Future bestselling authors from North Carolina (WOOHOO!) and New York

On January 15th, 2010, MrsP.com announced the names of the two Grand Prize winners in its first annual “Be a Famous Writer” contest.  Gabrielle Fuller, 8, from North Carolina, takes top honors in the 4- to 8-year-old category with her comic fairy tale, “Pretty Princess and Funky Frog.” In the 9- to 13-year-old category, Isabella Penola, 12, from New York, charmed the panel of famous judges with her poignant tale of an elderly gardener, “Spattered Mud and Crushed Petals”.

“Like everyone, I’m concerned about the state of education in America.  But based on the quality of writing for my contest, I’m happy to say a lot of teachers out there must be doing a wonderful job,” said TV star Kathy Kinney, who portrays Mrs. P and is one of the creators of the website.

The Grand Prize winners will have their stories produced as videos featuring Mrs. P, which will be presented on her popular free, interactive digital website. Original artwork by award-winning illustrator, Robin E. Kaplan, will help bring the stories to life. The videos will be posted for a limited time on the website (www.MrsP.com) beginning in March for viewers all over the world to watch and enjoy. In addition, each winner will receive an actual bound copy of the story and illustrations as a keepsake to treasure for years to come. Powell’s Books (www.Powells.com), the largest independent bookseller and the sponsor of the contest, will provide the Grand Prize winners as well as the 8 other finalists with gift certificates to its store.

The judges for the writing contest included four top professionals in the writing field: Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist and author of dozens of bestselling books; Andre Bormanis, writer and producer of the popular fantasy series, Legend of the Seeker and author of Star Trek: Science Logs; Craig Ferguson, host of the CBS Late Late Show and author of the acclaimed novel, Between the Bridge and the River; and Diana Leszczynski, author of Fern Verdant and the Silver Rose, a comic adventure recently selected as a Smithsonian Notable Children’s Book and currently being developed as a motion picture.

The MrsP.com writing contest is an annual event and runs every September. It was created along with the website to encourage a love of reading.

Next year…. my girls are so totally entering!!! Your children should too!!

OK, now I’m 2 days late.. but better late than never right???

It’s never been a secret that I’ve been working with the amazing folks at EA SPORTS Active. I’ve been so lucky to have participated in two fitness challenges with them, using the EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer, as well as the EA SPORTS Active More Workouts. With these programs, I’ve lost 3 dress sizes, and have gained a whole lot of insight into what I changes I need to make in order to make healthy living our lifestyle rather than just a short term accomplishment.

Well, this past weekend, I was invited to Beverly Hills to participate in an EA SPORTS Active retreat of sorts. The weekend consisted of fun, friends, food, photos, and famous people. Yes.. celebs. We were special guests of Nancy O’Dell at her Active for Life March of Dimes Benefit Party. She invited some of her friends, and of course, the media were there. It was a great night. I got to meet some of my fave actors, i.e. AJ Buckley (CSI NY), Holly Robinson Peete (21 Jumpstreet), Antonio Sabado Jr. (General Hospital), Greg Vaughan (General Hospital), and his beautiful wife Touriya, Sarah Hyland (Modern Family, and a few more. It was so cool…. We were able to take photos with everyone, hang out and talk to everyone about our experiences with the EA SPORTS Active programs, and I even got a couple of autographs. All of the celebs that attended had the chance to try out the EA SPORTS Active programs, create their own workouts, and then sign a Wii and one of each of the programs that will be auctioned off to benefit the March of Dimes. Amazing night.. just amazing.

The next morning, I was up at 4am. Darn that Eastern Time when I’m on the West Coast. Amy from MomSpark was awake too, and after a quick tweet and phone call, we were running out of the hotel to catch a taxi to Target. We got to Target, waited the 3 minutes for them to open, then literally sprinted through to grab sunglasses, a backpack, and water bottles. We made it back to the taxi in 10 minutes… to the second… then back to the hotel by 8:17am. It was amazing. We felt like we were on an episode of the amazing race. We went back to our rooms to pack our backpacks, then downstairs for a great breakfast.

The EA SPORTS Active team took us for a hike up Runyon Canyon. If you don’t know me.. hiking up mountains/hills whatever.. “is not my best” (as my girls like to say) It’s not necessarily the physical part of it, I can suck that up.. It’s the mental part. I  am SO scared of heights, and climbing something that I can fall/roll/slip down scares the heck outta me. I was fine until we started climbing these crazy wacky steps that could be considered mini-cliffs, then the fear set in. I had amazing friends there with me. Julie, Donny, Roger, all of them were super awesome and helped me get over that fear and keep on climbing. We made it to the top, and had an amazing, breathtaking view of Beverly Hills/Hollywood. We, of course, got photos with the Hollywood sign in the distance behind us! The way down was much easier. It was mostly a paved road, and I even had the energy to run some of it. It was awesome! When we got to the map, we found out that we hiked over 4 miles, almost 5… Oh yeah, and TEAM ANISSA represent! I wore my Team Anissa shirt on the hike… reminded me that if Anissa could come back from her ordeal.. I could conquer this tiny freakin’ hill… (mountain, whatever)

At the bottom(ish) we ran into a couple of gals offering samples of their Activate Vitamin Drinks. It’s really neat stuff. You twist the lid to release the vitamin/flavoring into the water, shake it up, and voila.. Drink and enjoy! I was able to try the Fruit punch and lemon-lime (someone else didn’t want hers). I really like them. I checked out their website, and saw that they have so many more flavors and formulas, but they don’t sell these waters near me. I may have to order some online! You can also follow them on Twitter @ActivateDrinks.

I know this was supposed to be a #mamavation post, and I’ve sort of rambled… The point of this whole story is that I did something that I haven’t done in a long time.. and I didn’t stop. Years ago, I climbed Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree, CA. I also climbed Mt. Fuji while living in Japan. Both were pretty big accomplishments, but I was in much better shape then. Now, this hike took more determination, and I did it. I had some great support there, and I thank them for pushing me! I can’t wait to someday either go back or climb something even more challenging. Well.. as long as I don’t have to look down :)

In any case, voting is coming up for the next #mamavation moms, and I’m hoping I’ll make it into the top 5 to even get to the voting platform! Until the 14th, I NEED you to tweet this phrase

“Hey @bookieboo! I want @MommyBrain to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support!”

…. and tweet it often! Once, twice, three time daily… even more if you feel so inclined. I need @bookieboo & the Mamavation crew to see that I have your support… I need to see that too… If I do make it to voting, I’m going to need lots of votes! Voting will go from the 14-21st… so get your mice ready!

And I need you!!!

If you’ve been on Twitter, or keeping track anywhere around the fitness blog, you have probably heard about an awesome program called #Mamavation. It’s an awesome support system started by Leah Segedie, or as many of us affectionately call her, @bookieboo.
This program has helped several moms kick start their fitness goals and lose amazing weight, and now I want need to be one of those moms!
I’ve been trying to lose weight for several years now, and have not been able to do it as well as I could be. I’ve gone to the gym. I’ve walked at home. I’ve even worked out with my Wii. I have lost some weight but it’s not enough. I need more help! I need to know what I’ve been doing wrong all this time. I want to make lifestyle changes that will help me lose the weight, and keep it off. I want to know more about good nutrion and exercise that I can pass on to my girls, and my husband to get them fit and excited about it!
Here’s where I need YOU! I need your support!
Please watch my video below. Know that this isn’t something I’m doing just for myself, but for my family. My girls are my motivation, but I need your support more now than ever!
If you are on Twitter, awesome. If you are not, I ask you to join now… it’s free, I promise. I NEED you to tweet this phrase

“Hey @bookieboo! I want @MommyBrain to be the next #Mamavation Mom. She has my support!”

…. and tweet it often! Once, twice, three time daily… even more if you feel so inclined. I need @bookieboo & the Mamavation crew to see that I have your support… I need to see that too… Thank you so much!

Can you believe that it’s almost Christmas time already? It seems like the year just flew by… again…

With Halloween over, the holiday shopping season begins. If you haven’t been shopping already, you should probably start thinking about what you’re going to get those special people in your life! You don’t want to be caught up at the last minute waiting in lines, or seeing big OUT OF STOCK next to just about anything you can think of that you want to get.

I’m hopefully going to be able to relieve some of that shopping stress for you. Over the last year, I’ve scoured the internet for some of the newest, coolest and most fun items for this year’s gift guide. I’ve had such an overwhelming response from companies, and especially, mom owned businesses, that I’ve had to split up my gift guide into several more categories than I had originally planned! So here’s how it will work…

From this week through November 15th, I will post my top picks in different categories. The first will be books. Future categories will be Electronics and Tech, Eco-Friendly/Natural Products, Family Fun, Games, Just for Dad, Just for Mom & Apparel/Accessories. You’ll be able to find these items easily through either my “Categories” drop down box on the right, or from this post. I will post links to each category at the bottom of this post as they are completed. Once all of the posts are done, I will compile everything into a PDF that includes pictures, short description, MSRP, and website(s) where they are available for purchase.

Some companies offered samples, and I will denote those items in each description. If it doesn’t say that I’ve tried it, then I did not get to try that item. All information posted on items I did not personally touch is coming straight from the company or their representatives. I will also mark special Mom-Owned Businesses!

Watch my Tweets and/or subscribe to my RSS so you don’t miss out!!! There is going to be so many awesome products!!

***This giveaway is now closed to entries!***

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

156
24

Timestamp: 2009-10-27 03:30:45 UTC

For the first time in 7 years, Disney is opening the vault and releasing ‘The One That Started It All’. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is being released in high-definition Blu-ray for the first time ever on October 6!

What is the Limited Diamond Edition?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Edition includes a Blu-ray disc and a DVD in one package! You can enjoy the incredible high definition experience of Blu-ray at home, and use the DVD in the kids’ room, in the car, or on your computer. Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs are the perfect way to start your Blu-ray collection!

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**This giveaway is now closed! Thanks to all who entered!**

One of my winners (#23) never replied, so I just re-drew a new winner:

Congrats!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

32

Timestamp: 2009-11-03 05:28:14 UTC

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

23
7
17

Timestamp: 2009-10-27 03:32:15 UTC

I HATE cleaning the toilet! I don’t like dusting, or washing day old dirty dishes, but I really HATE cleaning the toilet. I hate the dirty, germ filled brushes that sit next to the toilet just waiting to be played with by your child… The only thing that makes cleaning my toilet bowl not so bad is the Clorox Toilet Wand. I have had one posted in each bathroom so I can make cleaning the toilets just a little bit faster and easier.

I’ve been using the Clorox Toilet Wand since it first came out in stores. I’ve tried the others, but they just couldn’t hold up. The ones that dissolved in the toilet dissolved too quickly. The Clorox Toilet Wand held up the best, and got the tough stuff out!

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