It’s Our Time TO Support Team USA #ItsOurTime $150 Giveaway

February 11, 2014 by Momstart 45 Comments

This is a Sponsored post by AT&T

Watching the Olympics growing up was a family event. We used to sit on the couch together and watch the events and the Winter Olympic Games grew to be my favorite sport to watch on TV. I love ice skating and ice dancing, and ski jumping and doesn’t everyone love curling? Well, the contestants have been spending years training and are getting ready to compete in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and it’s our time to cheer them on. It’s time to show them that we support them and that USA is proud of them. But it’s expensive to go there right?

We can join AT&T in celebrating the U.S. Olympians and be a part of a nationwide chant. That’s right, thanks to AT&T we can cheer them on from home. What you need to do is start by downloading the #ItsOurTime app and record yourself shouting the iconic ‘USA!’ chant and help drive Team USA to gold in Sochi you can download it from iTunes and the Google Play store. The “U-S-A” chants will be added to an interactive wall of support to create a nationwide chant that will be seen digitally and on TV. And it’s awesome! It’s going to lift their spirits and diminish their stress if even for only a moment. So we made a little video! I actually made two, one with the kids and one for the AT&T portal. Check out my video here:

http://itsourtime.com/chants/52fb123e3aaa0

And Here:

You know these guys work hard and have to give up a lot. You think it’s expensive for us to go watch the Olympics just think about how expensive it is for the athletes. Each team is responsible for shipping their equipment, with some of the sporting events that’s quite a large added cost. Not everyone has a commercial and a sponsored ride to the contest, in fact most don’t. So if there is one thing we can do for them, cheer them on, then we should do it. I started watching the ice skating team and was in awwwwee of the work they did.

Go download the app, and create a cheer!

AT&T is a proud partner of the 2014 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team

We have teamed up with AT&T to bring you an awesome giveaway:

Enter to Win:

$150 Visa Gift card + Team USA Memorabilia (t-shirt, gloves, signed pictures)

To Enter:

Go Create a chant and share the link with us here in the comments section

Extra Entries:

After the first entry is done you are allowed to use the rafflecopter for extra entries

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pampers Spirit of Play Interview with Olympians Dominique Moceanu and Jennie Finch

August 13, 2012 by Momstart 8 Comments

Pampers Spirit of Play – An Interview with Gold Medal Moms Dominique Moceanu and Jennie Finch

By: Ashley

You may have seen some special Olympic diapers floating around during these past 2012 Olympics. Earlier this year, we were lucky enough to get our hands on them thanks to Pampers. These diapers were all about Pampers special Spirit of Play movement… and all about Team USA pride! I loved getting Atticus all decked out in his Team USA gear from Pampers.

By the way, have I mentioned that I love… LOVE the Olympics? Last night we got in from a quick family vacation and enjoyed the evening watching the recap of the 2012 games and, of course, the closing ceremonies. This year Pampers gave me an AMAZING opportunity. I was lucky enough to celebrate the Olympics by interviewing 2 Gold Medal winning past Olympians – Jennie Finch and Dominique Moceanu. These amazing ladies are moms just like so many of us, and having the chance to talk to them about their families, their careers, and the Olympics was incredible. Here’s a video of the whole thing! I wasn’t really thinking about the fact that I was being recorded, so please excuse my silly asking if we were out of time moment! ACK!

What do I have in common with these gold medal moms? We all love Pampers, of course! I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Pampers has been our #1 diaper since the beginning. I definitely can’t pitch a ball like Jennie, or do ANYTHING on a gymnastics mat like Dominique, but we all love our kids… and encourage their spirit of play with Pampers.

MomStart is on the Pampers Baby Board.

About Ashley (Managing Editor at MomStart): Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her @Momicles2010 .

Have You Ever Wondered What It Is Like to Raise an Olympian?

May 12, 2012 by Momstart 19 Comments

By Emily:

As part of Procter & Gamble’s “Thank you Mom” campaign, I was given a special opportunity find out for myself and join a roundtable discussion with U.S. Olympians, Team USA hopefuls and their moms. This great opportunity came just hours after P&G, the world’s largest consumer products maker, made the announcement on the Today show that it would be giving each of the moms of all U.S. Olympians and Paralympians a $1,000 Visa reward card to use for their travels to London for the 2012 Olympic games. What an amazing Mother’s Day gift! Here’s a clip of the fantastic announcement:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Following this exciting news, I was able to join these Olympians and their moms during a roundtable discussion via phone. Some of the amazing athletes included:

· Shawn Johnson, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist in gymnastics and her mom, Teri Johnson

· Ashton Eaton, World record holder in Heptathlon and mom, Roslyn Eaton

· Diana Lopez, Tae Kwon Do Olympian and her mother, Ondina Lopez

· Sarah Robles, 2012 Olympian Weightlifter and her mom, Joy Robles

· Jordyn Wieber, 2011 World Champion in gymnastics and mom, Rita Wieber.

· Margie Walsh, mother to Kerri Walsh, Team USA Volleyball Champion.

· Barbara Rogers, adoptive mom to Lopez Lomong, a member of the 2008 Summer Olympic team.

· Marlene Shirley, adoptive mother of Marlon Shirley – Gold medalist and world record holding Paralympian.

Both the athletes and their moms recounted some inspiring and heartwarming stories. To start out the discussion the athletes were asked the all-important question: What was the best advice your mother ever gave you?

Ashton replied that his mom always told him that with whatever he wanted to do, to do it to the best of his ability. She also explained the importance of being respectful and not stepping on others along the way.

Sarah Roble’s mom has told her to do her best, have fun and give it one hundred percent. Sometimes that one hundred percent won’t be enough, but give it your all, and you can have no regrets.

A fellow blogger, and mother of a 9 year old sports player, asked, “How much do you let them do? How do you ensure their well-being and balance family with sports?”

Teri Johnson replied, “Know your child and what they can take. Not every child can do it…know their limits”.

Margie Walsh added, “Do other things. Be a normal kid. You don’t want to burn out at a young age. Do the parties. Do the sleepovers. As they get older they can make those choices between social activities and sports.”

Caroline, from smartypantsmom.com asked the question, “What was that wow moment when you thought ‘this kid has talent’?”

Barbara Rogers commented on her adoptive son Lopez Lomong, “Lopez was one of the lost boys of Sudan, and when he came to us everyone thought he was a soccer player, but the local soccer team was rowdy and we suggested the cross country team. Once he realized he could do good and believed in himself, he had so much support from the team and other parents.” An inspiring fact about Lopez Lomong was that just one year after gaining US citizenship, he carried the flag for the US at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Marlene Shirley, mom to Marlon Shirley added, “Marlon was at a crossroads in his life and was on crutches. We were living in Utah and he wanted to go up to Idaho and do high jump. He was an amputee competing in the high jump, and when he went to do with it with a prosthetic device he broke the record. His coach then told us about the Paralympics. We had never heard of the Paralympics. It was a wow moment.”

In the spirit of Mother’s Day and in anticipation of the 2012 Olympics in London, P&G has released a moving commercial that reflects on the same commitment, sacrifice, joy and pain that the moms of Olympians all over the world share. I advise viewers to have the Kleenex ready!

Momstart wishes Team USA athletes and their families all the best at 2012 Olympic Game in London!

To learn more about P&G’s “Thank you Mom” campaign, please visit http://www.facebook.com/thankyoumom

Disclosure – Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.