Creative Summer Days

by Jennifer Donovan

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The advent of summer is a source of mixed feelings:

  • happiness about a more laid-back schedule
  • anxiety about how I’m going to answer the “I’m bored, Mom” ‘s
  • resolve to make the most of the extra time to start some good habits
  • determination to use some of these months to reinforce and advance school skills

Do you feel the same way? Well, 5 Minutes for Mom is here to help.

From June 10 – 18, we’ll have new ideas (and of course, giveaways!) to help keep your kids and the whole family busy, healthy, and happy! All of the contests will be listed here. To enter, leave a comment on each separate post for the items that you’d like to win.

All of the winners will be announced on June 24.

  1. The first creative idea is to Cook! with the opportunity to win one of 5 copies of Yum-O! The Family Cookbook.
  2. The second challenge is to Play and Learn with two winners receiving two computer games — Mia’s Reading Adventure: The Bugaboo Bugs and JumpStart Advanced Preschool World.
  3. In our third giveaway, you can provide a creative summer adventure for your child if you win one of 5 Giftventure gift certificates.
  4. One of you could win a great prize pack to help fuel your child’s imagination from education.com.
  5. 5 of you will give your child the safety to Explore with a cell phone package from kajeet.
  6. Are you always trying to encourage your kids to eat their veggies? Enter to win one of 5 Henry and the Hidden Veggie Garden books.
  7. Our seventh giveaway invites those of you who can travel to New York City on August 2 the opportunity to Experience Walking with the Dinosaurs (sponsored by One2One Network).
  8. Education.com is sponsoring another great prize pack to keep your kids’ creative juices flowing this summer. Enter here.
  9. Three of you could win 2 new books from Maple Tree Press designed to encourage your kids to Exercise!
  10. One of you will win three CDs that will encourage your whole family to Sing and Dance.
  11. Three of you will win a set of three audiobook CDs to Listen to as a family.
  12. We have five Trip Flix DVDs so that the whole family can Travel (Virtually).

We’d love for you to spread the word.

Write a post announcing the giveaway event on your blog or display a button in sidebar. Here’s the code for the small sidebar button:
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Email Author    |    Website About Jennifer Donovan

Jennifer Donovan has been a part of the 5 Minutes for Mom team since 2007. She writes product reviews, covers events, and manages the 5 Minutes for Books weekly column and website. She lives in Houston and blogs at Snapshot about life with her family.

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{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Noreen June 8, 2008 at 11:47 pm

I tried posting the buttons on my sidebar but it is not working. I am not sure if it is the code or my blog

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2 AmyG June 9, 2008 at 12:04 am

I’m having the same issue as the previous commenter. I just get red X’s when I try to post either of the buttons.

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3 Janice June 9, 2008 at 1:48 am

Sorry for the code trouble. It had corrupted for some reason. I have fixed it now.

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4 Kari June 9, 2008 at 7:09 am

Whoohoo!! My button is UP y’all!! :) Bring on the summer fun!!

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5 Nodins Nest June 9, 2008 at 9:51 am

button going up!

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6 Adventures In Babywearing June 9, 2008 at 9:55 am

All linked up on my contests page! Fun!

Steph

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7 Andrea June 9, 2008 at 10:36 am

I’m linked up! Yay!!!

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8 Storm June 9, 2008 at 11:06 am

I too am having problems with the buttons working on my sidebar.

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9 misty w June 9, 2008 at 2:22 pm

The button is on my blog.

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10 Belinda A. June 9, 2008 at 2:29 pm

Posted about this event, got your button up and looking forward to the fun!

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11 Doll Clothes Gal June 9, 2008 at 2:31 pm

We’ll put the sidebar button up today to launch our blog.

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12 Abbey June 9, 2008 at 2:39 pm

I just wanted to say that this is a fabulous idea!!! I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s ideas!

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13 Stephanie June 9, 2008 at 2:39 pm

What a fun theme…and just in the nick of time! I actually was thinking yesterday that I need to come up with more activities to do with my toddler. I hope you’ll feature some “things to do” that are applicable to the under 3 set too. :)

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14 melody is slurping life June 9, 2008 at 3:24 pm

Fun idea. Button is in my sidebar.

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15 lace June 9, 2008 at 3:57 pm

I’ve posted that cute sunny button on my sidebar

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16 Amanda June 9, 2008 at 4:34 pm

I am excited! My button is up!

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17 Kelli June 9, 2008 at 5:34 pm

Sounds fun! I love stuff like this…I’ll spread the word. Love the button too. Very cute!

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18 Tonya June 9, 2008 at 8:07 pm

I’ve added the button to my sidebar. Woohoo, bring on the fun.

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19 Veggiemomof2 June 9, 2008 at 8:58 pm

I’m in!! I can always use new ways to occupy my kids.

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20 Mad Squirrel June 9, 2008 at 9:10 pm

got mine up and I can’t wait!

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21 Susan S. June 9, 2008 at 10:28 pm

Posted your button on my sidebar. Can’t wait! I am always up for new things to do with my little guy.

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22 Daphne (One Mom in Alabama) June 9, 2008 at 10:28 pm

got the button up on my sidebar! =)

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23 Jenna June 9, 2008 at 11:15 pm

Button and post are up!

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24 trisha June 9, 2008 at 11:57 pm

Count us in! We have the sidebar up!

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25 Jana (sidetrack'd) June 10, 2008 at 7:13 am

Button is up. Looking forward to the summer fun!

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26 Jodi June 10, 2008 at 8:15 am

I can’t wait to see ideas you gals have!!

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27 Tami June 10, 2008 at 9:11 am

Thanks for putting this together. I can’t wait to hear some of the ideas.

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28 CPA Mom June 10, 2008 at 10:58 am

The code isn’t working for me….

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29 Tara B June 10, 2008 at 11:22 am

The button’s in the sidebar. I had to take out the redundant quotes (not sure why that happened?) to make the code work.

Yay for a new giveaway event!

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30 Kaity Compton June 10, 2008 at 11:35 am

I had to take out the quotes also but it’s up now!!! :)

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31 Saly June 10, 2008 at 11:50 am

Yes, I thought I had linked, but it is not working

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32 TCC June 10, 2008 at 12:07 pm

I wrote a post but the button didn’t appear. Regardless, I’ve linked to you in that post. Looking forward to lots of fun ideas!!!

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33 Lissete June 10, 2008 at 1:41 pm

I had a hard time with the button too, but I was finally able to get it up!

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34 TheAngelForever
Twitter:
June 10, 2008 at 3:28 pm

Having a problem with the button as well. Going to link up at least for now and toggle with it later. The heat is not allowing me to work any longer.

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35 Beckie June 10, 2008 at 4:35 pm

My button is up :)

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36 Monica- Paper Bridges June 10, 2008 at 4:46 pm

me, please. my kids so need this book so I never have to cook again! :)

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37 ::Sylvia:: June 10, 2008 at 7:16 pm

How cool! I posted it on my blog as well!

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38 ::Sylvia:: June 10, 2008 at 7:21 pm

I just went to my blog and the button isn’t working! There’s just a ? there

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39 Aisling June 10, 2008 at 7:58 pm

I don’t have a blog, but I’ve told my friends about the site and giveaway.

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40 Naomi June 10, 2008 at 8:54 pm

My button isn’t working, either, I think Blogger is adding extra quotation marks into the HTML. So weird. Maybe it will work later…

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41 Megret June 10, 2008 at 9:19 pm

Blog post is up, and button’s in the sidebar!

To those having trouble putting in the button, try replacing the quotes in the HTML text with quotes you add in — they look different on my computer, and when I switched them out, it worked great. :)

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42 Amy R. June 10, 2008 at 9:31 pm

Thank you for the hint, Megret! My button is up.

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43 CanCan June 10, 2008 at 10:58 pm

I put the button up on my sidebar!

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44 Shay June 10, 2008 at 11:06 pm

Sorry I couldn’t get your button to work! UGH!

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45 Mia June 11, 2008 at 8:01 am

I hate to cook dinners (something I inherited). I love to bake. So any help and suggestions I can get will be so welcomed by me and my brood.

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46 mjpuzzlemom June 11, 2008 at 8:25 am

Thanks for hosting the fun!

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47 Toni June 11, 2008 at 10:09 am

I got the button up and will blog about the contest later today! Great contest!

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48 Alexia June 11, 2008 at 11:10 am

Your code isn’t working for me – there’s no button showing up – just this “”csdsmbutton.jpg””

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49 Joy June 11, 2008 at 3:26 pm

This is a great giveaway! :) My son and daughter
would love this.

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50 stacey moore June 11, 2008 at 10:28 pm
51 stampedwithgrace June 12, 2008 at 12:36 am

I still can’t get your button to work on my blog :(

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52 Noreen June 12, 2008 at 12:40 am

I still can’t get the button to work

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53 Kristinia Clos June 12, 2008 at 10:35 am

We blogged about the 1st 3 contests soo far! Soo much summer fun!

http://kristiniac.blogspot.com/2008/06/thursdays-tantallizing-finds.html

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54 Erika Cass Designs June 12, 2008 at 11:53 am

Added the button to my sidebar. Happy Summer! :o )

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55 Suzanne B. (Crunchy Green Mom) June 13, 2008 at 9:23 am

I added the button to my blog!

Thanks for offering this, it looks like tons of fun

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56 Carol June 13, 2008 at 1:55 pm

I love cooking and cookbooks. My children and I have been working on our family cookbook for a few years but it is never finished because we keep finding new yummy reciepes.

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57 Marlena June 13, 2008 at 3:59 pm

Yes, yes…I would love to win this!!

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58 Marlena June 13, 2008 at 4:08 pm

Telling all my friends! Great giveaway!!

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59 Amanda D. June 13, 2008 at 5:28 pm

replacing the quotation marks in the code worked! The button is up on my sidebar now!

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60 Nancy P June 15, 2008 at 8:18 pm

Great ideas & awesome giveaways! Thanks!!!

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61 julee morrison June 16, 2008 at 1:03 am

We love reading at our house. Happy to spread the word!
My kiddos LOVE tomatoes. Oh, my goodness they can eat them fried, in salad, raw (like apples). They are our MOST favorite…followed by “little trees” (broccoli)

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62 Margaret Imecs June 17, 2008 at 2:52 pm

I would love to share your giveaways with my neighbours!
Great contest!

Thanks!

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63 Michelle June 18, 2008 at 2:07 am

I couldn’t get the banner to work on my blog. :( But I did make a post and linked to this site and the contest, so hopefully that will be ok. Thanks for the ideas/giveaways ladies!

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64 Elsiewa June 18, 2008 at 8:40 pm

I’m creative; I’m a mom; And, I am interested in winning your sweepstakes. So, I have entered in the hopes of winning.

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65 Elsiewa June 18, 2008 at 8:41 pm

I would like to win since I am creative and I am a mom and I like the prizes.

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66 Patricia Ray June 19, 2008 at 4:56 am

Yum-O!! You know the name speaks for itself. Way to go Rachael Ray

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67 MELISSA HERZOG June 19, 2008 at 11:28 pm

would love the cookbook! a huge Rachel Ray fan!

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68 Barbara Long June 23, 2008 at 10:04 pm

I enjoy watching Rachel Ray’s cooking shows. The meals she prepares are interesting and more importantly not that complicated. I would love one of her recipe books!

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69 Barb Wild June 23, 2008 at 10:28 pm

oh i will love any of these things! Share them with all my family

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70 Madison May 26, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Here’s a great idea for moms for the summer! It’s iMOM’s latest program called Operation Summer. It’s a FREE summer-long program that will draw you closer to your children, and you’ll have fun with them while doing it. Go to http://bit.ly/iMOMOpSummer to learn more and sign up! And don’t keep it top secret – tell your friends that iMOM Operation Summer is here! I know you’ll love it!

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