Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s Blog Blast, courtesy of Hasbro and their Hot Summer Toy Event! Without further ado, please congratulate our lucky runner-up prize winners:
Even if you haven’t been reading all of our PBN bloggers’ reviews of the Savvy Source website, the Savvy Quiz, and the LeapFrog Tag Reader - and you really should, because these reviews are outstanding! - I’m certain you’ve heard about the Savvy Source by now. This website is taking the parenting blogosphere by storm, and with good reason.
“Julian, what would happen if our car got a flat tire?”
“We have to take it to the mechanic and he would fix it and then we will go back on the fweeway!”
“Julian, what if we run out of milk?”
“Then you will go to the store and get some more and I will eat Life cereal.”
“Julian, what will happen if we get to school and there are no teachers there?”
“Then you will read me some books, and then we will hear voices, and it will be a teacher!”
It has been fun to hear what he comes up with to these open ended questions, and we’ve turned it into a game we can do in the car or at dinner."
Be sure to check out the Savvy Source website, the Savvy Quiz, and the sidebar widget. Let us know if you’re interested in getting code for your own sidebar widget - it’s a revenue generator!
We parents already know that kids are naturally curious. Why else would they ask “Why?” so often? But they’re also naturally sympathetic to those in need, especially other kids. No matter how young they may be, they want to make a difference. And no matter how small that difference may be, they feel good about helping others. Tell us about what you and your kids have done to help others and make a difference, no matter how small.
We’ve partnered with Generation Cures - the world’s first “caring-and-curing” website - to introduce kids to a new way to make a difference. Generation Cures is a new and free online community for tweens created by Children’s Hospital Boston to educate kids about the importance of caring and compassion.
The really cool and different thing about Generation Cures is that the content teaches important lessons, but does it completely on “kid terms.” While the main site is for parents, it features a special trap door to a vibrant kids’ website filled with online puzzle-adventure games and animated stories that have been designed by experts to help parents teach their kids about altruism and to inspire them to know they can make a difference in the lives of other people. Generation Cures does all this in a fun, hip and relatable way that also gets kids enthusiastic about the world of medicine and science.
The ultimate purpose of the Generation Cures movement is to raise funds for pediatric medical research. While there is a never a charge to use Generation Cures, the hope is that the families who enjoy the site will make gifts to Generation Cures. The collective giving of this growing online community will advance the work of doctors and scientists at Children’s Hospital Boston who are dedicated to discovering life-altering cures for childhood diseases and illnesses around the world.
Here’s how to participate:
Write a post about what you and your kids have done to help others and make a difference. Post anytime this weekend - Friday, August 1 through Sunday, August 3.
We’ll be linking them up on our blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title!
What can you win?
Five winners will receive $30 donation credit at Generation Cures (courtesy of PBN), along with their choice of a Generation Cures adult or child tee shirt or messenger bag.
All winners will be drawn at random. US and Canada only.
Help us spread the word about this amazing site and their fantastic cause!
Believe it or not, August is just around the corner. And we all know what happens in August: Yes, Back-to-School Shopping! Typically the most excitement goes into the label on the jeans or the pattern on the T-shirt, but what is under all that is just as important, if not more.
Without the proper undergarments, the kids will end up scratching, tugging, or otherwise wrinkling up those stylish clothes. Plus, your kids may have been running around the pool barefoot, but it is time to get some comfortable socks to go with the brand new shoes your kids will be sporting in just a few weeks.
Just in time for back-to-school, 35 of our bloggers had the opportunity to try out new Hanes Comfort-Fit Underwear for Kids. The gals received the No Ride Up Panty (brief and bikini) and the guys received the No Ride Up Brief and No Gap Fly Boxers. Both girls and boys got to try out Hanes Shaped to Fit ankle or crew socks.
Hanes Comfort-Fit Promise guarantees better-fitting and more comfortable basic essentials for boys and girls or your money back. From “tagless” designs to durable yet comfortable leg bands to prevent those dreaded wedgies, this underwear is meant to be the go-to basic. Will our bloggers’ kids find the underwear comfortable and the socks cushy-soft? Read on to find out:
On August 22nd, be sure to visit us for a blog blast where you can win some Hanes for your own kids. Plus, be on the lookout for specially-marked packages of Hanes: you could earn a free pair!
Did your parents ever line up outside the toy store, waiting for it to open so that they could snag that sought-after toy you just had to have? How about you - did you ever camp out just to get your mitts on the toy that your kid (and every other kid out there) couldn’t live without?
Toy shopping doesn’t usually involve sleeping on sidewalks, but when it comes to making their kids happy, parents can go a little crazy. What lengths would you go to in pursuit of the elusive “It” toy for your own child?
Maybe toy shopping isn’t the first thing on your mind right now, but with our partner Hasbro, now is a great time to jump on it! You know Hasbro - they’re the ones who make LITTLEST PET SHOP, TRANSFORMERS, and MONOPOLY, among many others! And you can snag some of your favorite toys right now with a fantastic free shipping offer - the Hot Summer Toy Event.
As if this promotion wasn’t cool enough already, Hasbro will donate one toy or game for each toy or game purchased during its Hot Summer Toy Event, providing up to $400,000 in toys and games for economically disadvantaged children.
Plus, the best part is that you can trust Hasbro’s standards - NONE of their toys or games have been affected by the lead paint recalls.
Here’s how to participate:
Write a post about what you’d do (or what your parents did for you) to get that perfect toy into your child’s hands. Post anytime this weekend - today, July 25 through Sunday, July 27.Make sure to link http://www.hasbrotoyevent.com and http://blog.parentbloggers.com somewhere in your post.
We’ll be updating this blog with recaps from BlogHer 2008 along with our Blog Blast with Hasbro (did you see the prizes!) this coming weekend, but while Julie and I recover from lack of sleep and jet lag, we wanted to announce the lucky winners of our Super Duper Goody Bag Giveaway.
Many thanks to our clients who included their items in these great bags. Special thanks to Microsoft for treating us to a lovely dinner on Friday night.
Also, we’ve got two lucky winners, Eloise and Corina, who signed up to our mailing list this month and won prizes!
And, a special congrats to Parent Blogger Amy from Binkytown on the birth of her new bundle, Rowan.
Did your parents ever line up outside the toy store, waiting for it to open so that they could snag that sought-after toy you just had to have? How about you - did you ever camp out just to get your mitts on the toy that your kid (and every other kid out there) couldn’t live without?
Toy shopping doesn’t usually involve sleeping on sidewalks, but when it comes to making their kids happy, parents can go a little crazy. What lengths would you go to in pursuit of the elusive “It” toy for your own child?
Maybe toy shopping isn’t the first thing on your mind right now, but with our partner Hasbro, now is a great time to jump on it! You know Hasbro - they’re the ones who make LITTLEST PET SHOP, TRANSFORMERS, and MONOPOLY, among many others! And you can snag some of your favorite toys right now with a fantastic free shipping offer - the Hot Summer Toy Event.
As if this promotion wasn’t cool enough already, Hasbro will donate one toy or game for each toy or game purchased during its Hot Summer Toy Event, providing up to $400,000 in toys and games for economically disadvantaged children.
Plus, the best part is that you can trust Hasbro’s standards - NONE of their toys or games have been affected by the lead paint recalls.
Here’s how to participate:
Write a post about what you’d do (or what your parents did for you) to get that perfect toy into your child’s hands. Post anytime next weekend - Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27.
We’ll be linking them up on our blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title!
What can you win?
You’re not going to believe this grand prize gift basket! Check it out:
Noodleboro Fun Park Sharing Game
Scrabble Deluxe 60th Anniversary
Monopoly Here & Now World
Littlest Pet Shop Tail Waggin Fitness Club
Baby Alive 2.0 - Learns to Potty
Playskool Helmet Heroes
Playskool Bust Ball Tivitiy Center
Transformers Animated Leader
Tonka Bounce Back Racers
NStrike Vulcan
That’s right - one lucky grand prize winner will get all of those games and toys!
Plus, there will be FIVE first prize winners - each of them will receive either Monopoly Here & Now or Scrabble Deluxe 60th Anniversary.
If you’re attending the BlogHer Conference this weekend, we’ve got an extra special incentive for you to track us down (believe me, it won’t be hard to find us thanks to Kristen’s ever growing belly and Julie’s cute son Oliver slung over her shoulder), other than learning more about the fantastic bloggers of our network and how we can work with your business to reach them.
We’re offering up FIVE super fantastic organic Parent Bloggers Network tote bags chock full of some awesome prizes.
All you have to do is find us at some point between Thursday, July 17 and Sunday, July 20 at the BlogHer Conference and hand us your business card. Or if you’re super swanky, your swag. In exchange, we’ll enter you to win one of five hand-embroidered tote bags (courtesy of Fadiddle) with these prizes (HOLY COW!):
- Felicia Sullivan’s The Sky Isn’t Visible From Here - a strikingly touching and moving memoir that every parent should read.
- That Baby DVD & CD - A fantastic combo unlike any you’ve ever seen or heard, featuring kid-friendly acoustic covers of songs and colorful visuals of kids at play, nature, animation, and puppets.
- Johnson’s - An assortment of baby products and adult products from the original baby brand moms know and love.
- Brainiversity - A new brain training game from Brighter Minds Media and Red Sprite Studios designed to stimulate your brain with 16 different activities covering Language, Memory, Math and Analysis.
- Windows Vista (plus Service Pack 1 and Windows Live services and a trial offer of Windows Live OneCare).
- The Busy Body Book - A handy mom-friendly organizer that keeps your schedule (and all your kids) in order.
- Think-ets - The world’s first little game in a pouch containing tiny treasures from all over the world, designed for kids 8-108 and their families.
- ImagiPLAY push-along fox toy - ImagiPLAY makes child-safe, earth-friendly, and fair trade toys.
- Denny’s $25 Gift Card and Rocket Cup - Known for its breakfasts, Denny’s also offers low-fat offerings for health conscious guests and a robust kids menu (with healthy side items including fresh grapes, Goldfish crackers, and vegetables).
All prizes to be awarded at random (via Random.org, what else?) and shipped after BlogHer.
Tiny*Prints sounds fabulous so far, doesn’t it? Here is a “secret:” Despite absolutely loving the holiday greetings I purchased from tiny*prints last year, and knowing how my fellow PBN reviewers felt about the company, I purchased my son’s birthday invitations from another site. My son had a gymnastics-themed party and I really wanted an invitation with a little gymnast on it. But I was duped. I should have taken a photo of my own little gymnast to put on one of tiny*prints’ excellent photo birthday invitations.
Although the invite I got from the other company was cute, it took several tries to get the proof right. Each time, a different staff member sent out a new proof, clearly not actually looking at it before sending. I received someone else’s proof. I received one that was nearly right but had the address wrong (clearly left in their “cut n’ paste” from a previous client.) Then I received one that was oddly spaced. Each time there were no apologies, just “Attached is your proof! Please email confirmation that we can print!” Happy Use of Exclamation Points Does Not Make Me Like You! The invites cost more than they would have from tiny*prints and took longer to ship.
Meanwhile, I purchased personalized thank-you notes from tiny*prints for my son. The card I selected was designed for two people so had an ampersand as part of the design. The proof has a little notice saying that if only one name is submitted the ampersand will be deleted, even though it will appear on the instant online proof. I wasn’t worried because I knew tiny*prints actually looks at the design before printing it. Less than five minutes after I pressed the “place order” button, a tiny*prints designer phoned me. She wanted to confirm that I was using a single name and probably didn’t want the ampersand. I laughed a little and told her that I had read the little notice on the site so wasn’t worried. Still, I was impressed that she had called to double-check. This personalized attention to detail was completely absent in that “other site’s” so-called “customer service.”
Indeed, re-read this summary and that of the the first eight reviewers if you still don’t recognize our undying love for this excellent company. Trust me: I tried another company and will not make that mistake again!
If you’ve spent any time at all reading parenting blogs lately, you’ve no doubt heard about The Savvy Source and their new Being Savvy city editors. From Boston to Berkeley (and a few dozen cities in between, with more coming soon), local moms and dads post daily about the ins and outs of their towns. Several PBN bloggers are Being Savvy city editors - Berkeley/Oakland, Columbus, Kansas City, and San Antonio - and we’re thrilled to help them promote a few other aspects of The Savvy Source via this new campaign.
Twenty of our bloggers have a new sidebar widget that links to The Savvy Quiz. From The Savvy Source website:
“The Savvy Quiz is adapted from The Core Knowledge Foundation’sPreschool Sequence, a comprehensive outline of the way young children develop knowledge and skills. Since preschool-age children often spend most of their time at home rather than school, The Savvy Source has adapted the Preschool Sequence for the benefit of parents and other care-givers.”
The Savvy Quiz consists of a series of questions in each of several categories (language development, science, music, math, and many more), with personalized results - recommended activities and games/toys for your child - based on their current developmental stage as assessed by the quiz.
The widget is currently sponsored by LeapFrog, another name that parents know quite well. Their latest product offering is the Tag Reading System. Touch the Tag Reader (shaped like a pen - easy for little hands to hold) to the pages of a book from the Tag library, and the story is read aloud!
Finally, the widget itself is a revenue generator. The PBN bloggers who are currently displaying the widget are already accumulating CPM earnings. The Savvy Source will expand deployment of the widget to interested bloggers via a blogger referral program, so stay tuned if you’d like to get in on the action!
In the meantime, check out what these twenty bloggers have to say about The Savvy Quiz and the recommendations they received, the Tag Reading System, and The Savvy Quiz widget!
Our bloggers are directed to write frank and honest reviews assessing their personal experience with a product or service. Their reviews may include both positive and negative feedback.
For more information, please refer to our Disclaimer.
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Believe it or not, August is just around the corner. And we all know what happens in August: Yes, Back-to-School Shopping! Typically the most excitement goes into the label on the jeans or the pattern on the T-shirt, but what is under all that is just as important, if not more.
