{Sponsored giveaway}

Mother’s Day is a two-fold celebration for me since I’m a mom and a daughter. I see my mom on a regular basis since I’m lucky to live near her, but I do make it a point to visit her on Mother’s Day. So, my Mother’s Day celebration is always split in two with half spent with my husband and children and the other half spent with my mom (or all of us). She’s a special lady in my life, of course – despite normal growing-up frustrations, she really has been (and continues to be) a great mami. I even told her online, so it’s official.

When Kohl’s asked to partner with us for a Mother’s Day celebration, I knew it would be a great way to celebrate all the great moms out there – including you! Plus, it was a good excuse to go shopping with my baby girl and pick out a great gift for her abuela - someone that is as equally dear to her as she is to me! My baby girl and I shopped the Kohl’s Mother’s Day sale and put together a nice gift for my mom. Here’s what we found:

• Sonoma Life + Style Jar Candle in Hibiscus Flower scent (similar to this one) that my daughter thought smelled great and would make a nice addition to the other candles my mom has.
• Two Sonoma Life + Style photo frames to fill each with a school picture of my kids. From what I could see, pretty much all photo frames were on sale for 50% off in the stores!
• A bracelet and pair of earrings my baby girl picked out because she knows abuela likes to wear jewelry. There were a lot of sale items in the jewelry department too.

I loved shopping with my baby girl to find a great gift for my mom and it was wonderful to see her truly thinking about what her abuela likes and what we should pick out. I think my mom is going to love her gift, especially because my girl personalized it for her. Now it’s your turn to have fun shopping at Kohl’s and perhaps treat yourself to your own Mother’s Day gift! Check out the giveaway details below.

Kohl’s Mother’s Day Gift Card Giveaway

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we’re giving away a $100 Kohl’s gift card!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a $100 Kohl’s gift card, simply leave a comment telling us about a special mom in your life. Is it your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law? Tell us all about her!

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Celebrate moms – enter to win a $100 @Kohls gift card from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/YKImml #giveaway #Kohls
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 72 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and modernmami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: I received a Kohl’s gift card to shop the Kohl’s Mother’s Day sale and facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Healthy skin is super important for anyone, but, in my experience, women tend to focus on this more than men. I moisturize every day and have done so ever since I was a young girl. My mami taught me to apply lotion every day, and I’m doing the same with my girl. It’s essential that we keep our skin hydrated, especially with our dark complexion, which rapidly shows if we’re not well-mosturized.

We use a variety of lotions, but I’m excited to partner with Eucerin this year, a brand we’ve been using since baby boy was born, due to his eczema. Eucerin has a wide variety of lotions, and cremes, and this month they sent me a complimentary sampling of their products plus a few goodies to have an in-home hydration spa day. Since me-time is something I’ve been working on having more of this year, I welcomed the opportunity to take an afternoon to focus on my skin.

Since Eucerin also makes cleansers, I was able to begin treating my skin from the bath, not just after. From using Eucerin’s hydrating cleanser, anti-wrinkle lotion, and body lotions, to the face mask and cucumber eye pads they also included, I had a lovely and relaxing afternoon right in my home. More importantly, though, I need to continue a skin hydrating routine (beyond the daily moisturizing I already do) and will begin to try some of these tips that Eucerin provided for maintaining healthy skin.

3 Tips for Maintaining Healthy, Hydrated Skin (Provided by Eucerin)

• Drink lots and lots of water (9-13 cups per day).
• Eat moisture-rich foods such as vitamin-loaded citrus fruit, nuts, whole grains, broccoli, sunflower seeds, egg yolks, and milk.
• Protect your skin from sun damage by using lotions with SPF protection, like Eucerin Daily Protection SPF 15 Moisturizing Body Lotion.

You can also check out the Eucerin Skin Solution Center on their Facebook page to see what products Eucerin recommends for your skin and gain more information.

Eucerin Skin Hydration & In-Home Spa Giveaway ***Giveaway Closed***

We want you to begin caring for your skin too, so thanks to Eucerin, we’ll be providing one of you with a wonderful in-home skin hydration gift pack (similar to the one pictured above), which includes a sampling of Eucerin products, a face mask, cucumber eye pads, a $15 iTunes gift card, plus a $125 Visa gift card! How’s that for getting your in-home spa day started? See giveaway details below.

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a skin hydration gift pack and a $125 Visa gift card, simply leave a comment telling us about your current skin hydration routine. Do you moisturize regularly, use lotions with SPF, and drink plenty of water? Tell us all about it!

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Win @EucerinUS skin hydration pack + $125 Visa gc from @modernmami & treat yourself to me-time! http://bit.ly/ZL4Umw #giveaway #SkinFirst
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 72 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and modernmami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: As a participant in the Eucerin Skin First Network, I received samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We love to read in our house and thankfully, this has helped encourage a love of reading for our children. Being a multicultural household means we often seek books with characters our children can relate to and “see” themselves in. That’s why I’m loving the latest effort by my friends at Latinas 4 Latino Literature, in which they are celebrating Latino authors and literature. This month, they’re specifically honoring Latino children’s literature through the Día Blog Hop and a major giveaway! Read on for a piece written by Puerto Rican children’s book author and illustrator, Lulu Delacre, on the state of Latino children’s literature. Be sure to scroll down for details on the giveaway – it’s a great one!

“Qué linda manita
que tiene el bebé
que linda que mona
que bonita es…”

Recently I attended a baby shower where I happened to be the only Latina present. As I watched the mother-to-be opening gifts I counted about twenty children’s books. Being a children’s book author and illustrator myself, I immediately noticed the prevalence of Dr. Seuss’ titles and the absence of Mother Goose Rhymes volumes. I wondered, why aren’t babies being sung traditional folklore these days?

I certainly remembered that 27 years ago I felt the urge to run to the public library in search of a book for my bebita, with the nursery rhymes of my childhood in Puerto Rico, illustrated with pictures of Latino kids. I had illustrated Mother Goose Rhymes myself and I envied the American mother who could choose from so many beautiful volumes to share with her child. Back then when 5,000 children’s books were published annually, I found not one book to fulfill my earnest desire. Hence, I created one, found a visionary editor from a major publishing house, and can say that if Arroz con leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America is still in print for its 25th birthday next year, it will be because there are thousands of Latinas yearning for the same books now, like I did back then.

But suddenly, I got curious; had the amount of offerings for young Latino children increased in the past three decades? If you search “Mother Goose Rhymes,” under Books on amazon.com, you will find 2,346 titles. However, if you type in “Latino nursery rhymes,” this search yields 20 titles. Yes, just 20 titles. So, in a country in which the Pew Hispanic Center reports that 25% of the elementary public school students in 2011 were Hispanic, the ratio of books for the youngest of these children that reflect their parents’ heritage is less than 10 in one thousand. Does this make sense to you?

Since the publication of The New York Times article “For Latino Readers, an Image is Missing,” much has been discussed on listserves, blogs and in public forums about the paucity of children’s books by and about Latinos. Although I agree with this view, the truth is that not only Latino children need access to the books that connect them to their parents’ heritage, make their lives richer, and allow them to feel that they are a part of the American fabric. Their non-Latino friends need this literature as well. It is in learning about one another that the “otherness” fades. It is in learning of each other’s traditions, culture, and heritage, that the fear of the unknown dissipates and we encourage tolerance and acceptance.

I frequently share with school children of all ethnicities the game-songs and gentle games that our mothers and grandmothers handed down to us and that are featured in some of my books. The positive responses I receive from kids of ALL ethnicities never cease to surprise me. They are thrilled to come up front and have me tickle them at the end of “Este dedito compró un huevito” or “sube, sube la hormiguita.” They love to hold hands with me in a big circle to play the “Shake it, Morena!” and “Arroz con leche” game songs.

When I expressed my concern about the dearth of nursery rhyme books to the early childhood educator seated next to me at the baby shower, she confided, “Dr. Seuss is what little ones relate to, now. The content of Mother Goose Rhymes is old-fashioned.” Perhaps. But in the case of our Latin American nursery rhymes and games, I believe that their content, rhythm, and poetry is as relevant to today’s children as it was to kids a hundred years ago. The proof is in the faces and reactions of the scores of children that sing and dance with me at American public schools.

We should celebrate our language, heritage, and traditions. We should share them with our neighbors and friends. But especially when there is such a disparity between the Latino population in American public schools and the books that honor their culture, we should all hurry to buy a book that reflects the Latino experience. For if each one of us purchased just one book, the demand would prompt publishers to contract more Latino titles and we would begin to change the unbelievable ratio of 10 to 1,000!

En la unión está la fuerza.

Lulu Delacre is an award-winning bilingual author and illustrator of 34 books. Visit her at www.luludelacre.com. 

All illustrations and photos © Lulu Delacre.

The Giveaway

L4LL has put together a wonderful collection of Latino children’s literature to be given to a school or public library. Many of the books were donated by the authors and illustrators participating in this blog hop. You can read a complete list of titles (as well as the blog hop schedule) here on the L4LL website.

To enter your school library or local library in the giveaway, simply leave a comment below.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 pm EST, Monday, April 29, 2013. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on the L4LL website on April 30th, Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros, and will be contacted via email – so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment! (If we have no way to contact you, we’ll have to choose someone else!)

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!

I’m not sure what happened, but my wardrobe is seriously lacking these days. I’ve never been one to be super fashion-conscious, but I know that my closet used to look better than it currently does. I half-heartedly joke all the time that I need to be on one of those TV make-over shows where the stylists tell the person exactly what she should or should not wear. I just don’t really pay much attention to fashion trends nor do I often shop for myself. When I do shop for myself, my logical and practical senses tell me I should buy items that I can re-use, mix and match, and wear for multiple occasions. I very rarely buy items that are for just one occasion or that only go with one specific outfit. I would much rather have an array of items that I can grab and go. And, that’s how the problem began.

These days, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find me in jeans and a blouse or shirt – every day. My daily routine consists of dropping the kids to school, working from home, picking up the kids, and running errands. On the weekends, we sometimes go out as a family, but again, it’s not a major occasion and in my mind, not one to merit wearing anything fancier. So, jeans and some type of shirt it is, again. I cannot deny that I’m always comfortable, but I definitely feel like I’m in the middle of a major fashion crisis and would love to spruce up my wardrobe. I may just have to get over being practical, enhance my wardrobe a bit, and start combining different pieces to make things look different.

I took a recent opportunity from Kohl’s to brighten up my wardrobe and start thinking differently about my outfits. Kohl’s challenged me to shop their recent Grand Opening sale to find spring items and coordinate with a favorite piece already in my closet. I decided to try to find items that would allow me to use two sandals I currently have in my closet, both of which I really like, but don’t often wear. The good thing is that the wedges have a variety of colors in them, many of them already bright and perfect for spring!

With my shoes in mind, I was determined to find bright colors and at least one dress, to change things up from the jeans I normally wear. Let me tell you, it’s hard to stray from the norm and force yourself to look at different clothes! But, I tried my best and after trying on a variety of clothes, I settled on a couple of outfits. The first is a pink dress that I think I can either dress-up or wear more casually, depending on the accessories. I like that I can switch out the belt to wear with different color shoes, including my wedges and my silver sandals if I use a silver belt.

The other outfit I picked out is certainly full of spring colors and very different from anything I have in my closet. I chose teal Jennifer Lopez jeans, a basic white tank, and a pink cardigan. I love how the colors combine and though hesitant at first, I am happy with this outfit. It too goes well with my silver sandals. I happened to see a pair of beige ballet flats that I thought would work well with this outfit, plus other pieces I already own, so I grabbed them up also. I saved quite a bit of money too with the pieces I picked out; the jeans were actually half off, as were many other items in the store!

What do you think? Did I do good with my Kohl’s shopping trip? It was actually pretty fun to find different clothes I’m not accustomed to buying and piece them together. I may just be on the right track to upgrading my wardrobe after all!

Kohl’s Gift Card Giveaway ****Giveaway closed****

To help you get your wardrobe ready for spring, we’re giving away a $100 Kohl’s gift card! See giveaway details below.

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a $100 Kohl’s gift card, simply leave a comment telling us about your favorite closet piece. Do you have a favorite blouse, dress, pants, pair of shoes? Tell us all about it!

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Win a $100 @Kohls gift card from @modernmami and brighten up your spring wardrobe! http://bit.ly/kohlsgv #giveaway #Kohls
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 72 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and modernmami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: I received a Kohl’s gift card to shop the Kohl’s Grand Opening sale and facilitate this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In April, I shared with you that fifty million Americans don’t know where their next meal will come from. There’s a lot of organizations and brands working to help with the issue of hunger in America and I’m pleased to let you know of just one more!

The Juicy Juice Fruit for All Project, is a joint effort between Nestlé Juicy Juice, Feeding America, and anti-hunger advocate Samantha Harris. The project’s goal is to put up to 35 million pieces of fruit in the hands of children and families in need. So, with every purchase of Juicy Juice for your home, Nestlé will provide a piece of fruit to hungry families.

Some interesting information I received regarding this project, is that a recent survey found that 1 in 4 moms don’t think hunger affects many children in the U.S. However, the sad truth is that over 16 million children live at risk of hunger, with summer meaning greater risk for them to be hungry. This is because during the school year, children in need often receive either free or reduced-cost meals at school.

How can you get involved in helping with the Juicy Juice Fruit for All Project? As I mentioned earlier, it’s as simple as purchasing Juicy Juice, which if you have small kids in the home (like me!) you probably already do this. From now through August 31, each time Juicy Juice is
purchased, a piece of fruit will be provided by Nestlé to hungry kids and families. Another way is to interact on Juicy Juice’s Facebook page – they have some games, quizzes and puzzles you can play to earn more fruit donations for needy families. This might be a fun way to get the kids involved and help them learn about hunger in America. Of course, volunteering at local food banks is always a great way to get involved too!

Local Food Bank Meal Giveaway

A giveaway like none before on ModernMami.com, in an effort to help feed more hungry children and their families, we’re giving away a charitable donation of 400 meals to your local food bank. We also get to donate 400 meals to a local food bank here in Orlando!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a charitable donation of 400 meals to your local food bank simply leave a comment letting us know if you’ve ever volunteered at a local food bank.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Win a donation of 400 meals to your local food bank from @modernmami and help hungry children & families! http://bit.ly/LNXx3S #giveaway
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and fulfilled by giveaway sponsor and ModernMami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestle and Juicy Juice in conjunction with the BabyCenter Blog Network.

Green Kiwi Photo: D Sharon Pruitt

I’m sure many of you are looking for fun activities, games, and fun things to do this summer with the kids. I know that, like me, many of you are also busy with many other responsibilities between work, running businesses, and life in general. With all that goes on in an average week, sometimes it’s hard to get outside with the kids and let them enjoy the outdoors. And yet, outside play is such an important aspect of childhood!

One of our favorite ways to play outside is to head to a local park with a soccer ball and kite. Baby boy and baby girl love to kick the ball around in an open field and we enjoy flying kites with them.

If you need ideas for games and activities you can do outside, you should definitely check out the Let’s Play site, where I’ve been a contributor and have participated as a Let’s Play Ambassador for over a year. Other ambassadors and myself provide play ideas and our stories on raising active kids. You can also take the Let’s Play Pledge on Facebook to commit to an extra 60 minutes of play each week.

Save Play Giveaway

To help you play a little more this summer, Let’s Play is offering a giveaway for three (3) ModernMami™.com readers with a kit full of fun things you can do outside! The “save play” kit includes:

• 1 10’ play parachute
• 1 sand bucket
• 1 jump rope
• 1 carton of sidewalk chalk
• 1 Let’s Play frisbee
• A How to Save Play Card, offering suggestions for saving play and resources like the Playground Finder App and Play Ideas on LetsPlay.com
• Creative ideas for active play with sidewalk chalk (e.g. Save the King, Hopscotch, Roman Ball)

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a save play kit, simply leave a comment letting us know some of your favorite ways to play outside with the kids.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Get outside with the kids & save play! Enter to win a @letsplay kit full of fun activities from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/LfYPUZ #giveaway
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, June 17, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winners will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Prize will be provided and mailed by giveaway sponsor and ModernMami™.com is not responsible for lost or damaged goods.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the Let’s Play Ambassador team, a compensated program.

Photo: markheybo/Flickr

We have the winner of the Lawry’s Dinnertising Kit! Congratulations to Sara! Be sure to check out my Garlic-Infused Rosemary & White Wine Tilapia Recipe using some of Lawry’s new marinades and salt blends and let me know if you try it out.

Remember, Lawry’s wants to help you make dinner exciting in your house. You can still make your own Dinnertisement for your family on Lawry’s Dinnertising site and have some fun with the kids. I just made another one for my family featuring a Chicken with Pico de Gallo recipe from Lawry’s! Click on the image below to see it.

Tonight’s dinner has the flavor of adventure!

To make your own, just follow these instructions.

Steps for creating a Dinnertisement:

1. Visit www.dinnertising.com
2. On the right hand side, click the sign that reads “Create Your Own Dinnertisement Now”
3. Click on the sign that reads “Choose a Recipe & Get Started!”
4. Click on the dishes to see a variety of recipes
5. Select the recipe you like best and then click the arrow that reads “Next Step”
6. Select the theme you like best and then click the arrow that reads “Next Step”
7. Upload your photo by clicking the sign that reads “Click to upload”
8. Enter your family name and click enter
9. Read the consent and click the arrow that reads “Yes, I Do Agree”
10. Watch the video and at the end of the Dinnertisement, click on the envelope to email the link to yourself, or post it on Facebook or Twitter.

Congrats again to Sara; enjoy your Lawry’s goodies!

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Lawry’s.

Summer season officially begins this week at our house. My baby girl finishes Kindergarten in a couple of days, leaving over two months of fun to be had! We don’t regularly take yearly vacations like some people, but we do take mini-trips throughout the year as a family. These mostly happen in conjunction with a social media conference I attend; while I work, the family has fun!

With summer, come added expenses. Aside from any vacation costs, there are also extra expenses associated with more people at home during the day (extra food, increased energy use, etc.). Additionally, for most, it also means summer camp and daycare costs.

As I’ve mentioned before, selling on eBay is a great way to earn extra income and raise funds for such things as these extra summer expenses. eBay wants to challenge you to take that summer vacation and help fund it by selling your old, unused items! It’s easy to sell on eBay and you don’t even pay any fees for listing an item; you only pay a fee if your item sells. Why not give it a try, right?

To get you started, here are some tips for selling on eBay:

• Ideas for Finding Items to Sell on eBay
• eBay PowerSeller Shares Tips For Getting Started Selling on eBay
• eBay’s Selling Inspiration House
• eBay’s Seller Information Center

To encourage you to give selling on eBay a try, we’ve got a great giveaway!

Selling on eBay Summer of Fun Giveaway

Give selling on eBay a try or share your past experiences in eBay selling and you could win an eBay gift card worth $100!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a $100 eBay gift card, simply leave a comment below answering one or more of these questions:

1. Tell us about a recent item you sold on eBay.
2. How many listings do you currently have live on eBay?
3. How much money did you make in a recent sale?

All entries MUST include your eBay ID in order to qualify. All entries will be shared with Airfoil PR and eBay. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have your eBay ID shared with Airfoil PR and eBay.

Extra entries (optional):

Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Fund your summer vacation by selling on @eBay! Share eBay experience & enter to win $100 eBay gc! http://bit.ly/sellebaygv #giveaway #eBayParent
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. By entering this giveaway, you agree to have your eBay ID shared with Airfoil PR and eBay.

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

Photo: Mindaugas Danys/Flickr

***Be sure to scroll down for a fun giveaway!***

Last year a group of Orlando bloggers worked with Lawry’s to create a quick and easy dinner full of an appetizer, main entree, and side dish. I’m excited to work with Lawry’s again this year to create a recipe using their latest salt blends and marinade flavors: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade.

Along with the new flavors, Lawry’s offers a cute Dinnertising site, where you can create a fun customized video for your family with the idea of selling a recipe to them. It’s a nice way to add a little humor and fun into the dinnertime routine and get kids interacting with you. Lawry’s wants to make dinner exciting and hopes to help busy parents do that by providing an interactive and fun video-making experience. Here’s the Dinnertisement I made for my baby girl! Click on the image to see the video.

I decided to try out the Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade along with the Roasted Garlic Salt to make a simple, and healthy fish dish for dinner. It was super easy to make and didn’t take very long. See recipe below.

Garlic-Infused Rosemary & White Wine Tilapia

Ingredients

• 4 Fillets Tilapia Fish
• Lawry’s Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade
• Lawry’s Roasted Garlic Salt
• Fresh Rosemary

Steps

• Season the fish with Lawry’s Roasted Garlic Salt.
• Place fillets in a big bowl or plastic bag and cover well with Lawry’s Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade.
• Let the fillets marinate for at least 30 minutes, but definitely no less.
• Once the fish fillets have marinated, make steam pockets using aluminum foil. Place 1 fillet per steam pocket, adding vegetables on top to your liking. I used asparagus and added a couple of stalks on top of each fillet, as pictured above.
• Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 45 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

I suggest you serve the fish and vegetables alongside some white rice, to complete your meal. I’m sure your family will love it and how easy it is to make!

Hints and shortcuts for your meal:

• You can marinate the fish ahead of time using freezer-size bags and defrost the fish while you’re at work during the day or out running errands. When you get home, the fish will be already seasoned and ready to cook!
• To save even more time, you can easily use a bag of frozen vegetables to add to your steam pocket.
• Use instant rice packets or a rice cooker to free up some of your kitchen time. This is great because you don’t have to constantly keep an eye on the stove.
• You might want to try broiling instead of baking the fish!

Lawry’s Dinnertising Kit Giveaway

Want to try Lawry’s new marinade flavors and salt blends for yourself? I’ve got a Dinnertising Kit to give away, which includes the following:

• Rachael Ray Lasagna Lover Stoneware
• Two (2) Zak Designs Serving Spoons: Either happy or surprise spoons
• Lawry’s Marinades and Spice Blends: Mediterranean Herb Seasoned Salt, Fire Roasted Chile & Garlic, Roasted Garlic Salt, Santa Fe Chili Marinade and Mediterranean Herb and White Wine Marinade

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a Dinnertising Kit from Lawry’s, simply leave a comment below with the link to your own Dinnertisement video. It’s super easy to create one and only takes a few short steps!

Steps to creating a Dinnertisement:

1. Visit www.dinnertising.com
2. On the right hand side, click the sign that reads “Create Your Own Dinnertisement Now”
3. Click on the sign that reads “Choose a Recipe & Get Started!”
4. Click on the dishes to see a variety of recipes
5. Select the recipe you like best and then click the arrow that reads “Next Step”
6. Select the theme you like best and then click the arrow that reads “Next Step”
7. Upload your photo by clicking the sign that reads “Click to upload”
8. Enter your family name and click enter
9. Read the consent and click the arrow that reads “Yes, I Do Agree”
10. Watch the video and at the end of the Dinnertisement, click on the envelope to email the link to yourself.
11. Copy and paste the link to your Dinnertisement in the comments section to be entered to win the Lawry’s Dinnertising Kit Giveaway!

Extra entries (optional):
Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): What’s for dinner tonight? Make a dinnertisement for your family & enter to win Lawry’s goodies! http://bit.ly/lawrysgv #giveaway #lawrysmoms
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Friday, June 1, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Lawry’s.

These days, I’m barely able to find a little quiet time for myself. Even with these 7 ways to squeeze in ‘me time’, I don’t always feel like I can make it happen. As the majority of you know, there’s a lot that goes into raising two kids, owning a business, and juggling all the roles a woman plays. If we don’t make ourselves a priority and take time for ourselves, it’s just not going to happen. We have to make it happen, right? This is me making it happen for two of you! Read on for some cool tips and a fun giveaway to help you get some ‘me time’ in your week.

I figured the best people to ask for tips for getting some ‘me time’ would be other moms and business owners. After all, who wants advice from someone not walking the walk? These ladies live a full life, just as you and I do, and have shared their ideas, tips, and tricks for adding some ‘me time’ to their lives.

Tips from Real Moms on Taking Time for Yourself

“I like to do shopping, or window shopping, run or do yoga, read a good book, or watch comedy or reality TV–preferably with a glass of wine,” shared Kelly of The Centsible Life, who also lists 10 ways to get some ‘me’ time while updating your look or wardrobe on her own site.

“Sometimes I just have to lock myself in the bathroom,” says Megan of SweetSadieMarie.com. Monica of Mommy Maestra shared Megan’s sentiments saying she too locks the bathroom door!

Julie at Julieverse.com stresses that ‘me time’ is a total necessity in mommying, and also says her favorite ways to get ‘me time’ include, “gym time, mani/pedis, quiet time at a coffee shop, shopping.”

“I send my kids and husband to the park,” is Silvia’s trick for getting ‘me time’. Silvia writes at Mamá Latina Tips.

Jessica of Found the Marbles had this to say: “Because I have worked from home for the past six years I need to get out of my house to truly decompress, whether that means having dinner or drinks with girlfriends or getting out on a Saturday night with my husband.” Jessica also shared The Art of Decompressing with readers on her site.

“I leave the house with my laptop and iPad citing that I’m off to the grocery store. Then I spend hours at my local coffee house enjoying a day of caffeine and writing,” said Sara, Founder and Editor at www.mommafindings.com

Nadia of JusticeJonesie.com told us: “For me time, I pick one of my two Cs. Cocktails with friends or a coffee at a coffee house somewhere.”

“I squeeze me time after work or head on over to the coffee shop for FREE wifi on weekends. I love me time. I need more of it,” was the tip provided by Eva of Tech.Food.Life.

As you can see, everyone has their own way of getting some ‘me time’ and taking some time to relax. Hopefully, you’ve learned some new tricks you didn’t already know! To help you out even more, two of you will win a fun ‘me time’ kit to put these tips to use and have some time for yourself!

We’ve partnered with CVS/pharmacy to provide the following essentials for a little self-pampering, all of which you can find at your local CVS store or online:

• Essence of Beauty Ultra Soft Spa Set
• Essence of Beauty Faux Sea Sponge
• Nuance Salma Hayek Shampoo and Conditioner
• Nuance Salma Hayek Eye Quad
• Designer Fragrance
• Sally Hansen Nail Polish
• Godiva Chocolates

‘Me Time’ Essentials Giveaway

We want you to have some ‘me time’ and take care of yourself, so we’re giving two of you this kit full of ‘me time’ essentials! Consider it an early Mother’s Day gift for yourself or give it away to your own mom or special lady in your life!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a ‘me time’ kit, simply leave a comment below sharing your favorite way to make time for yourself.

Extra entries (optional):
Each of the following will count as 1 extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1. Follow @modernmami on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following (1 time only): Need some ‘me time’? Who doesn’t?! Enter to win a ‘me time’ pampering kit from @modernmami! http://bit.ly/metimeideas #giveaway #balance
3. Receive post updates by subscribing to our RSS feed. You can do so either via email or through a RSS reader. Leave a comment saying you did so or are already a subscriber.
4. Write a blog post on your own blog sharing the details of this giveaway. Be sure to include a link back to this post. Leave a comment with your post link.

All entries must be in by Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident. No purchase necessary. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) Winners will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received the same ‘me time’ kit from CVS/pharmacy in order to facilitate this giveaway. No compensation received.

Top photo: D. Sharon Pruitt