Whether your first day of school took place in August or September, Cherokee and Cozi  want to help you celebrate the “first day of school” photos. To do so, they are hosting a back-to-school photo contest. All you have to do is upload your “first day of school” photo via Cherokee’s Facebook page here and you could win a $1000 in Cherokee clothing and a smartphone. What’s not to love about that?

PRIZE ELIGIBILITY: Only persons residing in United States who are at least 18 years of age can enter.CONTEST STARTS August 08, 2011 @ 09:00 am (PDT) CONTEST ENDS September 30, 2011 @ 05:00 pm (PDT).

My wife called earlier than expected, and I could tell she was up to something. She said to hurry home because there was something that had smooth cornering, slick contours, and plenty of power waiting for me in the garage. A description like that is likely to catch the attention of most any man, and it definitely caught mine. But I’ve been married long enough to not be fooled by such things. It wasn’t that I rushed home expecting to find a sports car, but I was curious nonetheless.

What I found when I arrived was an Electrolux Nimble upright vacuum cleaner. And I was thrilled. I had always wanted an Electrolux—not in the same way I covet a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, mind you—and now I had one. But it’s not even that I enjoy vacuuming. My theory is that if you’re going to do something you may as well look good doing it (please, no snide remarks about my wardrobe).

The engineers at Electrolux have managed to take the very thing that used to get Elvis Presley in trouble with parents and turned it into something that parents would not only approve of but actually desire. And that thing is swivel action.

The Test Drive

You know when someone builds your expectations so much about something that it’s almost always a disappointment? This was my concern. This was kind of like when everyone told me that The Bridges of Madison County would be both the longest and worst movie I had ever seen…no, wait, it really was the longest and worst movie I had ever seen. Let’s just skip the analogy.

The Nimble has everything and performed in every way I had hoped it would. The vacuum maneuvered around furniture and children with the greatest of ease. The wand and hose allowed me to reach even the highest of stairs without hauling up the entire unit.

But the best part was that it worked. The vacuum worked hard. Piles of sand left over from last week’s trip to Arches National Park? Sucked into oblivion. Cheerios and ramen noodles left over from the sleepover with the cousins? Not even a trace. Small Legos and loose change? They didn’t stand a chance.

But wait, there’s more. You also get:

• Powerful LED headlight (for vacuuming in the dark)
• Bagless (note to wife: this does not mean it doesn’t need to be emptied!)
• 5-year warranty (better than a 4-year, and way better than a 3-year warranty)
• Sealed HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air if you’re scoring at home)
• Telescopic Integrated Wand System (Enough said)
• 3-in-1 VersaTool and Dusting Brush (Mere words cannot describe)

The Verdict

Until there’s an app that will vacuum the floor for me, the Electrolux Nimble will be put to good use. And now, you have a chance to win one.

The Giveaway

Please do the following three things to be entered for a chance to win an Electrolux Nimble (ARV: $299):

• Like the Electrolux Vacuums and Small Appliances page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElectroluxVacuumsandSmallAppliances
• Like the Mom It Forward Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MomItForward
• Tweet the following:   GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win @Electrolux Nimble Upright Vacuum Cleaner (ARV $299) from #momitforward http://bit.ly/nCVjIn

When it comes to chores, what is your favorite cleaning gadget? What product makes cleaning more enjoyable?

The Fine Print

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Sunday, August 28. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. residents only. Winners will be notified via email and announced in the Mom It Forward forum within 1 week of the giveaway end date. I was provided one Electrolux Nimble to review in compensation for this post. Photo courtesy of Flickr. 

Everyone seems to be happy when it’s sunny in Seattle, I’ve found. And what made my trip even happier was a fun Aveda event I attended with my fave Seattle peeps, where they treated us to hand treatments, makeovers, and hair styles, using the Aveda Summer Solutions product line, including my fave, Sun Care Hair and Body Cleanser—perfect for getting rid of the chlorine.

Sound heavenly? Then head on over to your local Aveda store, mention the secret word “11Summer” and receive a free Aveda sample.

For a chance to win Aveda products, check out this giveaway.

Prize

One lucky winner will receive:

• One (1) 8.5 fl oz Damage Remedy™ Restructuring Shampoo (USD $24)
• One (1) 6.7 fl oz Damage Remedy™ Restructuring Conditioner (USD $24)
• One (1) 3.4 fl oz. Damage Remedy™ Daily Hair Repair (USD $24)

That’s a $72 value!

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, complete the following requirements and leave a separate comment for each, including a link to your original tweet. (You can access it by clicking the time stamp on your tweet and grabbing the link from the URL bar. Comments not including the URL to their original tweet will not be considered.)

• Visit the website (Aveda.com/video), watch a “How To” video, then come back to this post and leave a comment letting us know one thing you learned from the video.
• Tweet the following: “I just learned how to ___________________ with @Aveda and couldn’t be more excited! #AvedaSS”

Extra Entries

You will earn one extra entry (total of two) when you do the following:

• Like the Mom It Forward Facebook page for one extra entry: http://facebook.com/momitforward
• Tweet the following: “RT @momitforward Giveaway! Enter 4 chance 2 win an @Aveda summer hair/skin care prize pack. http://bit.ly/jHfebH PLS RT”

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday, June 30, 2011. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. residents only.

When I left, my computer was slow and punishing me for saving everything to the desktop, including overflowing folders, stuffed with picture upon picture. So, you can imagine my surprise when I hopped on the computer and noticed a clean desktop and a smooth, fast running machine.

If you’re like me, you’re busy. So, you save things in a way that is fast, but sometimes isn’t efficient. Pictures are my downfall. I download tons at once, often times don’t name them, and stuff them in a folder on my desktop.

Awesome Features of the Toshiba Canvio 3.0 Portable Hard Drive

After receiving a Toshiba Canvio 3.0 external hard drive to review, @troypattee had another idea in mind—portable storage. Kind of like a POD, but for computers. This baby features:

• 1 terabyte (TB) of storage for PC users who need to store movies, music and photos. Terabyte? What? 1TB means the drive can store up to 285,000 digital pictures, 263,000 digital music files (almost TWO YEARS worth of nonstop music), 220 million typed pages, or 820 DVDs. Hmmmmm! It can store ALL my pictures. Awesome!
• USB 3.0 technology, which means that file transfers and uploads from the device to the computer are 10 times faster than USB 2.0 technology.
• Drive includes preloaded NTI BackupNow EZ software, which offers PC owners various backup options as they are transferring data from PCs to the Canvio.
• A really cool feature? The Canvio is the size of a postcard and weighs mere ounces, making it easy for to throw the drive in a purse or briefcase while on the go. I’ll admit to being a little more than nervous to tote my digital pictures with me in my purse, but love the small size!
• The coolest part?  It is priced at $179.99 for the 1TB (and less if you need less storage).

What’s cooler than a super low priced product that can hold all of my digital pics? The fact that you can win a Toshiba Canvio 3.0 just in time for Father’s Day!

Entry Requirements

I’m keeping entries simple. Just do the following:

• Like Mom It Forward on Facebook: http://facebook.com/momitforward and leave a comment here, letting me know that you completed this task and what your Facebook name is.
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• Mom It Forward this week by sending a shout out on Twitter to someone you think is awesome, telling him or her why! Use the hashtag #MomItForward and leave a comment here with the URL from your original tweet. (You can access it by clicking the time stamp on your tweet and grabbing the link from the URL bar. Comments not including the URL to their original tweet will not be considered.)

Extra Entry

Tweet the following and leave a comment with the URL to your original tweet:

• RT @momitforward Giveaway! Toshiba Canvio 3.0 Portable Hard Drive. http://bit.ly/kOHDxE PLS RT

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday, June 25, 2011. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. residents only.

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The Prize

One lucky winner will receive a full-access pass to the conference (valued at $349). The pass includes access to all sessions and workshops, meals Thursday night through Saturday night, and the Friday and Saturday night parties as well as all other conference-wide events and activities.

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following requirements and leave a separate comment for each on this post, including links to your original tweets.

1. Like Mom It Forward and evo Conference on Facebook.
2. Tweet the following:

• RT @MomItForward GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win an #evoconf pass ($349 value) http://bit.ly/kWoyvV #gno PLS RT

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 1, 2011. See all terms and conditions here. This giveaway is available to U.S. and Canadian residents only and includes the conference full-access pass only. Winners will be responsible for all other associated conference costs, including, but not limited to lodging, flight, transportation, incidentals, etc.

Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, entrants were only allowed 500 characters to describe why their kitchen was in need of a makeover. The creativity in the written entries was amazing; which really made choosing a winner rather difficult. After reading the entries and looking at all of the photos, we’re excited to announce that the winner of the “Pledge® To Love Your Kitchen” $15,000 Contest is Kimberly of Hampden, Massachusetts. With pops of blue all over her kitchen, she was definitely singing the blues when she wrote her entry entitled, “Beauty in the Least”…

Room as old as mine,
Blue as it can be.
Barely ever trends,
then somebody spends,
unexpectedly.

Needs a stainless range,
the current one’s deceased.
Floor’s a bit impaired,
for too long it’s been shared.
Beauty in the least!

Hard to be reclaimed,
even though it tries,
now it’s an eyesore,
nothing like couture.
Pledge® brings out a prize!

Room as old as mine

Congratulations, Kimberly! And thank you so much to those of you who entered.

• VENTE PRIZE: Enter for a chance to win a $1,000 GameStop gift card at TodaysMama.com. Click here for details.
• GRANDE PRIZE: Enter on the Mom It Forward Forum for a chance to win a $250 GameStop gift card. Check out the specifics here.

The annual Mama’s Holiday Wish List contest gives people a chance to read and share heartwarming, funny and inspiring answers.

My Holiday Wish List Meme

What is your holiday wish for your family?

What is your Christmas tradition?

If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

What games did you play with your family growing up?

What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

The Prize

One lucky winner will receive the following:

• EA Sports: Active
• CoverGirl SmokeyEye kit

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Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following two requirements and leave a separate comment for each, including links to your original tweets.

1. Visit Renee Ross’s page on the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/nikesf10/rrossk or the site’s homepage: http://www.teamintraining.org, identify one thing of interest or piece of information you learned while visiting the site, and then come back here and leave a comment, sharing what you learned.
2. Tweet the following:

• Join @reneejross in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Click here 2 help: http://bit.ly/9BcdIu PLS RT
• GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win prize pack, incl. EA Sports Active, in support of raising cancer awareness http://bit.ly/btlOqC #gno #morebirthdays

Extra Entries

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

1. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
2. Follow Mom It Forward on Facebook at http://facebook.com/momitforward.
3. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
4. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the bottom left on the homepage).

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Saturday, August 28, 2010. See all terms and conditions here.

The Prize

One lucky winner will receive the following, good until April 2011:

• One (1) night stay at The Canyons Resort
• Two (2) full adult 2010-2011 lift tickets

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following three requirements and leave a separate comment for each:

1. Follow @makeawish and @thecanyons on Twitter.
2. Visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Summer of 5000 Wishes website and leave a comment on this post, sharing one item you’d most like to donate to help grant a child’s wish this summer (no purchase or donation necessary to win).
3. Tweet the following:

• GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win 1 night @thecanyons resort in Park City, UT + 2 adult lift tix http://bit.ly/bc68qQ #makeawish #gno PLS RT
• Help @makeawish grant a child’s wish this summer! Click here 2 help: http://bit.ly/summerof5000wishes PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following entry is completely optional and will earn you one extra entry for this giveaway. Leave a separate comment on this post for this completed entry.

1. Visit The Canyons website and leave a comment here, sharing the one activity you’d most like to try while at the resort.

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends on at midnight PT Saturday, July 18, 2010. See all terms and conditions here.

The Prize

One lucky winner will receive all the things to have the perfect barbecue:

• A Weber grill
• BOCA coupons and grilling accessories

The approximate retail value of this gift pack is $250.

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter, please do the following three things and leave a separate comment for each:

1. Follow @BOCAmeatless on Twitter.
2. Visit http://www.BOCABurger.com for more delicious and sensible summer recipes—perfect for busy moms! Then, leave a comment on this post, sharing which BOCA recipe would help simplify your busy life or would be most fun for your next summer get-together.
3. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win @BOCAmeatless prize pack incl grill (ARV $250) http://bit.ly/bocagiveaway [no purch nec] #gno #BOCA PLS RT

Join @BOCAmeatless Tues 7/6 (9-11 ET) to share/learn tips 4 summer grilling http://bit.ly/bocagno PLS RT

Extra Entries

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

1. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
2. Like Mom It Forward on Facebook at http://facebook.com/momitforward.
3. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
4. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the bottom left on the homepage).

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. For entry requirements and to enter giveaway, visit MomItForward.com and click on BOCA Summer Grilling #gno for more information and to leave your information for consideration in the random sweepstakes. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries.  Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions are made by Mom It Forward and 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 in the US who are 18 years and older. 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.

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties, including this BOCA Foods sponsored conversation. 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 used with courtesy from Flickr.