The Motherhood

Twitter Parties This Week – Join Us!

August 18, 2014 by The Motherhood

This week at The Motherhood, were gearing up for two exciting Twitter parties that are supporting great causes! Here’s all the details you’ll need in this week’s Twitter Party Round-Up. We hope to see you there!

#ReasonToSmile

Thursday, Aug 21 @ 12pm-1pm ET

The Motherhood is excited to be joining Dreyer’s Ice Cream as they prepare to give the gift of up to 500-life changing surgeries to children with cleft lip and cleft palate. Every time someone shares a photo to the Dreyer’s Facebook page with #ReasonToSmile in the caption, Dreyer’s will make a donation to Operation Smile for a child in need!

In addition to their work with Operation Smile, Dreyer’s encourages families to spend quality time together creating and enjoying tasty ice cream desserts. Check out their website for great recipes the whole family can create together – and now you can find and share inspiration from Dreyer’s through the new Dreyer’s Ice Cream Pinterest page!

Throughout the party, we’ll be sharing our favorite recipe ideas with Dreyer’s Ice Cream, so get ready to save and share fun recipes your whole family is bound to love.

Prizes! We’ll be giving away five $50 VISA gift cards during the party to randomly selected participants who answer the trivia questions correctly. Prizes limited to U.S. participants only, 18 and older.

#HungerHeroes

Thursday, Aug 21 @ 1pm-2pm ET

The Motherhood is proud to partner with Champions for Kids for another exciting Twitter party! This summer, Champions for Kids has joined forces with Tyson Foods and Kraft to fight childhood hunger with the “Be a Hunger Hero” campaign. Throughout the month of August, shoppers can purchase any of these products at Sam’s Club, Tyson® Fully Cooked Chicken Nuggets 5 lb. bag, KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner 7.25 oz. 12 pack or CAPRI SUN Juice Drink Variety Pack-40 pouches, and help feed* a child in need.

You and others who donate truly are real-life superheroes tapping into the incredible power of giving – and the best part is, you can feed your own family while helping a child. Don’t miss out on this moving conversation to learn more about ways that you can be a Hunger Hero in your own community!

Prizes! Five prizes will be awarded to randomly selected participants who answer trivia questions correctly. Each prize is a $50 Sam’s Club gift card. Prizes are limited to U.S. participants ages 18 and older only.

10 Must-Haves From OshKosh B’gosh this School Year!

August 15, 2014 by The Motherhood

The back-to-school season is here! Have you started your kids’ back-to-school shopping?

The Motherhood and some of our amazing bloggers got the chance to hear directly from the team at OshKosh B’gosh about the hottest new school trends this year! They also shared with us 10 items that are perfect additions to your child’s back-to-school wardrobe! Take a look:

1. Denim. Denim is the heritage of the OshKosh brand! OshKosh offers denim items like pants, skirts, jackets, and of course overalls, for girls and boys up to size 12.

Caryn from Rockin’ Mama shared her excitement for the denim selection saying, “Not only is this [denim] a staple in my son’s wardrobe, it’s what he wears daily for school … Remember that denim includes overalls, jackets, and shirts so don’t be afraid to relive the 80′s through your child.”

Back-to-School-Outfit-620x411 — Photo from Caryn, Rockin’ Mama

2. Girls TLC (Tunics, Leggings and Cardigans). We are a big fan of this collection! It’s easy to mix and match fun prints and patterns from this collection, allowing girls up to age 12 to stay stylish and comfortable!

This line is perfectly featured in this blog post by Molly from Molly Coddle. Take a look at Molly’s adorable girls in the OshKosh TLC collection!

3. Uniform. This is new to the OshKosh market! The OshKosh brand has built their uniform collection so that kids can show fun, fashion flare and personality while still in school uniform. And good news! All uniform items are 40% off right now with special door busters for polos and shorts at $7 and $9!

Jenny from Mommin’ It Up shopped from the girls’ uniform line for her daughter, who showed off the comfort and style of this uniform dress! She blogged, “Of course I wanted to make sure she could run and play and be comfortable in this darling polo uniform dress, so she showed me that she could, for sure!”

Osh-Kosh-Uniform-Dress-2-807x1024 — Photo from Jenny, Mommin’ It Up

4. OKO (OshKosh Original) Tees. These collectible items are specially created by a team of OshKosh designers in New York City! Pair them with denim or fashion wear!

Jessica from JessicaNDesigns shows us how to pair a girl’s graphic tee with a fun, fashionable print pant for girls.

5. Girls Active. Just this year, OshKosh B’gosh added skirts and tee’s to the Girls’ Active line! This line offers clothing with inspirational messaging and fun graphics.

6. Boys Triple Jumper Pant. These athletic pants are fully lined with jersey and have a functional drawstring, ankle zipper and reinforced knees — perfect for boys that love to play!

Amy from Grinning Cheek to Cheek says, “Both boys wear these pants on a daily basis, and we’ve never had a hole or tear. The kids love how comfortable they are, and my youngest refuses to wear anything else.”

OshKosh-Ethan-1024x754 — Photo from Amy, Grinning Cheek to Cheek

7. Shoes. OshKosh expanded their shoe line this year! And shoes are included in the 40%-off sale going on right now! Check out these adorable shoes featured in this post by Monica from Marino Bambinos.

Screen Shot 2014-08-15 at 3.39.21 PM — Photo by Monica, Marino Bambinos

8. Boy’s Fleece Pants. This can be a staple in a boy’s wardrobe for fall. OshKosh recommends pairing it with denim or other unexpected items!

9. Outerwear. OshKosh makes staying warm fashionable! They let us in on the fact that layering for boys is popular this season.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Photo from Felicia, Go Graham Go

Felicia’s son loves this OshKosh lightweight camouflage jacket for boys! As she wrote on her blog, Go Graham Go, “This is going to look great with a pop of color and will be perfect for those brisk mornings walking to school when October rolls around.”

10. Essential Wovens. Button down comfortable shirts are a must-have for both boys and girls this fall! Piera from Jolly Mom featured on button down “borrowed from Dad” look in her blog post.

MG_2054-e1407365912459 — Photo by Piera, Jolly Mom

If you’re planning on doing your back-to-shopping at OshKosh B’gosh make sure to take part in the OshKosh B’gosh Jeanious Campaign running through September 17!

Donate a new pair of jeans, or make a cash donation of $1, $3, $5 or $10 in stores or online.
OshKosh will match all denim donations with another item of clothing up to $50,000.
Donations will be delivered via K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers.
Cash donations will be dispersed to local schools via teacher’s request through www.donorschoose.org to help local kids, teachers and schools thrive!

Happy shopping!

Summertime Fun with The Motherhood’s Pets!

August 14, 2014 by The Motherhood

Welcome to our latest blog series featuring The Motherhood’s pets! We love our furry friends so much we decided to give them their own special place on our blog! (Some of you may recognize these darling canines and felines from our last Wordless Wednesday post.) Stay tuned for more adorable pet photos and stories right here the blog!

As the “dog” days of summer slowly come to an end, The Motherhood’s pets have been busy soaking up the sun! From the beach to the pool, here’s how some of our pets enjoy a beautiful summer day!

Bauer, Brittnee’s dog, enjoying a game of ball in the yard!

Emily’s dog, Piper, working on his tan at the beach!

This used to be Dak’s water bowl, until he found a better use for it…a swimming pool!

Zuckuss, Kayla’s dog and Dak’s brother, hanging out on the porch in HIS chair!

Erin’s hard at work while her cat, Scrabble, tries to convince her to have some summer play!

Maggie, Sarah’s dog, hard at work in the garden!

Our 5 Favorite Fall Trends from Carter’s

August 5, 2014 by The Motherhood

We can hardly believe how fast summer is flying! With the new school year rapidly approaching, it’s already time to start our back-to-school shopping!

The Motherhood and an amazing team of bloggers had the opportunity to connect with Carter’s Vice President and GMM of E-Commerce Laura Barber during a private virtual event where we learned about some fantastic kids’ fashion trends for this fall. We love these styles so much that we had to share them with you!

1. Activewear

What kid doesn’t want comfortable clothes for playtime? Carter’s offers an active line for boys and girls that has mesh fabrics in shorts and synthetic applications in tops. We also love their fun graphic tees with positive messages!

Jamie from Roubinek Reality showed off the fun activewear line for boys in her blog post.

carters-athletic-boys — Photo courtesy of Jamie from Roubinek Reality

2. Camouflage

Camo isn’t just for boys! Carter’s has a whole new camo selection just for girls. They encourage adding a fun twist to camo by pattern mixing with floral, stripes or other fun prints! We just love this girls’ camo outfit that Amnah from This Little Life of Mine put together for her daughter.

Floral-and-Camo-Carters-Fall-Style-682x1024 — Photo courtesy of Amnah from This Little Life of Mine

Of course, Carter’s still offers a variety of camo items for boys! Andrea from Glam Hungry Mom featured an awesome Carter’s camo jacket for boys in her blog post – a perfect addition to your son’s fall wardrobe.

camo-woven-shirt-camping-tee-cartersfallstyle.jpg-682x1024 — Photo courtesy of Andrea from Glam Hungry Mom

3. Tomboy Chic

Tomboy Chic is fall trend that takes an athletic look and gives it a girly twist. We adore this tomboy chic outfit that Trina from Baby Shopaholic picked out for her daughter!

carters tomboy 1 — Photo courtesy of Trina from Baby Shopaholic

4. Vintage Prints

Carter’s vintage prints include graphics of ponies, puppies, flowers – all things girls love! Take a look at the vintage print look for girls as modeled by Mellisa’s daughter on the Mom Luck blog.

girl-768x1024 — Photo courtesy of Mellisa from Mom Luck

Here is another lovely vintage print for girls, as shown by Idalmis at Second Chances Girl.

Photo courtesy of Idalmis at Second Chances Girl

5. Fresh Plaids

You just can’t go wrong with a plaid shirt! It’s a traditional, comfortable and fresh look for fall. Carter’s is introducing new and fresh colors to their plaid shirts for boys, and as Alexis from The Exhausted Mom says, “It’s a great way to dress up without being too formal.”

Screen Shot 2014-07-31 at 10.59.03 AM — Photo courtesy of Alexis from The Exhausted Mom

Are you in love with these fall trends yet? We are! Head over to your local Carter’s store or shop online to pick up these styles for your own kids.

What’s on your back-to-school shopping list?

Twitter Parties This Week – Join Us!

August 4, 2014 by The Motherhood

We’re hosting a few exciting Twitter parties this week at The Motherhood, and we’d love to see you there! Here are all the details you’ll need to be part of the conversation!

#SIMPLEGiving

Monday, Aug 4 at 1 p.m. ET

The Motherhood is excited to join Champions for Kids as they team up with Kellogg Company, Emerald, Dole and Walmart to help give kids the resources they need to thrive. Join us for this Twitter party to spread the word about a simple give-back initiative that can help provide kids with the nutritious snacks they need during and after school. Anyone can participate in the SIMPLE Giving program simply by purchasing and donating back-to-school snack foods at your local Walmart store from August 1-18.

During the Twitter party, we’ll be sharing more ways to give in your communities, including Champions For Kids’ SIMPLE Service Projects. A few upcoming programs include the Game Day Great Project, sponsored by Dole; and Fuel for School, sponsored by Kellogg Company. Learn more by joining us for the #SIMPLEGiving Twitter party!

Five prizes will be awarded to randomly selected participants who answer trivia questions correctly. Each prize is a $50 Walmart gift card. Prizes are limited to U.S. participants ages 18 and older only.

Photo Credit: SPLENDA®

#SweetSwaps

Wednesday, Aug 6 at 12 p.m. ET

Join The Motherhood for a SPLENDA® Brand #SweetSwaps for Summer Twitter Party to help kick off an exciting, new feature of the SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ initiative: User Generated Content!

You will also learn about a fabulous new contest on the SPLENDA® Brand Tumblr page! SPLENDA® Brand is asking you to share your ideas to swap full sugar for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products in a favorite dish or non-alcoholic beverage through the SPLENDA® Brand Tumblr page at www.365SweetSwaps.com for a chance to have the idea posted to the site, or created by celebrity chef Laura Vitale and featured in one of her SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ videos.

We can’t wait to hear your recipe ideas, tips and tricks! Be sure to submit them to the 365 SWEET SWAPS™ Tumblr page during the 24-hour Pre-Party starting August 5 and tweet about them during the Twitter Party, too, in order to be eligible to win a SPLENDA® Brand Prize Pack!

Twitter party prizes! Take a look at what’s inside the SPLENDA® Brand Prize Packs:

(1) $75 Visa Gift Card
(3) Seasonal SPLENDA® recipe cards
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Packets
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Flavors for Coffee, French Vanilla
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Flavors for Coffee, Hazelnut
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Flavors for Coffee, Mocha
SPLENDA® Sugar Blend

Who will win? Prizes are limited to U.S. participants only. For official Twitter Party rules, click here.

Five winners will be chosen randomly between August 5, 2014 at 12 p.m. EDT and August 6, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Submit a recipe to the SPLENDA® SWEET SWAPS™ Tumblr page and tweet @theMotherhood that you’ve submitted a recipe for the chance to win.
Five winners will be chosen randomly during the party from among respondents who answer trivia questions correctly.
Five winners will be chosen on August 7, 2014 at 12 p.m. EDT. Winners will be chosen based on the level of engagement around their #SweetSwaps recipe idea – the five tweets with the highest number of re-tweets will win (one prize per person).

Blogust ’14 Starts Today!

August 1, 2014 by The Motherhood

We are thrilled to announce that Blogust – back for year three – starts today!

Blogust is an incredible social good campaign that The Motherhood has had the great privilege of working on with the UN Foundation and Shot@Life since its inception three years ago.

Thanks to Blogust, 200,000 vaccines have been donated to kids in need around the world to date!

This year, we all can help donate another 60,000 vaccines to kids who really need them.

Here’s how Blogust ’14 works: Twenty fantastic online writers and bloggers will participate in a blog relay, with one person posting about “Happy and Healthy Firsts” every weekday for the month of August. On Saturdays, a Shot@Life Champion will post a round-up of the week’s activities to the Blogust homepage.

For every comment and social media share that the twenty-five Blogust posts receive in August, Walgreens will help provide a vaccine to a child in need around the world – up to 60,000 vaccines.

So, each time you comment on or share a Blogust post via the social media icons on the bloggers’ pages, on the Shot@Life page, or on the UN Foundation’s page, Walgreens will help provide a measles or polio vaccine to a child.

To celebrate the kick-off of Blogust ’14 today, The Motherhood is co-hosting a Twitter chat at 1-2pm ET / 10–11am PT with the @UNFoundation, @ShotAtLife, @GlobalMomsChall, @theMissionList, and the bloggers from the incredible Blogust teams of 2012, 2013 and 2014. The hashtag is #Blogust. We hope you’ll join us!

All tweets using the #Blogust hashtag today will trigger a donation by Walgreens of one vaccine!

Blogust is one part an overall commitment of Walgreens to donate up to $1 million through its Get a Shot. Give a Shot® campaign. The campaign will help provide millions of vaccines for children in developing countries.

Sign up here for a daily email so you can quickly and easily comment and share every day during Blogust! For more information, visit shotatlife.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

http://youtu.be/hvhJPmOs1UU