contest Archives - MomStart

Share What it Means to be a Princess & Win With Dynacraft! #DynacraftPrincess #PrincessWeek

April 24, 2017 by Beeb 12 Comments

This is a partnered post.

Every little girl dreams of being a princess when she grows up. But what does it mean to be a princess? The answer is as unique as every child. Some girls admire the bravery and adventurous nature that their favorite princesses display; others are inspired by the generous spirit and elegance that comes through the pages of their favorite stories. Dynacraft wants to know what your daughter thinks, which is why they’ve launched the Dynacraft Princess Video Contest in celebration of National Princess Week, where one lucky girl will win a Disney Princess Carriage!

The new Disney Princess Carriage is a ride worthy of royalty! This pink 24V coach fits 2 and comes with a detachable tiara, light-up wand, heart-shaped steering wheel and curtains. This amazing carriage retails for $398 – and one child will win the chance to ride off into the sunset in her very own Disney Princess Carriage!

To enter, visit DynacraftWheels.com/Contest and submit a 15 second video of your daughter answering the question “What does it mean to be a Princess?”. The contest starts today, April 24th, and runs through May 7th, so don’t delay – enter your video today!

Teach Your Smart Girl to Code With Lenovo!

March 7, 2017 by Beeb 148 Comments

This is a partnered post.

My interest in technology started at a young age. I’ll never forget when I was 12 and the local library got a computer with the Internet back in 1996; I walked there every day so that I could sign up for an hour on the web. My Grandma also had a computer, and I spent countless hours learning how to use it. I bought my first PC around 1998, and my parents got dial-up Internet for our house, which was the most exciting thing ever!

I am so grateful that my whole family were so supportive and encouraging of my interest in computers. I have an aunt and uncle who work in Silicon Valley, and in 2000 they bought me a top-of-the-line computer and accessories. My aunt told me recently that they did this because they saw something special in me with my interest in technology. Having that kind of support and access early on made all the difference, because the skills I learned as a teenager are what I use in my job every single day as an adult.

Dad says that my homeschooling came full circle for him when I learned how to use computers on my own as a young teen, and then taught him how to use them. Everything I know about computers is self-taught – I figured out how to code in the ’90s when I made an X-Files fan site! Because of this, I am so excited that Lenovo has teamed up with Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls to teach kids to code at LenovoGameState.com.

LenovoGameState.com is a free online portal for children 13 and up. Kids will have the chance to play free games powered by Code Combat that will teach them how to code while having fun, the same way I learned. To make it even more exciting, registering for a Code & Play Adventure by March 31st also enters kids into a sweepstakes where they could win Lenovo products or a $2,500 scholarship to a coding school. The more kids play, the more they will learn, and the more sweepstakes entries they will earn. This is a fantastic resource for young people to learn crucial skills!

Young women in particular don’t always receive the same encouragement that I did, so Lenovo and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls is also producing a special three-part Women in Technology video series to highlight female trailblazers in tech, just in time for International Women’s Day on March 8th. The first video introduces viewers to Betty Holberton, one of the first computer programmers who worked for the US during World War II:

The next two videos will feature Tracy Fullerton, a Game Designer and Professor at USC Games, as well as Dr. Sheila Nirenberg, a neuroscientist working to treat blindness through neural coding. You won’t want to miss them, so be sure to watch and like on the Smart Girls Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. And don’t forget to register on LenovoGameState.com by March 31st to enter the scholarship sweepstakes!

Enter To Win:

To help support your children’s coding dreams, we are giving away a Lenovo Yoga Book 2-in-1 tablet to one very lucky reader! Check out the specs on this amazing device:

Slim, Light, with All-Day Battery Life – Unleash your Imagination, Anywhere.Only 4.05 mm thin when opened, weighing just 1.5 lbs (690 g), and with up to 13 hours of use on a single charge – the Yoga Book allows you to use your creativity wherever you are. Its awesome-looking design is crafted with a premium high-quality alloy of Aluminum (Al) and Magnesium (Mg).

Choose a Mode to Match Your Needs – With a hinge that opens 360º, the Yoga Book can be used in 4 modes to fit your lifestyle: lay-flat Create Mode for drawing and taking notes, Browse Mode as a compact 10.1” tablet, Watch Mode for entertainment, and Type Mode as a productive laptop.

Theater-Like Multimedia – Not only is the Yoga book great to create, it’s great to watch. This 2-in-1 tablet, features a bright 10.1” Full-HD display and Dolby Audio Premium-enhanced speakers give you an immersive, cinematic sound—putting you at the center of the action

To Enter:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway is open to residents of the US, UK, Mexico, and Germany, 18+, and ends on March 31st 2017 at 11:00 PM PST. Winner will be drawn on April 3rd. Please see widget for full details and click here to read our giveaway rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

True Love Never Tarnishes: Tarn-X 50th Anniversary Sweepstakes #TarnX50 #DoubleTheLove

February 3, 2017 by Beeb 19 Comments

This is a partnered post.

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and this year will be extra special for me as I will be sending out the Save-The-Dates for my upcoming wedding on February 14th! It’s an exciting time, and I spent last weekend at a couple of bridal expos getting inspiration. Although there are still a lot of details to plan, Jai and I agree that the most important part of the wedding is our family.

We are both close to our Grandparents, so for my wedding band, I will be wearing my Grandmother’s wedding ring from 1942 that she left me after she passed away. Jai is wearing one of his late Grandfather’s rings, and the engagement ring on my finger was an item that Jai’s Grandmother had in her jewelry store in the 1980s. Although the three rings came from separate countries and people, they look like they were always intended to be a set, which I think is a sweet analogy for marriage. Our Grandparents were all married for 50+ years, and Jai and I will always think of them as we celebrate our own anniversaries to come.

My Maternal Grandma & Grandpa on their 50th Anniversary

No matter how much time passes, true love never tarnishes. That’s why Tarn-X is celebrating its 50th anniversary by honoring all those couples whose love has stood the test of time. Through the end of February, Jelmar, manufacturer of Tarn-X and CLR products, is hosting a fun sweepstakes on their Facebook page where entrants can nominate a couple who is celebrating a 50+ anniversary. The winner will receive a $150 Tiffany & Co. gift card for themselves, and a bouquet of flowers for the special couple!

Tarn-X has become a household staple over the last five decades as one of the first products to ever use the phrase, “As seen on TV”! The wipe-and rinse-cleaner is specifically formulated to eliminate tarnish on sterling sliver, silver plate, copper, platinum, gold, and diamonds – making it perfect for keeping both wedding gifts and heirloom rings looking as bright and new as the day you got married.

Click here to enter the sweepstakes through February 28th!

Do you know a couple who has celebrated 50 years of marriage?

Announcing The Inspired By Voortman Contest Winners!

July 25, 2016 by Beeb 1 Comment

This is a partnered post.

Back in May, I told you about the Inspired By Voortman Contest, where entrants were challenged to whip up a delectable treat using Voortman Wafer Cookies. I was inspired to whip up a batch of Twice as Tasty cookies that my family are still raving about! Well, I’m excited to share the final two winners with you:

Wafer Art Structure Winner:

Voortman Cookie Hut by: Julie B. from Crete, Illinois

Julie won for her originality, craftsmanship and overall creativity.

Wafer Recipe Winner:

Double Dipped Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches by: Meg T. from Hurst, Texas

Meg won for her flavor combinations, taste appeal and presentation.

Congratulations to Julie and Meg for winning with their incredibly awesome creations! Be sure to visit InspiredbyVoortman.com to see a gallery of all the entrants.

No More Tears With The Goody Ouchless Brush!

June 15, 2016 by Beeb 2 Comments

Product provided.

When I was a little girl, I had long, curly blonde hair which could get tangled very easily. I remember distinctly how painful it was when my parents would brush those tangles out – ow ow ow!!

Me in 1989. Oh sure, my hair might look cute, but it was no fun to brush out!!

In retrospect, I can only wonder if the maintenance was one of the reasons my mom “Helpfully” suggested an extreme pixie cut when I was around 8 or 9. And no, I’m not posting any pics of that, because it was a hot mess and I’m too busy burning all the photos that still exist. 😉

Fortunately, there are are far easier ways to deal with tangles in 2016! I recently received a Goody® Ouchless® Girls Cushion Brush in the mail, and this lightweight, cute little pink brush has soft bristles designed to move through hair gently, without tearing through those tangles and making everyone miserable. Can someone invent a time machine so I can send this back to the 1980s?! My hairdresser specifically recommended a no-tangle brush to me recently to help maintain my platinum-and-pink locks, so when I head down to Ashland later this week to visit Louise and company, I’ll be packing this along so that Zoe and I can have a girl’s hairstyling session without tearing up either of our tresses! Thanks, Goody!

Share Your #OuchlessMoments & Win!

What are you favorite “Mommy & Me” moments? Share them on social media with the hashtag #OuchlessMoments through June 17th, and you could win a fab styling prize pack! Click here for official rules.

Recipe: Twice as Tasty Cookies

May 18, 2016 by Beeb 19 Comments

This is a partnered post.

I love to get creative in the kitchen and come up with new recipes and ideas. That’s why I’m excited about the Inspired By Voortman contest, which is challenging entrants to come up with a creation made from Voortman Wafer Cookies. I’ve always wanted to enter a baking contest, so I put on my thinking cap and came up with a cookie recipe that is doubly delicious – and had my family dipping their hands back in the cookie jar for seconds!

The soft cookie base is topped with a wafer square, and is easily adaptable for three different flavors. Easy to make and requiring few ingredients, this would be perfect to make for a party as it yields just under four dozen cookies. When I try a new recipe for the first time, I judge its success by how quickly it disappears – and once I saw Jai returning to the kitchen multiple times for more cookie helpings, I knew this was a winner!

Twice as Tasty Cookies

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book – 1963 Edition

Ingredients:

1 C Country Crock Original
1/2 C confectioner’s sugar, plus extra for topping
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
12 Voortman Wafer Cookies in Vanilla, Chocolate and/or Strawberry

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Mix on low for 1:07, then pause and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Continue mixing on medium for an additional 15 seconds, or until dough is thoroughly mixed.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet by either covering it with a COOKINA sheet or foil, OR spray the tray with PAM cooking spray.

Roll the cookie dough into balls, roughly 1 to 1 1/4″ large. Pour confectioner’s sugar into a medium sized bowl, and roll each dough ball in the sugar to coat generously. Place each cookie ball on the sheet, leaving 2 to 3″ between each cookie.

Dip the end of a glass into the confectioner’s sugar and gently flatten out each cookie.

Next, place the Voortman Wafer Cookies onto a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut each wafer into four sections. Tip: The lines on the wafer cookies can be used as guides to cut a straight line on each. Press one wafer section onto each cookie.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes or until done. Makes around four dozen cookies.

Variations:

These tasty variations are a perfect compliment to the original cookie. Make as directed above, and simply add the desired extra ingredient and a slightly longer mixing time.

Chocolate Cookies:

For chocolate cookies, add 1/4 C Unsweetened Hershey’s Cocoa.

Cherry Berry Cookies:

For cherry berry cookies, add 1/4 C diced maraschino cherries, 1 tsp. of juice from the maraschino cherry jar, and 10 drops of red food coloring.

How to Enter The Inspired By Voortman Contest:

What would you make with Voortman Wafers? Your bright idea might just win you $2,500 in the Inspired By Voortman Contest! And you don’t have to be a chef to enter: Your wafer creation could either be a recipe, or a fun wafer art creation. So you could make a cookie house with your kids, or whip up your own baked goodies like I did: The choice is yours! The contest is open to residents of the US (Excluding CO, MD, NE, ND, AZ, and PR) and Canada (Excluding Quebec).

You can check out the wafer creations gallery for a few examples to get those creative juices flowing. The contest runs through June 13th at 12 PM EDT and you can enter once per day, so get in the kitchen and have some fun – and if you enter, let me know, because I would love to check out your creation!

Do you like to get creative in the kitchen? What would you make for this contest?

#Ad Nurture Your Child’s Interest in STEM With The Young Scientist Challenge #YoungScientist

March 31, 2016 by Beeb Leave a Comment

Growing up as a homeschooled student, my parents were very actively involved in hands-on educational activities. Being able to work on a tangible project really brings a subject to life, especially for STEM topics. Now that I’m an adult, I can relate to the experience of other homeschooled kids like Zoe and Miles, and it’s fun for me when they come to visit with Louise. Last time I saw Zoe, I handed her a science experiment kit, and I was proud of her for coming up with her own experiments based off the kit’s instructions. From glitter test tubes to green volcanoes, there’s no limit to what a little girl can come up with if you encourage her to experiment!

Whether your kids are homeschooled or in public school, you can take an active role with their education by being supportive. My parents always encouraged me to be creative in solving problems, and they took my ideas seriously. This taught me valuable skills that have been priceless in my career and day-to-day life. And this attitude was the foundation behind the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, which aims to inspire the next generation of innovators by nurturing the inherent curiosity and creativity that children possess.

Now through April 20th, middle school students can brainstorm a solution to an everyday problem and submit a 1 to 2 minute video describing the science behind it on the Young Scientist Challenge website. Judges will select 10 finalists based on creativity, scientific knowledge, persuasiveness and presentation. The finalists will then be mentored by 3M scientists to help develop their innovations and receive a trip to the 3M Innovation Center in October to compete in the final event. The grand prize winner of this event will be crowned “America’s Top Young Scientist” and receive a $25,000 prize!

The next generation of scientists will have an immeasurable impact on the world, and it’s so important that their interest be encouraged – especially for children in demographics that tend to get left behind in these fields. Even if a student goes on to pursue a career path outside of the science/technology realm, having a solid STEM background will still provide invaluable advantages. I may work in arts and entertainment, but I would not have the career that I do without the ability to use computers, code websites, adapt to new technology, and so on. And for that reason, I think it’s crucial to empower children in these topics – and a competition like the Young Scientist Challenge is the perfect way to ignite that spark!

How do you encourage your kids to be interested in science?

This is a sponsored post on behalf of 3M. All opinions stated are my own.

Valentine’s Day Writing Guide for Kids + Contest!

February 1, 2016 by Beeb Leave a Comment

This is a partnered guest post.

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year! What’s more fun to celebrate than love? Teaching your kids to show gratitude for the special things they do with loved ones is an easy way to add more meaning to Valentine’s Day. Life Stages makes it easy with their “Valentine’s Day Writing Guide for Kids”. It’s an easy and meaningful way to get in the Valentine spirit and the thoughtful keepsakes serve as snapshots in time that you’ll treasure year over year. The step by step guide give you sentence starters, writing prompts, and even Valentine Day Card templates! Super easy and fun, get it today!

Free Valentine’s Day Writing Guide for Kids

Another fun way to get in the Valentine spirit is to enter Life Stages‘ February photo contest is “Love is in the Air”. Enter a photo of your child with a favorite friend, a favorite toy – something they love! and complete the sentence “My child shows their love by…” Three lucky winners will receive $100. Enter as many photos you want, vote daily, and get your friends to vote daily too! Contest ends 2/29/15 11:59PM EST. Enter today!

Life Stages makes sharing life’s special moments more fun and rewarding, all while providing insights, information, and inspiration to help your family plan for the future.

There’s Still Time to Win $100 in The Milestone Moment Contest!

January 15, 2016 by Beeb Leave a Comment

This is a partnered guest post.

We all think our kids are great. Now you can prove it! Enter Life Stages’ January “Milestone Moment” photo contest – it’s super easy. Post your favorite milestone from 2015 photo on Facebook…anything from a first tooth, amazing recital, learning to drive – you pick the milestone. Vote daily and get your friends to vote daily too! The best part is that there are three $100 cash prizes winners. Hurry and don’t miss out on this fun and easy way to show off your kids and for an opportunity to win $100. Contest ends 1/31/15 11:59PM EST. Start here: http://photos.life-stages.org/?utm_source=momstart&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=january_photo_contest

Life Stages makes sharing life’s special moments more fun and rewarding, all while providing insights, information, and inspiration to help your family plan for the future.

Enter The Soaring Over Paradise Sweepstakes & Win a Trip to Hawaii!

November 30, 2015 by Beeb Leave a Comment

Samples provided.

As I sit in the Pacific Northwest cold, I’m thinking how nice a trip to Hawaii would be right about now. Well, if you’re the lucky winner of the Soaring Over Paradise Sweepstakes, that could be you! In honor of their 2016 Rose Parade entry, Dole Packaged Foods is hosting a fun sweepstakes with a grand prize trip to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

In addition to the grand prize, 700 runners-up will each receive a Dole 2016 Limited Edition Commemorative Soaring over Paradise Pin. Dole has won the Tournament of Roses Sweepstakes Trophy five years in a row, so they’re hoping to continue that winning streak and spread a little luck to their fans with this sweepstakes! The “Soaring Over Paradise” float honors the world’s rainforests with sculptured Macaws, four waterfalls and even a zipline – this will surely be a float to remember!

Good luck to everyone who enters – and if you win, can I come with you? 😉