19
Discovery Kids MP3 Give-Away: We Have A Winner!
Screen shot of the winning number, generated from Random.org
Ain’t Yo Mama’s Blog Give-Away is pleased to announce the winner of the very first give-away: The Discovery Kids MP3 Boombox!
Comment #6 (Lara) is the winner! Congrats!!!
The winner must respond via the contact form (see the contact section located on the menu bar) with a mailing address within one week. If there is no response, another random number will be generated.
Congrats again, Lara (#6)!
Stay-tuned for the next give-away. Details coming soon!
16
Marriage: The Biggest Identity Thief of All
When I got married a little over four years ago, I did something that I never thought I would do.
I took my husband’s last name.
The Dude never asked me to take his name, nor did he assume I would. After we got engaged, I had a full year to think about whether or not I would change my name. It was a good thing I had that kind of time since it took me about a full year to come to my decision. I went back and forth quite a bit but, in the end, I decided that taking his last name was the best thing to do for logistical purposes. It didn’t matter to me whether or not I shared the same surname as the Dude, but I did want the same surname as our future children.
These days, it’s not necessarily expected for women to take a husband’s last name. I know plenty of wives that never took their husband’s last name and I know plenty more that hyphenated the two surnames together. Some couples are getting creative with sharing a family name. I know couples who adopted both surnames and then hyphenated while others simply combined the last names to create a new name. I’ve even known a few husbands who took the last name of their wife.
As appealing as some of these options were, none of them really seemed like the ideal fit. The Dude liked his name and, considering where he was in his law career, it would have been difficult for him to make a name change. Although I had an established career of my own for many years, I was about to embark in a whole new direction shortly after the wedding. A few months before I got married, I had quit my job in preparation of starting another graduate program and a new career. From that perspective, changing my name was not going to be a problem. I figured if I was going to change my name, there was no better time. It would be a fresh start with everything: new name, new career, and new husband. What’s the big deal about giving up my surname. It’s just a name. Right?
Not really. (continues…)
14
Big Brother (Part I)
When two people are dating for a while, it’s only a matter of time before The Big Question starts getting asked of them: So, when are two getting married?
Immediately after they become engaged another Big Question starts coming around: So when is the Big Day?
As soon as the newlyweds step off the plane from their honeymoon, The Big Question gets much, much bigger: So, when are you two having kids?
For some married/partnered couples, that question will never get answered. But for the rest of us, we hope that the Big Questions stop as soon as we push junior out.
Not so fast. (continues…)
13
Raising Likable Kids: Tips and Tricks to Avoid Raising a Future Kanye West
There are a lot of people, parents and non-parents alike, who have issues with being around other people’s children. And, at times, they have good reason. Badly behaving children can often grow into disrespectful and rude adults, but we parents can work to change poor behavior before they’re off into the world pissing off one person or another. In a world filled with Joe Wilsons, Kanye Wests, and Serena Williams, us parents need to reign in the disrespectful and ill-mannered pint-sized versions…before it’s too late.
Children are born with a certain temperament and personality, but none of them are born with good manners, an education on how to respect others, or civilized social skills. Those are the things that parents must teach them. Many parents will succeed while just as many others will fail miserably. Poorly behaved children can easily make things miserable for everyone else. How many of us have been steamed by a screaming child in a restaurant or seen arm-flailing temper tantrums in the middle of a store…or worse? I will not blame a child for their lack of manners. I don’t get angry at the child running around a restaurant or the child who shoves my child while the mother just watches. It’s not their fault that they don’t know how to behave. Obviously, I blame the parents. Please note that I am not referring to children that have serious developmental and/or behavioral problems. I am talking about an average child that does not know how to behave appropriately. (continues…)
11
Discovery Kids MP3 Boombox: Review and First Give-Away!
Discovery Kids™ Digital MP3 Boombox
As a token of my appreciation for all my new blog readers and subscribers, I am offering my very first give-away! (Details below)
I am giving away a brand new Discovery Kids™ Digital MP3 Boombox! Retail Value is $39.99.
The Boombox has been a BIG hit with the Monkey. It is the perfect gift for any young child that loves music. The Boombox comes pre-loaded with 20 kid-friendly songs ranging from more traditional tunes (like “This Old Man”) to more mature originals (such as the catchy “Bit by Bit” and clever “If You Lived in the White House”).
If you want to add your own music collection to the Boombox, you can connect it to your computer via USB. (We loaded into the Monkey’s Boombox some Medeski Martin & Wood, Jack Johnson, Hot Buttered Rum*, and other great kids’ tunes that I discussed in this post.)
I really like the fun look of the Boombox and appreciate that it’s very easy for a child to use and carry (big buttons and integrated handle), while being very hard for a child to break (the kid-tough rubber case has protected the player from more than a few of the Monkey’s toy-throwing tantrums!).
Great product. Great gift. And a GREAT GIVE-AWAY!
To enroll in this give-away contest:
- Please leave a comment below between now and Saturday, October 17, 2009.
- I will pick one winner at random from the comments section by using a numerical system (comment #1, comment, #2, etc…).I will use random.org’s Random Integer Generator to pick the number of the winner
- I will announce the contest winner via blog post on Monday, October 19, 2009 . (So subscribe to the comments or blog so that you’ll know when a winner’s been announced!) The winner will have one week to e-mail their mailing address.
- I will ship you a new and unopened MP3 Boombox at my expense. (My international readers need not worry; I will also ship internationally.)
Good luck everyone!
* Hot Buttered Rum disclaimer: I’m a big fan of their progressive Americana style of music. You really ought to check them out live and listen to their new album. They’re one of those rare bands that both kids and parents can enjoy and appreciate.
*Disclosure Updated 12.12.09: In anticpiation of the FTC ruling for bloggers, I am including a disclosure update for this review and give-away. I did not receive any form of compensation from Discovery Kids for this review and give-away item.