Giving Back this Holiday Season using influence as a blogger and two giveaways by sharing yours.

December 9, 2009 By Momstart 12 Comments

I have been collecting toys for a few months now. I have wanted to make a difference in my community so my husband and I thought of what way I could best make a difference. I hope to encourage other bloggers to use their influence to acquire donations for charity in your communities. Review Giveaway bloggers receive so much. How much of it do you really need? If a company offers you something and it fits your blog, and in my opinion if you are a “review/giveaway” blogger then everything fits. Just don’t overwhelm yourself, it’s easy to do. Don’t keep it, review it and donate it. I know a ton of places won’t take items that are opened but some will, especially if you explain this was a review item. I used it, tested it and that’s it. It’s still in good condition so it will be wonderful for someone else. My husband received tons of used toys for Christmas and he loved them. He was still happy. Children in need aren’t going to care if their toy was used.

I know that the Top Bloggers are in such a position to help others. Do it. I urge you, and it’s easy.

It’s also so easy to get your kids involved. Mine are only two and three and I have them helping me with food drives, cookie drives, and toy drives. Activities as families are enriching and engaging. We all grow together.

The Back Story:

There was a short time in my husband’s childhood he was homeless. His parents were proud and it was very hard for them to ask for help. He lived in an apple orchard for a while and he thought it was fun. He doesn’t like for me to share details of his life on my blog so I will leave the story part at that.

It was because of churches and small places like Food Banks that he was able to get toys for Christmas. Family sometimes gave him older toys and he cherished them. So I’m inspired by my husband’s youth to want to give back to smaller places that reach local people in my community. So I teamed up with My MOMS Club, and the power of my influence as a blogger to gather toys. My MOMS Club wanted to include the kids so we are going to also to a cookie drive for the elderly.

We always have a cookie exchange and end up with too many cookies to take home for the holidays. None of us want anymore sweets in the house so we’re going to put them in tins and give them to The Maltby Food Bank. Because we want the kids involved they are going to help drop off the donations. I already dropped off my set of toys because of my surgery. My kids helped me take pictures of all the toys.

Mom Start collected a ton of toys this pictures half of what we collected:

Think Wow Toys donated ICEE Instant Slushy Maker (30) and EZ-2Make Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Maker Play Set (54)

Discovery Toys Donated three different learning toys. I’m very impressed with their quality. The Caterpillar Shape Sorter (15), Busy Farm (20) and

Flip Flop Faces (23)

Educational Insights donated Blurt The Webster’s Game of Word Racing (23)

Nerf N-Strike Switch Shot EX-3 Yellow (40)

Mr. Potato Head Silly Suitcase (32)

Two 20th anniversary water guns. These are the same guns my husband and I both had as kids.Super Soaker 50 Water Blaster – 20th Anniversary Edition (15)

Room Tech Beingz Alarm Clock Radio – Yellow/green (60)

Strawberry Shortcake Playset – Berry Cafe (29)

crocs Toddler/Little Kid Scooby Doo Cayman Clog (30)

Assorted Bandai Ben 10 and Kamen Rider Toys (50)

Two Helmet Heroes (100)

OgoSport sent us a Super Sports Disk and some darts (40)

Nerf N-Force Sword – Shadow Fury Blue (25)

Jakks Pacific donated, Dunkaroo (8), Style Six Screen Printer (40) Gx Racers and accessories (50) and Candy Bead Studio (20)

Klutz Invasion of BristleBots (20), The Encyclopedia of Immaturity 2 (20), Paper Fashions Fancy (21)

Not Pictured:

2 My Friendship Bracelet (50), Leap Frog DVD Set (20), Colgate Products Dora the Explorer(15), The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Vol. 1 (14), Daisy Greenway Interactive Camper and accessories (100), Shred Sled (119)

About 1000.00 Total, this doesn’t include all of the video games and books. Thank you to all of the companies involved with my Toy Drive. Thanks To MOMS Club of Woodinville, I can’t wait to see the pictures of all of your toys that we are going to add to these. Happy Holidays.

(as you can see my kids had a blast with the donations)

I have a ton of sheets that I received from Kmart and Sears that we are going to donate along with the Bubleride Stroller and an evenflo car seat if it every shows up. The Food Bank doesn’t take these kinds of items so we are going to donate them to a local shelter for women who find themselves pregnant and no way to take care of the baby, Special Delivery.

Robeez and Twitter Moms are giving back:

Join Robeez and TwitterMoms as they share their heart-felt stories on how they are giving back this holiday season. The first 50 bloggers to post will receive a free pair of Robeez Soft Soles! And that’s not all! 10 randomly selected bloggers will receive a $50 Stride Rite gift card to shop in stores and a free pair of Robeez Soft Soles! And, one lucky grand prize winner gets the entire Robeez Soft Sole spring collection!

Mom bloggers must post about how they are giving back this holiday season. Bloggers must also pick their favorite pair Robeez Soft Sole from the Robeez Web site and mention that, for every pair of Robeez Soft Sole purchases, stride rite will donate that pair to K.I.D.S (Kids In Distressed Situations), through December 23rd. The contest officially ends on mid-night ET on December 23, 2009. All participants will be contacted the week of Jan. 4, 2010.
K.I.D.S brings hope and self-esteem to children in need and their families by providing new clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books and juvenile products donated by leading manufacturers and retailers. The donations move through their network of community social service agencies in the U.S. and abroad to reach children who are ill, living in poverty, or are the victims of natural disasters.

Entry Rules

My favorite pair is the Boardin Bear in espresso.

Dole Wants to Give Back

Dole is donating 25.00 to The Maltby Food Bank for advertising about their Share the Goodness program.

DOLE has launched its "Share the Goodness" contest and I thought you might be interested in entering!

It’s as easy as holiday pie. Just share a fun holiday photo (with a caption describing your family’s tradition) to become a part of the virtual DOLE mosaic poster. Then send an eCard to friends and family, inviting them to see your pic and share their own photos at www.DoleShares.com. And get this…the grand prize winner will receive $5,000 and $5,000 will be contributed to their local food bank. If the grand prize winner is a friend you referred, you also win $2,000! Now that’s a memorable friendship!

Enter to Win 100.00 at Bloggers Give.

To Enter:

Visit bloggers Give for instructions.

(If the flow of this article is off, I’m still on pain pills from my surgery, I blame that)

Filed Under: charity, christmasguide, donation, giveaway Tagged With: Bloggers Give, charity, Dole, donations, giveaway, giving back, helping those in need, Robeez

Toothpaste Stages and when is it time to change

November 22, 2009 By Momstart 55 Comments

When talking to my stepmother about brushing my children’s teeth she told me that they didn’t brush our teeth until we lost our baby teeth. Hmm. That wasn’t the advice I was looking for when I needed to know what to do about my kids teeth.

So we have deferred to the professionals here.

As a baby you are supposed to wash their gums. To do this you can use a wash cloth or buy a gum massager that you can place on your thumb or index finger and you can clean their gums. You can continue to do this until they reach the ability to spit. Or you can start using stages toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Colgate sent me some toothpaste and toothbrushes to try out. They didn’t need to because Colgate already is our favorite brand of toothpaste that we use regularly. On our kids we haven’t purchased in fluoride toothpaste yet. That is why we are going to donate the supplies that Colgate sent to us. The supplies that they sent to us where Dora the Explorer, loved by both my daughter and my son. We have purchased the Dora toothbrushes before, but since we have to replace them every three months, I sometimes purchase what’s cheapest, so right now we have Darby from my friends Tigger and Pooh which is another brand. Sorry Colgate, I’m one of those shoppers that purchase what’s on sale.

For years, Dora the Explorer™ has taken kids on countless journeys, helping them overcome obstacles and solve problems on the way to a common goal. Now, in celebration of a decade of Dora, kids can explore a new challenge – discovering the path to healthy smiles with Dora the Explorer™ Toothpaste and an assortment of Toothbrushes from Colgate®.

Specially designed for kids ages 2 and up, the Dora the Explorer™ Anti-Cavity Fluoride Toothpaste in a Mild Bubble Fruit® flavor is clinically proven to defend against cavities while strengthening and protecting developing teeth. Plus, the Dora Toothbrushes featuring soft bristles and non-slip cushioned handles are available in two styles – one specially designed for kids with developing teeth, and the other featuring a small “battery-operated” rotating head that cleans teeth and gently sweeps away plaque. The combination of the Dora the Explorer™ Anti-Cavity Fluoride Toothpaste and Toothbrushes will encourage brushing and have both kids and moms singing, “We Did It! ¡Lo hicimos!”

The Dora the Explorer™ Toothpaste ($2.79) and Toothbrushes ($2.49 – $5.99) are available online (www.colgate.com/kids) or at major retailers across the country.

We have been using toothpaste that is considered to be pre-brushing stage. It has no fluoride but has some flavor that helps encourage brushing. From there as they learn how to spit the Dentist has recommended that we move over to fluoride toothpaste.

Then we will also move them over to an electric spinning brush because our dentist has also recommended that an electric toothbrush will help keep their teeth cleaner. The spinning action removes more plaque than hand brushing.

One final note from me, we love adding things like toothbrushes to stockings. It makes them quite happy to receive a character toothbrush. So it’s easy to buy a necessity and include it in Christmas fun.

Colgate is also wanting to provide one of my readers with a package of goodies.

(close to a 15 – 20 value depending on if you receive an electric toothbrush or not)

To Enter:

Give me your best tooth brushing technique.

Extra Entries:

Advertise this giveaway on any giveaway site and tell me where you advertised it. 10 Extra Entries
Subscribe to my blog
Follow me on twitter tell me your twitter ID
Blog about the giveaway include a link to me and to the sponsor for 10 extra entries
Tweet the giveaway (every time you tweet you get an entry) Link to the giveaway please!!!
Comment on any other non giveaway post and come back and tell me you did
Use any of the Share options at the bottom of this post: Dig, Stumble, or fav me on Technorati (two entries for each one)
Add my button/blog to your blogroll/friend list 3 extra entries

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960’s Volume 2 Warner Brothers’ Donation.

November 11, 2009 By Momstart 2 Comments

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960’s Collection V2 became available on DVD on October 27th and the DVD was sent to me for review from Kids WB. I am donating it to charity along with the Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970’s Collection V2 that they sent me a month ago.

These are shows that I grew up watching. I’m a child of the 80’s and these were still in syndication. The Jetsons were watched alongside the Flintstones. Take a trip down memory lane and share the most beloved Saturday Morning Cartoons from the 1960s with a new generation! This collection offers more of the best cartoons from this decade that the whole family can enjoy! 1960s Volume 2 features 13 shows on 2 discs! Re-live your childhood with this collection of 13 cartoons featuring some of the following beloved characters: Wally Gator, Porky Pig, Quick Draw McGraw, Magilla Gorilla and many more!

There was question while I was growing up about watching Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig. It was the most adult cartoon I think that I watched. My stepdad loved it, but I wasn’t so sure. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I had more of an appreciation for it.

The Jetsons however, I always loved them, I bet they could do a re-make of this one and it would still be successful. Kids love space and the future of robots. It’s a great cartoon because there isn’t any violence.

I love that goodies but oldies like these are going to DVD. DVD is the best way to watch anything because it’s the only way to guarantee there are no commercials.

Dog Slobber from The Jetsons:

Filed Under: donation, review Tagged With: 1960's, 1970's, charity, Saturday Morning Cartoons, The Jetsons, Warner Brothers

Leap Frog Learning DVD Set Donation

November 9, 2009 By Momstart 2 Comments

I am a bit irritated at myself because I wrote this post once already and instead of hitting publish I hit delete. Do you know how long it takes to write a good post/review with links and information about my family. I’m so angry at myself, esp since I didn’t even notice until last night that it wasn’t published. I was looking for the link to send to the rep who was kind enough to send us this from Lionsgate. MMMM.

So, Leap Frog Learning DVD set take two….

We were sent a copy of LeapFrog: Learning DVD Set to review, but what’s to review. We already reviewed two of the three DVD’s and then there are 26 alphabet Flash Cards that come along with the set. I know that we would get a lot of use out of them but at the same time I can see how this makes such a great addition to the Toy Drive. It is a great learning tool and well disguised as something for for kids to do.

Included are:

Leap Frog: Let’s Go To School my Let’s Go To School Review

Letter Factory (we have not viewed this one)

Leap Frog Talking Word Factory my Talking Word Factory review

26 Flash Cards

We love Leap Frog and Lionsgate. They are both excellent at making learning tools for children. Leap Frog products aid children in learning the alphabet, numbers, math, reading, and problem solving skills. I have been very impressed with all of the products we have purchased from them so far. Of course, they do have a hard time standing up to the toddler year, but we don’t pay any attention to “recommended age”.

Filed Under: charity, christmasguide, donation, review Tagged With: educational toys, Flash Cards, Leap Frog, Learning DVD Set, Let's Go TO School review, Lionsgate, Talking Word Factory Review

Lionsgate presents Fraggle Rock A Merry Fraggle Holiday, and The complete final season

November 7, 2009 By Momstart 5 Comments

Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday

With so many old school goodies going to DVD it’s hard to keep yourself from purchasing all of them. Last year for Christmas we purchased Fraggle Rock Season 1, 2 and 3. This year thanks to my blog Loinsgate sent us the Complete final season to review. They also sent us Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday. My husband said that Fraggle Rock: A Merry Fraggle Holiday did not have anything extra on it taht wasn’t on any of the other DVD’s so we are adding it to the donation pile. The Toy Drive with MOMS Club of Woodinville and the Maltby Food Bank

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season.

I loved watching Fraggle Rock. I grew up with Sesame Street, the Muppet Babies and Fraggle Rock, I was a tv junkie and I still am. I even let my kids watch too much tv. I’m not worried about it anymore because believe me they have shown no lack of intelligence. They sing the songs and dance to the tunes. It’s been great.

“Oh Look Ma,” “I caught a fraggle”.

Who doesn’t love Sprocket? He is the biggest most fluffiest of dogs. He’s super smart and knows about the Fraggle world. If only humans were so in tuned. We watched the first disc, I haven’t watched all of it yet but it’s been added to our Fraggle library.

Episode List

1. Sidebottom Blues
2. Uncle Matt’s Discovery
3. Junior Faces the Music
4. A Tune for Two
5. The Perfect Blue Rollie
6. A Brush with Jealousy
7. Wembley’s Flight
8. Red’s Blue Dragon
9. Wonder Mountain
10. Space Frog Follies
11. Boober Gorg
12. Mirror, Mirror
13. The Riddle of Rhyming Rock
14. The Voice Inside
15. The Trial of Cotterpin Doozer
16. The River of Life
17. Beyond the Pond
18. Gone But Not Forgotten
19. Mokey, Then and Now
20. Ring Around the Rock
21. Inspector Red
22. The Gorg Who Would Be King
23. The Honk of Honks
24. Change of Address

Filed Under: donation, review Tagged With: A Merry Fraggle Holiday, Fraggle Rock, Fraggle Rock The complete final season, Jim Henson

Pediped – Make a Wish Foundation Donation

December 17, 2008 By Momstart Leave a Comment

I love to find out about companies that are making donations to those in need. In fact, I was tyring to have a whole blog about that but the time it takes to take care of one blog let alone two blogs, I just couldn’t do it. So, here is my first post on Momstart about a company giving back and how we can help.

“We believe in the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the good work it does with
children,” said Angela Edgeworth, pediped president. “We are blessed with
healthy children and feel compelled to make a difference in these children’s
lives. We initially pledged $50,000, but thanks to the generosity of our
consumers, we are confident we can double that. We’ve reduced the price of our
shoes, something we never do, as a way to give back to our consumers while
benefiting this worthy charity. We hope everyone shares in the spirit of giving
this season. Goodness knows people need it now more than ever. We should be
thankful every day for what we have.” pediped partnered with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation this year for the first time, and the collaboration has far surpassed
expectations, Edgeworth said. So far, pediped has raised more than $87,000,
enough to grant the wishes of 12 children with life-threatening medical
conditions. pediped Footwear scheduled four fundraising events this year, two
with donation matching and two from which it donated 50 percent of the total sales from select shoes.

Here is the list of styles that will be on sale:

RS810 – Andy – $31
RS590 – Demetri – $34
RS640 – Ryan – $27
RS680 – Dylan – $39
RS770 – McKenna – $31
RS364 – Chloe – $31
RS396 – Riley – $27
RS420 – Natasha – bw houdstooth – $27
RS650 – Tiffany – $27
RS600 – Emily – $27
217 – Liam – khaki/olive – $22
275 – Charlie – white/navy – $22
700 – Logan – $22
320 – Nathan – $22
561 – Janine – brown – $22
760 – Lexi – brown – $22
390 – Lexi – pink – $22
430 – Jane – $22
400 – Victoria – $22
342 – Faith – black – $22
313 – Abigail – mauve – $22
750 – Brooke – $22
420 – Natasha – bw houndstooth – $22

The sale begins on the 17th and runs till the 31st. The shoes will be more than 30% off, and 50% of total sales will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Their shoes are usually 40 to 60 so these are great prices. Go shopping for some shoes and feel great about
where the money is going.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening
medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and
joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy
fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the
largest wish-granting charity in the world. With the help of generous donors
and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 171,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit http://www.wish.org/ and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

Filed Under: donation, make a wish, Pediped, Sale

Free To Give

October 10, 2008 By Momstart 2 Comments

While I was signing up for more Freebies I found

Freebies 4 Mom

Now I really like her site because it is all organized by product. Not only does she tell you where to get the free stuff, samples and such, she tells you where to use your coupons. I found it really interesting and wanted to share.

I also found a site that is really cool.

Freepeats

membership is free right now. Go sign up. HURRY. Oh, it is a site like freecycle, but more for moms.

The point of my post:

I like getting free stuff, and I’ve started collecting for a food shelter. Food shelters are always low on Formula and baby food. Well, yeah, it’s expensive stuff and people don’t want to give right now because the economy is failing. Well, sign up with companies

Get those free samples and give them to the food bank.

You can do a google search for free formula and whole bunch of places come up.

You can also give free dog food samples to the Humane Society. This week has coupons for free dog treats. I have about 15 coupons for this. I’m going to be giving these to the food bank this time. Next time I’m going to give them to the Humane Society.

Give out of what you can.

Filed Under: donation, samples

See Kia Run – review, contest link, and Donation

September 25, 2008 By Momstart Leave a Comment

Aren’t these cute. These were donated to my MOMS club for our gift basket raffle. I wonder how many tickets I can buy myself. I love them so much so I don’t want to give them to the club. I want to keep them.

See Kia Run. When I worked at Kids Club I got to order shoes. I loved ordering shoes and this brand was our best seller by far. It was a good price point compared to the other shoes we sold. I love them. The facts :

Why See Kai Run?

Healthy Fit

Very flexible soles are healthy for developing feet.
Wide opening and toe box accommodate even the chubbiest little feet.
Velcro closure allows for adjustable fit and easy on and off.
Leather lining is breathable and durable.
Padded collar adds comfort and helps our shoes stay on little feet.

Quality Construction

Leather used for our footwear meets the most stringent available U.S. and international guidelines.
Sheepskin leather uppers are butter-soft and more durable by weight than cow leather used by many other brands.
Durable construction and rubber sole stand up to heavy play indoors and out.

Urban Style

Hip, urban styles in modern color palettes.
Bold designs and detailing.
Modern takes on classic styles.

I took this information from their site. To me, they are flexible hard sole shoes that are perfect for first time walkers. Zoe’s first pair of shoes were the April . They were perfect for her. They bend completely in half and they were easy for her to take off if her feet were hot in the car. The shoes above are the Levi . They are both on clearance and you can order them directly from their website. I’m such a huge fan and I had no idea you can order them from their site. You have to look at the site. http://www.seekairun.com. The shoe line is named after the owners first son Kai. I met Kai the first time I bought shoes for Kids Club.

Oh and I bet you are wondering, she said something about contest. Yes I did. At some other websites you can find a contest and enter to win a pair.

Here:
http://www.momdot.com/?p=1661
http://akblessingsabound.blogspot.com/2008/09/put-little-pep-in-your-childs-step.html

There are probably more out there but this is all I could find for now. I’ve been trying to win myself a pair. Visit See Kai Run.

Filed Under: contest, donation, giveaway, review, See Kai Run, shoes

Giving Back this Holiday Season using influence as a blogger and two giveaways by sharing yours.

The Back Story:

Robeez and Twitter Moms are giving back:

Dole Wants to Give Back

To Enter:

Toothpaste Stages and when is it time to change

To Enter:

Extra Entries:

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960’s Volume 2 Warner Brothers’ Donation.

Leap Frog Learning DVD Set Donation

Included are:

Lionsgate presents Fraggle Rock A Merry Fraggle Holiday, and The complete final season

Episode List

Pediped – Make a Wish Foundation Donation

Free To Give

See Kia Run – review, contest link, and Donation

Why See Kai Run?

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