Do You Know a Little Girl Who Looks Like Little Debbie? She Could Win $5,000!
January 5, 2010 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 1 Comment
I just found out about this awesome contest from my friend David Griner, social media coordinator for Little Debbie, and thought I’d spread the news!
Back in 1960, a picture of a little girl named Debbie became an American icon. This month, to celebrate Little Debbie’s 50th Anniversary, a lucky girl age 4-8 in your life could win a $5,000 scholarship just by re-creating that classic photo.
The Little Debbie Look-A-Like Contest is already under way, and if you’ve got access to a camera and a straw hat, you could well on your way to winning all sorts of great prizes, including the grand prize of $5,000 for a child’s education.
You might be surprised to learn that “Little Debbie” is a real person, but it’s true! In fact, she’s going to be one of the judges for the Look-A-Like Contest.
Here’s the story of how she became such an icon:
In 1960, a bakery owner by the name of O.D. McKee was trying to come up with a name for his newest snack cakes. Inspiration struck when he looked at a photograph of his 4-year-old granddaughter Debbie, who was wearing her favorite straw hat.
From that moment on, “Little Debbie” has been the unforgettable face on dozens of America’s favorite snacks, from Oatmeal Creme Pies and Swiss Cake Rolls to Nutty Bars and Zebra Cakes.
Now it’s your chance to re-create a classic by taking part in the Little Debbie Look-A-Like Contest.
Prizes include:
- A $5,000 scholarship to the grand prize winner on behalf of the child
- The winning child’s picture on certain packages of Little Debbie products
- Cases of Little Debbie snack cakes, gift bags filled with goodies and Madame Alexander Little Debbie 50th Anniversary collectable dolls
It’s easy to enter. Just visit the Little Debbie Look-A-Like site and follow the steps to send in your submission. But hurry! The deadline for submissions is Jan. 20.
For more information on Little Debbie and the contest, you can follow Little Debbie on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook or just drop me an e-mail with any questions.
Good luck!
RSVP to Chat About Your Favorite Indulgences Tonight at #gno! Chocolate Anyone?
October 22, 2009 by Anna Gonzales · 63 Comments
Halloween is right around the corner! What treat are looking forward to? What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
Come join us as we pamper ourselves through a chat about chocolate and indulgence at tonight’s girls’ night out (#gno) party on Twitter. We’ll be tweeting with terrific folks from the Zone Perfect team about their new product—Indulgence.
Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins:
200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT
- What: Zone Perfect is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Thursday, October 22, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #zoneperfect.)
- Topic: Your Personal Indulgence!
- Who: @craftymamaof4 @juliefisk @mommybrain @organizersandy @plussizemommy @savingmycents @stonerjj @zoneperfect
- Party Favors: Tonight’s giveaway is a $250 Spafinder gift card! The 200th person to tweet the following wins: 200th person 2 follow @zoneperfect gets $250 Spafinder gc. Winner announced 2nite on #gno 9-11 ET RSVP http://bit.ly/1R1qHM PLS RT
- 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.
The Upside to the Economy—Families Come Together This Summer
June 9, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · Leave a Comment
Quality time at home has emerged as a major silver lining in today’s economic picture. In fact, families are cutting back on out of the home occasions, with 58 percent of Americans citing that they are dining out less and 53 percent spending less on vacations. This gives Mom the chance again to focus on the true joys that have knit families together for generations, says Kathy Peel, “America’s Family Manager.”
Peel finds that even if finances really get tight, submitting to a “survival mode” mindset can rob the family of life’s joys. “Don’t let that happen! Scale down and make adjustments, but don’t eliminate fun—it’s an absolute necessity for family health.” Creating simple occasions at home like spending the night playing games over a bowl of popcorn is a great way to reconnect and bring the family together.
Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn has been uniting families for more than 40 years and partnered with Peel to share ideas that are both fun and frugal. “Quality family-fun time doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated—we’ve all seen the tot who plays more with the box than the toy,” Peel says.
Through her 20 books, Family Manager website, blog and frequent appearances, Peel helps Mom simplify the home and create a strong family team. “Many parents say that although tighter budgets are painful, the upside is an opportunity to change spending routines that had gotten out of hand,” she says. “Instead of finding joy in splurging, they’re finding joy in spending more time with family and creatively solving how to stretch resources.”
Kathy encourages Mom and Dad to start the summer by holding a family meeting, and discuss the budget so children will have realistic expectations. The aroma and taste of snacks like Orville Redenbacher’s help bring the family together for this meeting. After that, it’s discovery time! Make a list of resources in the home. Look in closets—do you have games, cards, musical instruments, art or craft supplies, hobby or sports gear? Most families have forgotten about the many things they have squirreled away. Make another list of resources in your community—parks, farmers markets, museums, the zoo. Then brainstorm with the family about things you can do if you have 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, a half day, a whole day, or a weekend. It’s remarkable how quickly your time will fill up.
Don’t let budget get you down. These inexpensive options will make for family fun and many memories this summer.
Photo by Kenny Moller and used with permission from Flickr.
