Nice Job, Mom! A giveaway from 8th Continent Soymilk

This is a sponsored post from 8th Continent and BlogHer.

It was a warm afternoon. Me and my daughter, who was 3 years old at the time, were parked outside of school waiting for The Middle Child to get out. Gas prices were high, so I refused to leave the car running with the air on. So, I turned the car off and rolled down the windows to let the (warm) breeze in. My precious little daughter was sitting in her car seat, waiting patiently for her brother.

A car pulled up and parked in front of us. A woman got out of the car, shut the door and hit the lock button from her keys.

*beep beep* went the car as she locked it.

Suddenly, without warning, my daughter shouted at the woman.

"DUMMY ASS!"

I heard it. But my ears couldn't believe what I had just heard.

The woman looked over at us. I turned my head away from her, looked at my daughter and asked her WHY DID YOU JUST CALL THAT WOMAN A DUMMYASS?

"Because, she was all honkin' her horn at us and that was rude!" She responded.

I was stunned. DID MY 3 YEAR OLD REALLY JUST SAY THAT? She did. OhmyGod.

"She wasn't honking at us. That was her car alarm!"

"No, she honked at us and you always yell 'dummy ass' at people who honk at you when you're driving!"

And that's when I realized my daughter had just done the perfect impression of me as a driver.

From that day on, I never yelled "dumbass" while driving again. Let me rephrase that, I never yelled "dumbass" while driving when my daughter was in the car with me. But it took AN ENTIRE YEAR to get my daughter to stop saying "the word that mommy says when she gets mad at dummyass drivers."

8th Continent knows that being a mom isn't easy and they want to salute motherhood for what it is: doing your best every day. Of course, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes while trying to do our best.



8 Continent is giving away a $100 and a 6 month supply of 8th Continent to one of you. All you need to do is share a parenting blunder of your own here in the comments. Please make sure to leave your email address somewhere in your comment so we can contact you should you win. Also, please be sure to click over to BlogHer.com special offers page for 8 more chances to win! (Contest official rules are can be found here.

You can also go visit 8th Continent's Facebook page and find out how you could win a room of choice makeover from Home Line Furniture® or the grand prize of a complete adventure package from Caravan Tours®.

Comments are now closed. Winner will be selected soon!

Introducing McDonald's New Fundraising Campaign- Family Time, Happy Time

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and McDonald's.

When my family was young, spending time together was easy. We'd eat every meal together at the table. Every Saturday night was game night. Every Friday night, we'd go out for dinner at our favorite diner. We'd spend Saturday mornings at the boy's basketball games and Sunday mornings in church, followed by Sunday lunch with family and friends.

As our children have grown older and our schedules got more complicated, finding time to spend together is challenging. Our boys are older and they would rather spend time doing things with friends. Luckily, our daughter is young enough to think that spending time with mommy and daddy is still fun. But getting the 5 of us together to spend time together is more of a challenge.

That is why I didn't hesitate to accept McDonald's invitation to attend the Family Time in Illinios. I looked at it as an opportunity to spend quality time with my family while at the same time learning more about McDonald's. In my previous post I mentioned what an amazing time my family had while there. So many activities for the family to do together. It was wonderful and made me miss the simpler days when my family wanted nothing more than to spend time together.

While we were there, McDonald's introduced their new campaign- "Family Time. Happy Time." As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to bring families together, McDonald’s launched a new national fundraiser in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®). For each Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® sold in the U.S., a portion of the sales will be donated to RMHC – McDonald’s “Charity of Choice” for more than 35 years. As part of the campaign, you can get involved by pledging time with your family through the “Make Family Time Happy Time” online application. For each minute pledged, McDonald’s will donate one penny to the Charity, with the goal of reaching 1 million minutes and a $10,000 donation to RMHC.”

I absolutely loved the idea. You simply pledge to spend time with your family and in doing so, help families who want nothing more than to be together while facing medical challenges.

To kick off this campaign, McDonald's has given me another Prize Pack to give to one of my readers. Please visit McDonald's Facebook page to pledge time with your family and leave a comment below to let us know what you’re doing to help families in need at RMHC. And, if you have a favorite family memory tied to McDonald’s, I’d love to hear about it! Please be sure to include your email address in your comment!

My Family Get Away Experience with McDonald's.

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and McDonald's.

Last month I was invited by McDonald's to attend a The Family Time, Happy Time Getaway in Oak Brook, Illinois. I did not hesitate to say yes.

McDonald's was a part of my childhood-- there was one across the street from my parents neighborhood. I had many happy memories there. I remember washing cars to earn enough money so I could treat my family to burgers and fries. I remember walking there to have ice cream cones with friends. I remember trips with my grandparents to have burgers and fries.

I was thrilled to participate in this event, especially because my entire family was invited. That, like, never happens.

I was impressed with McDonald's from the very start. The event was organized-- packed with information and fun activities for the family.

There was a nature scavenger hunt.



There was bean bag tossing with Ronald McDonald.



There was a cool "in the kitchen" with Chef Dan Coudreaut experience, where we got to make fruit kabobs and smoothies with our children.









It wasn't all fun and games. The adults spent hours learning everything there is to know about the company. We were told nothing was off limits, we could ask any questions and write about everything that we saw, heard, learned.

Before this experience, I had no idea how much thought goes into menu items. We took part in a "sensory taste test" in which we learned the aspects McDonald's considers when making menu items. This was by far my favorite part of the trip and I'm not just saying that because I got to eat a McGriddle AND an Egg McMuffin. It was a completely different experience biting into an Egg McMuffin once they explained how "sensory science" works-- appearance, texture, aroma, taste, and even the sound food makes when you bite. It was kind of amazing to me how good my food tasted when I paid attention to those things. (And when my food wasn't drowning in ketchup.)

There was a lot of focus on Happy Meals and McDonald's commitment to giving kid's healthier choices. My kids love McDonald's and we eat there a few times a month. Mostly because it's convenient, but also because mommy loves their diet coke. As a parent, I appreciate the healthier choices, such as the apple dippers and milk instead of soda. McDonald's assured us that they understand parents are concerned with things like sugar and sodium and are constantly working to improve the nutrition of their products. Even if McDonald's is not something we eat regularly, (it's more of a treat, a couple times a month) I do feel more secure in my decision to let my children have a meal there knowing how much thought and consideration goes into the menu and knowing that they are continually striving to improve based on customer feedback.


The most moving part of the experience for me and my family was visiting a Ronald McDonald House in Chicago. It was wonderful to see firsthand the amazing home this charity provides for families in their time of need. From home cooked meals to a clean, peaceful environments- this place is a refuge for families facing the most stressful of times. (As of June 25th a portion of each Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meals sales are now benefiting RMHC)









This is experience was a positive and informative one for both me and my family. My husband and I appreciated how much consideration went into the care of our children and to ensure that they had a good time and were well fed. I appreciated McDonald's willingness to answer any and all questions that each blogger asked.

McDonald's has given me a Family Fun Prize pack (worth $100) to giveaway to one of you. To enter to win, simply leave a comment telling me what you're favorite Happy Meal toy was as a child. ([confession]my favorite Happy Meal toys were the Ty Beanie Babies, which of course means I was not a child when they came out. I still have them in a box in the garage./[confession]) You may also ask me any question you may have about my experience (that will count as an entry) and I will be happy to answer! You must include your email address in the comment in order to be eligible. You can read the giveaway rules here. Please visit BlogHer to read more stories from the weekend and more chances to win!

(Comments are now closed)

Win a dress from Shabby Apple

Congratulations, Miss Britt!



Last week I was contacted by Shabby Apple. They asked me if I would like to pick a dress to give away to one of my readers and one to keep for myself. I clicked over to their site and took a look at their dresses.

So beautiful. So feminine. So... Can I have them all, please?

I accepted their offer. Mostly because I am in desperate need of new clothing after losing 55 pounds. And also because I'm trying to wear more stylish, feminine clothing. So, you know, PERFECT FIT!

I stayed up all night, trying to choose just one. I loved this. And this. And this, this, this. I had to ask Lena to help me decide. This is the one we both loved the most. That is the dress you will be entering to win. We will be twins! It will be awesome.

All you need to do is leave a comment here (please leave your email address in your comment!) and you will be entered into a random drawing that will take place on Tuesday, July 13th.

(Must be US resident to enter.)

comments are now closed. Winner will be announced soon.

CheeseburgHer at Mom 2.0- It's Our Party and We'll Fill The Bath Tub With Ice If We Want To.

I'm sure by now you know The History of CheeseburgHer.

Last month, thanks to McDonalds, we were lucky enough to have CheeseburgHer at Mom 2.0.

Every year something new and exciting happens that makes me fall in love with Our Party all over again. Last year in Chicago there were so many things!

The butler!



The bachelors!



The security! (Joining in on the fun!)



This time around?

Official CheeseburgHer credentials!





Drinks in a Tub!





And the big hit of the night... The Mc Snuggie!



(The Mc Snookie?)





Of course, some things never change. There were Serious Conversations With Bags on Heads.



There was Bag Hat Creativity.





And of course, my absolute favorite thing about CheeseburgHer...















Joy and laughter.

(Did you really think I could write a post about a CheeseburgHer party and NOT have any cheese?)

The one thing that made this party special to me was this year? We did not get busted by security.

I'm sure this was disappointing to some. It's a tradition! And, admittedly, usually the best part of the party. But, it was nice to not have to shove people out of our room and be able to enjoy everyone's company. Such great conversations were had that night, some that lasted until the next morning. And let's be honest, the Law Abider in me was secretly pleased to not having a Confrontation With the (Hotel) Law.

Thanks to all who made it up to our suite in Houston. And of course, Thanks to McDonalds for making it happen.

I can not wait for CheeseburgHer NYC!

Check out my Arbor Mist Sparkling wine party basket, enter to win a $100 visa check card!

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Arbor Mist

Last month me and my husband were kids free for the evening, so we decided to stop and pick up some snacks and a bottle of wine. I immediately noticed Sparkling Wine by Arbor Mist. The thing you need to know about me is that I like my wine sparkly and I like my Arbor Mist, so without hesitation, I picked up a bottle of the raspberry sparkling.

"We're getting fancy tonight." I told my husband, as I put the bottle in the cart.

I was expecting it to be over the top sweet, but to my surprise, it wasn't. Just a hint of raspberry flavor. I really enjoyed it-- crisp, bubbly and not overly sweet or fruity. (I bet you're glad I'm not a Professional Reviewer of Wine after reading that, right? I TRIED!)

It's definitely something I wouldn't hesitate to share with guests in my home.

Which is why I was happy to be a part of this BlogHer review. It's a product I've tried, a product I like and one I think you'll like too.

I was asked to put together a party themed basket using Arbor Mist Sparkle wine.

I have created what I believe to be an awesome Party in a Basket.

You know how crazy life can get around the holidays, yes? The stress of planning meals, cooking meals, cleaning the house before the family comes over. Decorating, buying gifts, creating holiday cards. It can be overwhelming.

I can't think of a better way to get away from it all then to have a Girl's Night In!



We'd open a chilled bottle of Arbor Mist Sparkling. There would be plenty of snacks. Cheese, salami, crackers, olives STUFFED WITH FETA CHEESE. And of course, chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate. There would be music playing in the background while we eat, sip our Arbor Mist Sparkle wine and gossip. After we we're stuffed from the drinks and snacks, we could play a game or watch a couple of Chick Flicks. Because, seriously, no Girls Night In is complete without a little Patrick Swayze.





Sounds fun and delicious. Admit it.

The good news is Arbor Mist wants you to have a chance to win a $100 visa gift card!

To enter, leave me a comment below and tell me tell me what you'd add to my Girls Night In party basket (you must leave your date of birth to be eligible to win) - or you may leave a link to your post on your own blog in The contest starts on 12/4/09 at 3:15 pm and will end 12/31/09 at 5:00 p.m. (PST). You must leave an email address- Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 21 and older
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here: Official rules


REMINDER! You must also include your DOB (day/month/year) in your comment to be eligible for this sweepstakes

When you're done commenting here, please visit BlogHer.com special offers page for 7 more chances to win!

Be sure to check out Arbor Mist at their official site,become an Arbor Mist fan on Facebook, take a break at the Refresh Your Fun blog and follow Arbor Mist on Twitter.

My Son Reviews Tony Hawk "Ride."

(Last month Activision treated myself and my boys to a Tony Hawk Weekend. We got to spend the day with Tony Hawk on Friday, spend the night in the beautiful La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad on Friday and Saturday evening. Then, on Sunday we were able to attend Tony Hawk's charity event, Stand up for Skateparks. It was an incredible weekend that was not only exciting and fun, but extremely eye opening and informative. What Tony Hawk is doing for the children is to be applauded. I will write my own take on things, but my son asked if he could post his first. We were not paid for this review, but we were given the game for free as well as a gift card to buy snacks for preview party.)

Last month I was lucky to meet Tony Hawk. We got to watch him skate with some friends of his and we had dinner with him on the half pipe. I have to say, he was an all around cool guy. He was humorous. It was so cool when he demonstrated his new game for us!











This weekend we got an advanced copy of the game. We had a party for friends to try it.







Now I would like to give you my review of the game.

Tony Hawk has done it again! His new game Tony Hawk Ride is the game that brings you closest to skateboarding. Young or old, balanced or not, all you need is the ability to stand and move a little. This game is so realistic you'll think you're actually skating. There was only one con with the game- You have to unlock the levels on each ride mode which can be hard and a little frustrating. But this game is 100 percent fun! Play and you will want to play it over and over. This is a must have game and sure to be loved.