Mommin' It Up!» contest

An at-last accomplishment and a $75 giveaway!

Jenny — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:06:28 +0000

There are a lot of things I want to do that I say I’ll do “when I get around to it.” Or, “when I have the money.” Or how about my favorite, “When I have the time.” The reality is that only a small percentage of these things will ever get done. But there are a few things in life I’ve managed to actually take the time to accomplish that were totally worth it. Time+ effort paid off! A perfect example of this is the “fun room” that I posted about a year ago. We lived in our house TEN YEARS before we ever turned our useless, waste-of-space mud room into a beautiful, functional art room for the kids. Not only did it take a long time for us to finally DO IT, but it took a lot of time to physically accomplish the transformation – researching and finding the appropriate furniture, cleaning the room, painting the room, arranging all the kids things in an organized manner, and of course, the 50 bajillion coats of chalkboard paint and dry erase paint Bobby had to put on the opposite sides of our door in that room!

But all that hard work and time we invested totally paid off! In the year since we accomplished this big task, we’ve made so many good memories in that room! Like this one:

Joshua, Sophie and I were making a Jack O’Lantern craft in October. We’ve spent so much time making things together in this room. This is also where Sophie and I did all of our work together to help her overcome her developemental delays. As a matter of fact, we still often call it the “Mommy-Sophie time room” even though it’s for everyone, because Sophie and I spent SO much time there accomplishing THAT big achievement!

Ok, so why am I telling you all about my great accomplishment? Because the good folks at Quaker Oats asked me to spread the word about a great accomplishment of theirs that has been a loooooooong time coming. As in, 130 years long! Quaker, the Oatmeal experts, have finally…made…COOKIES!! Delicious oatmeal cookies! Can you believe they never had cookies before? Me neither. I got to sample some of the soft-baked oatmeal cookies and they are delicious! Joshua and Sophie loved them too. They come in five yummy flavors, Apple & Cinnamon, Banana Nut, Chocolate & Almond, Raisins, and Cranberry & Yogurt. All made with the Quaker oats you’ve loved for-EV-er! Get them at your local grocery store and you’ll be really glad Quaker finally accomplished this feat! These cookies are well worth the wait.

To celebrate finally accomplishing oatmeal cookies, Quaker is giving away a $75 Visa gift card to one lucky reader! (You could buy A LOT of Quaker cookies with that!) Here’s how to enter to win this dough!

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me something that was worth taking the time to accomplish in your life.

2) “Like” Quaker’s Facebook page and then come back to this post and leave a comment telling me that you did.

3) Follow Quaker on Twitter and then come back to this post and leave me a comment telling me that you did.

**Leave a separate comment for each entry! Up to 3 entries!*

One winner will be chosen at random on Saturday, March 23, 2012 at 6 pm EST.

Good luck! I can’t wait to hear all about your accomplishments!

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This post is sponsored by Quaker. All opinions about the super-delicious cookies are my own!

Vicks “Medicine Cabinet Makeover” giveaway

Jenny — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:04:40 +0000

I’m sad to say this post marks my last one for the Vicks Blogger campaign. I have loved representing this great brand, and one of my very favorite tried-and-true products, Vicks VapoRub. Sophie and I were covered in it as recently as last week when she had a virus and had to miss three days of school. The smell of Vicks was about the only bonus of having a sick five-year-old sleeping in my bed with me! It helped both of us rest easier.

Anyhoo, to end this campaign with a bang!, Vicks is offering a “Medicine Cabinet Makeover” to one lucky reader. The makeover is just for the INSIDE of your medicine cabinet and includes a variety of Vicks Vapo products plus DayQuil, NyQuil, and Nature Fusion! The winner will also receive a “Feel Better Friend” care package from Vicks as well.

To enter this contest, simply go to the Vicks VapoRub Facebook page and leave a comment on their status update “I know I feel better when I can smell _____.” FIll in the blank by commenting with your answer!

THEN, *this is very important* – come back HERE and leave a comment on this post telling me what you filled in the blank with! You must comment HERE to gain an entry in the contest. The giveaway is on this blog, not Facebook, but you must comment on Vicks’ Facebook page and then come back here and tell me what you said to enter! One winner will be chosen at random on Sunday, March 18th at 6 PM EST. I will notfy the winner via email and Vicks will deliver your prize. Ta-da!

Thanks again to the folks at Vicks for including me in this great campaign and letting me spread the VapoLove!

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I am being compensated for my role as a Vicks Blogger.

Giveaway: Let Block Live from H&R Block do your taxes!

Emily — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:55:22 +0000

Recently I was asked to try out H&R Block’s Block Live tax preparation service. We’ve used an online DIY service for years now, and it’s worked well for us, so honestly I was a little hesitant to switch it up. I’m glad I did – I really liked the H&R Block Live service. It saved Andy and me a lot of time, and they came up with a few deductions we weren’t aware of that saved us some money as well.

With Block Live, you can have your taxes done by a professional. By using video, phone and/or online chat, you don’t even have to leave your house. I was very, very impressed with the technological aspects of Block Live. I just uploaded PDFs of our previous tax forms, W2s, etc., which meant much. less. paper, because I didn’t have to print any of that out. For the things that were mailed to us in hard copy, I used the Block Live app, where I logged on from my phone, took a picture of my documents, and voila, they were there ready for my tax prep person seconds later.

Using Block Live was incredibly easy and didn’t take much time – I’d estimate I spent an hour and a half on our taxes – and it took a lot of the guess work out of the process. We didn’t have to wonder if we were putting the right things in the right places, because a professional was doing it for us. And, like I said, she knew some nuances about deductions that we weren’t aware of and saved us some money. I would definitely use the service again.

Block Live is affordable as well – the packages start at $39 (for the 1040EZ form – remember those days?) and a regular 1040 starts at $129. Of course, you can deduct tax preparation expenses from next year’s return as well.

Want to try it out? We’re giving away $50 discount codes to 5 readers. To enter, leave a comment on this post. For an extra entries, “like” H&R Block and/or Mommin’ It Up on Facebook, and leave additional comment(s) letting us know you did so. Winners will be chosen on Friday, March 9, 2012. Good luck!

It’s a “Vicks Season” giveaway!

Jenny — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:11:02 +0000

I’m super, super, SUPER excited to be bringing you a giveaway of some of my favorite Vicks products! I LOVE being a Vicks Blogger, because I LOVE their products. I think I’ve made that pretty clear in my other posts on the subject, but I can’t say it enough!

Instead of “cold & flu season” I think this time of year should be called “Vicks season” – ’tis the season to be using these great products that can bring you relief from the colds and flu that hit so many of us hard this time of year. Why give “cold & flu” all the credit? Let’s re-name this time of year after my favorite remedies!

Recently I mentioned how a humidifer can help keep germs out of your home and make your home environment healthier – and today I am excited to be giving away one of these:

Vicks Warm Mist GermFree Humidifier

It’s a Vicks Warm Mist GermFree Humidifier! If you’re a germaphobe like *ahem* Emily, you will love this bad boy! It kills 99.999% of germs, mold, and bacteria before the steam even hits the air. It promotes better breathing and sleep, and there are no filters to change or replace! It has two tanks which makes it easier to fill and helps it to run longer. It can operate up to 24 hours and has a two gallon capacity. Woot woot! It’s the Mac Daddy of humidifiers, is what I’m saying!

In addition to this fabulous machine, the winner of this giveaway is going to be swimming in my fav-or-ite product ever, Vicks VapoRub! With the humidifer I am also giving away:

2 jars of VapoRub
2 jars of VapoRub Lemon (I haven’t tried this but I have a sneaking suspicion it would rock my world!)
2 bottles of VapoRub CREAM (for those of you who don’t like the ointmenty-feel of the original. I think you’re crazy but to each her own. )
2 jars of BabyRub for your little ones under 2! Jonah highly recommends it!

Here’s how to enter to win these awesome prizes to help you have a healthy Vicks Season! You can enter up to three times, one time for each option.

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Vicks product

2) “Like” Vicks VapoRub on Facebook and then COME BACK TO THIS POST and leave me a separate comment letting me know that you did (or already do).

3) Tell me your favorite Vicks VapoRub memory

ONE winner will be chosen at random on Monday, January 30th at 6 pm EST. Winner will be notified via email. Good luck!

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I am being compensated for my role as a Vicks Blogger. All opinons about Vicks products are my own.

Giveaway: Motorola Droid Bionic

Emily — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:43:01 +0000

Jenny & I are wrapping up our time as Verizon Wireless Midwest Moms, but before we go, we have one last giveaway – a Motorola Droid Bionic. And not just any Droid Bionic – the very one I’ve been trying out for the last few months. Goldfish crumbs from the bottom of my purse included! Don’t worry, the Verizon people will wipe away my digital footprint on it, and hopefully my kids’ fingerprints as well.

The Bionic is equipped to handle the Verizon Wireless 4Glte network, which is really noticeably faster than 3G (like, a lot). 4Glte is available in 190 cities and 118 major airports, and it is expanding rapidly. Click here to see if it’s available near you.

A couple things to note about this giveaway – the giveaway is for the phone, not service. The Bionic only works on Verizon Wireless, and it requires a data plan. And, like I said, it’s the one I’ve been playing with so it’s slightly used.

To enter, leave a comment on this post.

The fine print:
One winner will be chosen randomly from entries received by January 2nd, 2012. The winner will be contacted via email and has 24 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within said time a new winner will be selected at random. Winner will need to provide name, email and address for shipment and prize will be shipped out via FedEx. This prize must be shipped to a North American address. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Good luck!

My, uh, I mean my kids’ fave new toy (giveaway!)

Jenny — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:40:42 +0000

Awhile back I became a wee bit obsessed with Learning Resources Pretend & Play line of toys. I got their Pretend & Play School set for my mom to give Sophie for Christmas because I know she will L-O-V-E it. I just love all these realistic toys that let kids act-out some fun scenarios. So, after talking Learning Resources’ website and Facebook page for awhile, I contacted them to ask if I could review and give away a toy from their Pretend & Play line. They agreed, and I chose the Pretend & Play Supermarket Checkout set.

We received the set just as Joshua was having his first of many sick days from the stomach flu. It was so nice to have a new toy to keep the kids busy when the kids were stuck in the house. They had SO much fun with it! Here’s a cute little short video of them playing together.

Here’s what I love about the Supermarket Checkout:

The moving conveyor belt. Just one of the many realistic features of this set! The “cashier” can press a button and move their customers food on down the belt.
The scanner that beeps, just like in a real life, when you pass the items over it.
Pretend scale so you can weigh produce
Cash register drawer that opens and closes
Credit card that beeps and says “paid” when you pass it through the scanner

Joshua and Sophie are seriously having such a great time pretending with this set and making up different shopping scenarios. I know your kiddos will love this, set too! Here’s how you can win one for them! You can enter three different ways:

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite pretend toy was when you were a child

2) “Like” Learning Resources on Facebook and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did so

3) “Like” Mommin’ It Up on Facebook and come back here and leave a comment letting me know you did or already do.

This contest will be open until Tuesday, December 20th at 6 pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random. U.S Residents only, please. Good luck! For more information on Learning Resources, check out their You Tube videos or follow them on Twitter.

I’ve linked this up to Things I love Thursday at the Diaper Diaries. Head on over to check out what others love, too!

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Learning Resources provided me with the Pretend & Play Supermarket Checkout to review. All opinions about this product are my own.

Lands’ End Starfish Collection Giveaway #9!

Jenny — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:54:04 +0000

The giveaways are still on! I had to take a few days off from the mad giving-away-and-prize-fulfillment dash but now I am back to wrap up these amaaaazing giveaways! Our winner of giveaway #8 was faithful reader and funny commenter Gina! Congrats!

Now remember, the winner of this giveaway gets to pick FIVE awesome pieces of the Starfish collection! WHEEE! Whether it be pants, tops, jackets – or some of each! This collection keeps you so comfy and pulled together. I want to highlight one of my very favorite pieces – this is the piece that I wish I had more of. MORE MORE MORE, I have a lust for more…

Starfish leggings!!

I love them! I really never thought I could do leggings, but these are so cute and comfy. Wear them with a Starfish tunic, a long sweater…LOVE. I even wore mine with boots to my son’s school Christmas program. I need at least two more pair!

What item do you think would be your favorite? Tell me for a chance to win…here’s all the ways you can enter to win FIVE pieces of this amazing collection!

1) Go check out the Starfish Collection and leave me a comment letting me know which piece you think looks the best. If you can’t pick one, that’s ok, just tell me what you love!

2) “Like” our facebook page and leave us a comment on this post telling us you did our already do

3) Tweet about this giveaway “Win 5 pieces of the #landsend Starfish Collection from @jennyitup & @momminitup http://bit.ly/vJ7vq1″ then leave us a comment with your tweet URL.

4) Subscribe to our feed, then leave us a comment on this post letting us know you did or already do.

Lands’ End Starfish Collection Giveaway #7

Jenny — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 03:30:41 +0000

Congrats to our Lands’ End Starfish giveaway winner, Sara! Congrats and enjoy! In this seventh giveaway, I want to feature yet another fabulous style of Starfish pant – the Spandex Terry pants.

Starfish Spandex Terry Pants

They make my legs very happy.

These are a little more casual-looking than the other Starfish pants, and they have a drawstring – so if you’re a drawstring-pant girl, you’ll love them! The terry is so soft, and so warm – and the pants look great! Especially with the tops and jackets in the Starfish collection.

SO, who wants to win five pieces of this fabulous collection from Lands’ End? Here’s how to enter!

1) Go check out the Starfish Collection and leave me a comment letting me know which piece you think looks the best. If you can’t pick one, that’s ok, just tell me what you love!

2) “Like” our facebook page and leave us a comment on this post telling us you did our already do

3) Tweet about this giveaway “Win 5 pieces of the #landsend Starfish Collection from @jennyitup & @momminitup http://bit.ly/w4j0Fr” then leave us a comment with your tweet URL.

4) Subscribe to our feed, then leave us a comment on this post letting us know you did or already do.

This giveaway ends Tuesday night at 10:30 PM EST. If you don’t win this one, keep trying, we’ve got three more to go!

Giveaway: New Motorola RAZR 4G LTE

Emily — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:50:57 +0000

As you know, Jenny and I are participating in Verizon Wireless’s Midwest Moms campaign. We’ve had fun trying out the Motorola Xoom and Droid Bionic, and now it’s time to let you in on the fun, too!

We’re giving away the latest and greatest in the world of smartphones – the Motorolla Droid RAZR.

Do you see how thin that phone is? It’s 0.27″ thick – the size of four quarters. The case is made out of Kevlar, the stuff that constitutes bullet proof vests, and the screen is made from scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass, which means you’ll shudder a little less when the kids ask to play with your phone! It also has a coating that repels water.

The craziest thing about this phone is that it has “advanced artificial intelligence” that keeps track of how you use the phone and then modifies itself so it runs at peak effectiveness. You can even set it to switch to silent mode automatically when you go certain places, like church, for example.

Of course, it’s also fast – as we’ve told you before, the Verizon 4G LTE network is amazing. It runs up to 10 times faster than 3G!

Want to check it out for yourself? Here’s how to enter:

Required: Leave a comment on this post telling us about the first cell phone you had.

Extra entries (leave a comment for each one you do):
– “Like” our facebook page and leave us a comment on this post telling us you did our already do.

– Tweet about this giveaway “Win a #Droid Razr from @jennyitup & @momminitup http://goo.gl/K8zkC #midwestmoms” then leave us a comment with your tweet URL.

– Subscribe to our feed, then leave us a comment on this post letting us know you did or already do.

Contest fine print: One winner will be chosen by random.org from among entries received by November 20th 12pm CST. The winner will be contacted via email and has
24 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within said time a new winner will be selected at random. Winner will need to provide name, email and address for shipment and prize will be shipped out via FedEx. This prize must be shipped to a North American address. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The #MidwestMoms DROID RAZR Giveaway ends November 20th. Verizon Wireless will provide the winner with the giveaway item. Mommin’ It Up is not a sponsor of the giveaway.

Lands’ End Starfish Giveaway #5

Jenny — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:33:43 +0000

It’s time for our 5th Lands’ End Starfish Collection giveaway. We are halfway through then ten giveaways! Our 4th winner was long-time faithful reader Allison!

In this post I am super-pumped to review for you my new favorite Starfish item: the Terry Foldover Collar Jacket:

Zomgoodness people, it is SO. CUTE. ON. I adore the foldover collar, which fastens with two snaps. It’s assymetrical, and cute, and warm, and cozy! This jacket has pockets! It’s flowy and comfy. It looks great with jeans or with your favorite pair of Starfish pants. It really looks dressy but it feels sooo comfy. I am super, super, super-enamored with it. Love, love, LOVE it!

Lands’ End keeps coming out with great pieces to make the Starfish Collection even more amazing than it already is. Here’s how lucky YOU can enter to win five pieces of this great collection, from the pants that started it all to one of the gorgeous tops or jackets!

1) Go check out the Starfish Collection and leave me a comment letting me know which piece you think looks the best. If you can’t pick one, that’s ok, just tell me what you love!

2) “Like” our facebook page and leave us a comment on this post telling us you did our already do

3) Tweet about this giveaway “Win 5 pieces of the #landsend Starfish Collection from @jennyitup & @momminitup http://bit.ly/txgNiv” then leave us a comment with your tweet URL.

4) Subscribe to our feed, then leave us a comment on this post letting us know you did or already do.

This giveaway will end Wednesday, November 9th at 6 pm EST! Good luck!!