirements

Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

  1. Visit http://smokyeyelook.com, check out the various looks, and leave a comment here, sharing what look you’d most like to try.
    XXXX
  2. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win CoverGirl #smokyeyes prize pack (3 winners/ARV $100 each) http://bit.ly/akfG8l #gno PLS RT
XXXX

Want the #smokyeye look? Need tips? Visit #CoverGirl’s site to learn more: http://smokyeyelook.com 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.

  1. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
  2. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
  3. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, February 24, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void in Maine. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

Filed under: giveaways!
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Learn Smoky Eye Tips From CoverGirl at Tuesday’s #gno Twitter Party

February 17, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 20 Comments 

The Smoky Eye is back! If you like make-up and want to achieve a glamorous (yet easy and affordable) look, join the #gno gang and CoverGirl this Tuesday, February 23 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT)! Party with us and learn real-time tips from expert fashionistas!

  • What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
  • When: Tuesday, February 23, 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 #smokyeyes.)
  • Topic: Smoky Eye Tips From CoverGirl
  • Who: @alywalansky @CoverGirlErin @erikalehmann @momtrends @PaytonVail @petit_elefant @stylemom
  • Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 2/24
  • 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.


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.

Filed under: #gno information!
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Green Guilt. How One Mom Goes Green

February 15, 2010 by TiaHejny · 3 Comments 

By Carly Fauth, Chief Mom at thredUP kids

I’d like to think that I’m a good person.  I’m a supportive and reliable wife, employee, sister and friend.  I try to be a positive role model for my son in every aspect of my life.  I even recycle! I always turn the water off while a brush my teeth and I have a reusable water bottle. However, my environmentally friendly steps seem fruitless.  Everywhere I turn I feel a sense of eco-inadequacy.  I call this The Green Guilt.

Look, I just refuse to use cloth diapers.  I cherish my showers too much to shorten them to five minutes.  Finally, I’ve tried organic food shopping, but it’s SO expensive!

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be the greenest mom, but this year I’ve resolved to take baby steps towards a greener lifestyle.  Here are some easy-as-pie eco-moves I’m planning to make in 2010.

1) Wash my laundry in cold water instead of hot.

2) Collect rainwater outside to water my plants.

3) Completely stop using disposable bags.  I already started using Shaw’s reusable tote.

4) Ride my bike more frequently to work and to do errands.

5)  Swap before I shop.  Aside from working at thredUP kids, I also plan to use the service and swap kids clothes that no longer fit my son, for one’s that will.

6) Pay all my bills online.

7)  Plant a garden (this is my favorite one because I get to put it off until Spring…)

8) Fix leaking faucets.

9) Turn my computer completely off at night and unplug all electronics.

10) Chat with my son about the importance of going green.

Being green is not black and white.  These are some simple, non-life changing steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle.  The list is not overwhelming and completely do-able which I find motivating.  I invite you to join me on my quest to becoming a green mom!

thredUP kids is a place for frugal, busy and green moms to conveniently swap boxes of kids clothes online. Unlike many onerous swap site out there, thredUP does 95% of the work.  It’s like Netflix for kids clothes!  The site will launch invite-only very soon, and those on “the list” will have a chance to swap their first box of kids clothes for free.  Sign-up here to be a part of the exclusive launch:  http://bit.ly/bH35mI

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