Win $20K in cash AND a $50K cafeteria makeover!
Feb 21, 2012 Contest
My kids are home with me this week. There’s this weird thing in New York City Public Schools that I did not have growing up in Buffalo, called February break. My kids still have Christmas break in December, and then Spring Break in April, so I think this whole February break thing is overkill. Couldn’t they have a week off when the weather doesn’t stink?
So, indoor projects are always good. We play Kinect, we watch movies, and today, we’ll be cooking a rice dish and videotaping it to enter an amazing Uncle Ben’s contest.
Ben’s Beginners is giving away a huge grand prize: $20,000, an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show, and a $50,000 make-over for the winner’s school cafeteria! I can’t tell you how much that would mean to my kids’ school.
Entering is really easy. It involves making a short video of you and your kid making a rice dish. BUT, here’s the catch: the deadline is in five days. I meant to post about this a few weeks ago and forgot. And, frankly, I don’t know why I’m lessening my chances of winning by sharing this with all of you anyway, except that I really love the people at Uncle Ben’s (they hosted my daughter’s class for a cooking project with Angie Harmon and Chef Cricket Azima last month, and it was a ton of fun).
I strongly suggest that you check out the FAQ page and official rules on the contest facebook page, because it gives some specific guidelines and good tips for making your video.
And now, I’m off to cook with Fiona! We’re still trying to decide what our recipe will be. I wanted to make one of the dishes that we made at the event, Sweet & Sticky Rice Salad. But Fiona absolutely loves chicken and rice soup and is pushing for it. While I’d rather make something I can eat (I’m a vegetarian) I’ll probably let her win this one, since I’ve made the Sweet & Sticky Rice Salad already. Plus, I’m going to make her do most of the work. :-)
Here’s the recipe for the rice salad though, it’s a good one. It keeps for several days and since it’s best served room temp, it’s a great dish to bring to parties and pot-lucks. I leave out the raisins, because I don’t like them, and I only make half – the recipe as written is really big. Enjoy!
Sweet & Sticky Rice Salad
by Cricket Azima
Ingredients:
For salad
- 1 1/2 cups Uncle Ben’s Rice, uncooked
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
- 1 15.5-oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- Salt & pepper to taste
For dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp dried mint, or to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
(everything after the rice is a kid-friendly step)
- Cook rice according to package directions and let cool. Place in large bowl
- Add carrots, yellow peppers, red kidney beans, raisins, and peas
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine
- In a separate bowl, combine dressing ingredients and whisk together
- Pour dressing over rice and gently stir
- Serve chilled or room temperature
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has Compensation Levels of 1, 8, & 17. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Contest, Food, Recipes, Uncle Ben's
Nick Jonas is looking for your little superstar
Jun 12, 2011 Contest
My kids and I got to attend a press conference a few days ago to kick off the Quaker Chewy Superstar Search (and yes, my son gives bunny ears to almost everything when being photographed, even two-dimensional fictional brand representatives). The guest of honor was a young up-and-comer with a promising voice. Nick something? Oh yes, Nick Jonas. My kids got to meet Nick Jonas. I’m not a good enough writer to explain what that meant to them. It would have been like me meeting Mr. Rogers when I was a kid. Or George Clooney now.
Also at the press conference were some very lucky kids from Quaker’s partner in the Superstar Search, Little Kids Rock, a group devoted to providing music education in public schools. Nick Jonas took the stage to speak with Jim Shearer, host of VH1’s Top 20 Video Countdown. Jim interviewed Nick and took some questions from the in-studio audience, the audience watching the live stream, and twitter. Then, Nick grabbed his guitar and sang three songs.
I’d never really heard him perform before. Sure, I’d gotten up at 4am one morning to take my kids to a Good Morning America concert with the Jonas Brothers, but that was not exactly an ideal situation (actually, it was a pretty big fail). And I’d also attended a party in Disney World a couple years ago where I think Nick Jonas might have been singing with Demi Lovato, but honestly I don’t remember – I was too busy huddling near one of those big outdoor heaters on an unusually cold and drizzly Florida evening, listening to two tired kids whine. So this was the first time I’d really heard him sing, or even talk, and I was completely impressed.
Nick Jonas appears to be a very thoughtful, well-spoken young man (young man? OMG I sound so OLD!). His voice, especially on the first song, was very pure – he can sing. There are some teen stars who put on a good show, with lots of instruments and other singers backing them up, and dance moves, and lots of other distractions to entertain you. But if you want to know if someone can actually sing, try to see them on a bare stage being accompanied by a single instrument. He had nothing to hide behind, and he didn’t need to.
You can see the entire interview and all three songs in these videos.
After the concert the kids and I were taken to a private area, where we got to meet Nick. He looked tired – I’m sure all of the meet-and-greet stuff gets very repetitive and tiresome – but he was very sweet with my kids, answering their questions and posing for pictures. Jake had a look on his face like he was trying desperately to maintain his coolness, but Fiona didn’t even bother. She was beaming.
Fiona’s a little crushed that she’s a year too young to enter the contest. Jake, on the other hand, is the right age, but isn’t a singer. He plays drums, and tried to convince Nick to change it from a singing contest to a drumming contest, which was a non-starter. So your kids won’t have to compete with my kids for this.
The Quaker Chewy Superstar Search is accepting videos from kids age 8-14, showing off their singing abilities. Four finalists will each win $1,000 and the grand prize winner will get $5,000, a song produced by Nick Jonas, an online music video, and a contract with the Jonas Management Group! Details on how to enter are here.
Plus, if you live near one of the cities where the Quaker mobile recording studio will be making an appearance, and your child is one of the first ninety eligible kids to get there, she’ll get to record a song and take the video home, as well as sample some Quaker snacks, such as the very yummy Quaker cocoa granola bars we were sent home with.
There are upcoming stops in New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and California. You can get details on the Quaker mobile recording studio here.
Good luck! Maybe in a few years, my kids will be getting out of school early to hear your kid sing. 
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 1. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, singing, videos
Slap your kids on an envelope and stick them in a mailbox with PictureItPostage
Nov 22, 2010 Contest, Paid/Sponsored Post
The following post was commissioned by PictureItPostage.
I have to be honest, I hardly ever send anything through the mail anymore. When I do, it’s usually for a special occasion – an invitation, thank you notes, an announcement, a holiday. And those mailings would be even more special with personalized picture stamps from PictureItPostage. You can put any picture you want (at least anything appropriate for sending through the mail) on a real USPS stamp. Imagine how tickled relatives would be getting their Christmas cards from you with pictures of your kids on the stamp? Or you could send out wedding invitations with engagement pictures on the outside of the envelopes. It doesn’t stop at personal stuff either, you could put a business logo on the stamps as well.
I was given the opportunity to try out the service in order to review it, and it was amazingly quick and easy. From start to finish, the entire set-up and ordering process took about four minutes! You can either do it online in a browser, or you can download software (both PC and Mac). You upload your picture, make simple edits (zoom, center, crop, choose background color, etc.), choose which kind of postage you need, and check out! I can’t wait for my stamps to arrive. I chose a really cute picture of my kids, and I’m going to use my stamps to mail our Christmas cards.
If you want to try PictureItPostage for yourself, you can get a $4 discount off of your order by using the code “MOTHERHOOD” through January 31st, 2011. Just enter it at checkout. With stamp packages starting at just $15.95, this discount can save you a significant percentage off of your order. Plus, everyone who orders from PictureItPostage using the discount code “MOTHERHOOD” between now and December 15th will be entered into a drawing for $500 cash! I bet that would go a long way for holiday shopping. You can see the official contest rules here, as well as some suggestions on how to make your holiday mailings more special.
Check out this amazingly easy service for yourself. You can upload pictures and preview your stamps before deciding if you want to buy or not, so you have nothing to lose. I’ll post my stamps when they get here so you can see how they turned out.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 2. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information. Amy also blogs at Filming In Brooklyn, Behind the Screen, and Momtourage, and podcasts with The Blogging Angels.
Win a trip to the Teen Choice 2010 awards from Invisalign Teen
Jul 10, 2010 Contest
UPDATE: Please note, you have to click on the link to the Invisalign Teen site to enter – I’m not running the contest. Leaving a comment on my site does not enter you into the contest.
Want to win a trip for four to the Teen Choice 2010 Awards from Invisalign Teen? Hurry, you only have until Sunday night to enter! Invisalign Teen is giving away a trip for four to the Teen Choice 2010 awards in Los Angeles. I think my son would probably drop to the floor in a very dramatic fashion if I won this for him, especially since it includes four VIP tickets to a post-show party, plus a couple of Flip cameras for catching all of the action. It only takes a few seconds to enter, but hurry before it’s too late!
While you’re on the site, you should check out Invisalign Teen. I never got to have braces when I was a kid, and I needed them. My kids’ teeth are coming in kind-of crooked so far, and I would love for them to have the straight teeth I don’t have, without having to go through years of trying to keep braces clean and not being able to eat certain foods, and having to go in to the orthodontist for adjustments and broken wires. Invisalign Teen straightens teeth with custom-made aligners that you switch out about every two weeks, and they put gentle pressure on your teeth to move them into alignment. The best part? You can take the trays out to eat!
So hurry and check out the contest (and Invisalign Teen) before 11:59pm EST Sunday night July 11th. You could be your kid’s hero and win a trip to the Teen Choice 2010 Awards!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 8. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information. Amy also blogs at Filming In Brooklyn, Behind the Screen, and Momtourage.
A great LeapFrog Tag giveaway, for you and a library!
Mar 18, 2009 Contest
I will be the first to admit that reading to my kids has fallen off in our house. My son is seven and tearing through books on his own. Right now he’s obsessed with the Captain Underpants series. I bought him the first four books without asking and I think he objected to not being in on the choice (“But I was in Barnes & Noble and saw them and thought of you!” meant absolutely nothing to him). But of course, he eventually cracked one open and now I have to take them out of his hands so he can eat. I’ve been trying to get him into Harry Potter but again, no interest. I think he’s scared by the size. But I’ll just leave it laying around and someday he’ll pick it up.
My daughter is four, and on the verge of reading. She’s fascinated by letters, and spends a lot of time, both at home and at school, copying whatever she can get her hands on – cereal boxes, newspapers, etc. It’s kind of perversely hilarious to have your small daughter hand you a piece of paper that clearly reads “Rapist sought in two different incidents.”
LeapFrog gave us a Tag last year and my daughter uses it almost every day. She used to have it read her a whole page at a time, but now she likes to run it over individual words, and I think she’s just about to have that Hellen Keller moment where she makes the connection.
But sadly, I have not been reading to her. Until about six months ago, I used to read to her every night before bed. Then she started wanting to play on my bed and do my hair. And, well, I love it when people play with my hair, so I didn’t dissuade her. Now I only read to her when she specifically requests it.
But no more! LeapFrog is asking parents to pledge to read to their kids during the NEA’s National Reading Month (now!), and they want to get 1,000,000 hours in pledges. I went to the pledge page, and pledged to read to Fiona for 10 minutes a day. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but five hours a month is probably about five times as much as we’re doing now. Plus, I got a printable certificate to give to Fiona (the girl loves certificates!) and a coupon off of Tag readers and books (or you can get the same discount at checkout by shopping for Tag products on Amazon.com),
To help spread the word, LeapFrog is giving away more Tags! One of my lucky readers will receive a Tag of their very own with five Tag books, PLUS an expanded-memory Tag and ten Tag books to donate to their local library! To enter to win this great prize, all you have to do is go to the pledge page on the LeapFrog site, make your pledge, and then come back here and leave a comment telling me how many minutes you pledged to read to your child. And if you don’t have a child? Well then, tell me whom you’d give the Tag to.
You can get an extra entry by Tweeting about the contest, with a link back here. Just make sure you leave a separate comment about the Tweet. That’s a total of two entries per household, please.
The contest ends on Monday, March 30th, probably around noon. The winner will be chosen by random.org. For full contest rules, go to the giveaway rules page. Prize can be shipped to U.S. addresses only.
Good luck!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Congratulations to our Oral-B winner!
Mar 13, 2009 Contest
OK, those of you who follow me on Twitter (@selfishmom) know that I had a very short night last night and slept the afternoon away. Or at least I tried to. I couldn’t turn off my cell phone because I was expecting an important package and our doorbell isn’t working…and got five calls in two hours while trying to nap. Anywho, the point is, I’m finally out of bed and back from picking the kids up at school, and I picked a winner for the Oral-B giveaway: Arlene Feix! She’s got four girls, so I’m sure the Oral-B stuff will go to very good use.
Thanks to everyone who entered. There were some great entries! I asked everyone to write a little about their families’ oral care habits, and many of you are doing what you should be doing, brushing at least twice a day and flossing. But thank God many of you aren’t. Not that I want anybody else to get a mouth full of cavities, but I feel better knowing I’m not the only slacker. I was amazed by how many of you said your kids remind you about teeth brushing.
I got a stern reprimand from my friend Toni when she found out I hadn’t been to the dentist in four years. Honestly, I thought she already knew, or I would have warned her. My friend ab claims to only brush and floss once a week, but she got engaged recently so I’m guessing she does it at least twice a week, or nobody would marry her.
I can attest to the fact that my sister Cara ate a LOT of sugar when she was little. She and my other sister were dancers and lived on Swedish Fish and gum. And they used to chain chew the gum, putting the last piece in the next piece’s wrapper, when they weren’t just swallowing it (gross!).
Kim mentioned having poor quality saliva, and that’s totally a real thing, she’s not making excuses. My husband has really good saliva – he’s never had a cavity and probably never will, according to his dentist.
Jessica Gottlieb said that she googled “meth mouth” to scare her kids into brushing. So of course, I had to do it too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meth_mouth. Gross. Reminds me of the time on The Simpsons when Homer trades away his dental plan and can’t get Lisa the braces she needs, even though the dentist showed them the Big Book of British Smiles.
Kelly mentioned a mouthwash that shows the kids where to brush. We started my son on one of those about a month ago, because he never brushes long enough without me standing there making sure. But now, if he doesn’t, then he still has blue on his teeth. Fabulous idea. He lost a tooth while brushing his teeth one morning, so we got to put a blue tooth under the pillow.
And last but not least, since amy went to the trouble of writing her entry in verse, I’m re-posting it here:
Brush, I’ll do–two times a day,
But a tooth-Nazi I’m not, that I must say.
And though my kids are only 5, 3, and 2,
Brushing morning and night is something they definitely do.
I try to remember to teach them to floss,
Since I am their mom and a big, nasty boss.
But I have to admit, flossing’s really not my thing,
I maybe only do it once in the fall and once in the spring.
Hopefully Selfish Mom will pick me for the Oral B prize,
Since I’m admitting my fault–and as far as teeth go–I’m not very wise.
So thanks everyone, fun entries. I’ll be posting another giveaway soon, so stop back!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: Big Book of British Smiles, Oral B, Simpsons
No love from the Quaker Man :-(
Feb 28, 2009 Contest
So I found out that I didn’t win the Quaker Contest. I lost by 12 uploaded pictures. And while I’m tempted to throw some guilt at the dozen or so people who told me they wanted to do it but didn’t/couldn’t/forgot, the winner had her Quaker day after me, so she probably did the same thing I did: tried to figure out who was in the lead and made sure to beat them (me). If I had gotten a dozen more, maybe she would have gotten even more. So, whatever. I’m not bitter.
I am a little annoyed, though, that I found out I lost from checking Quaker’s Facebook page, and not from getting some kind of acknowledgment from Quaker, thanking me for being in the contest and letting me know who won. I think that somewhere in there was a good idea for a contest, but if Quaker ever decides to do something like this again, I have a few suggestions:
- Have all of the bloggers participate on the same day, so that it’s a true competition, and not just each blogger trying to do better than the last person.
- Don’t make it all-or-nothing. At least have a few top prizes.
- Let the bloggers have a little fun with it – the rules were annoying and hard to understand.
- Show the bloggers some love. I’m a nice person, but I also thought that there would be something in this for me – some kind of well-publicized post or press release, maybe, thanking the bloggers for participating and giving their blogs a little promotion.
If I had really understood how the competition was going to work beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have participated. A bunch of other bloggers I know were approached and they all turned it down. I, on the other hand, ran with it and gave up more than a day just for the contest, annoyed all of my friends, and in the end got nothing for it, not even an email telling me whether or not I had won.
But, like I’ve been saying all along, at least some charity somewhere will get the $5K, and that’s a good thing. Quaker was also going to give up to one million bowls of oatmeal to charity – one bowl for each person who went to Quaker’s Facebook page and entered a Quaker UPC code. Tomorrow’s the last day, and there are less than 6,000 bowls filled so far. That’s too bad, but I’m not all that surprised. I hope that in the interest of charity and good will, Quaker decides to give the million bowls anyway.
So, thanks to every one of you who tried to help me win the contest. Thanks also to my friend Melanie for Tweeting the contest. If anybody else promoted it, please let me know and I’ll link to you.
Do the right thing, Quaker, and give that million bowls!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: Contest, Quaker Oats
Win an iPod Touch!
Feb 12, 2009 Contest
My friend Katja, from the Disney cruise, is having a great giveaway on her blog: an iPod Touch! But hurry, it ends tomorrow night (Friday) at midnight.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: Disney Cruise, iPod Touch
