The holidays of 2010 have come and gone… its a little sad – that electric buzz of joy in the air is now replaced with the faint smell of snow in the distance and its on to the gray cold winter. I figure by now you’re well into breaking your new year resolutions but have had time to finally start downloading your holiday and new year pictures.
Thanks to the great people of Nikon’s my Picturetown I’ve got a killer contest for you… Nikon’s my Picturetownfeatures a new Photo Movie tool that lets you create a slide show of photos that can be combined with text, music and special effects – a great alternative to traditional holiday wrap up webpage! As an optional part of this contest I’d love to see you show off your creativity by creating your own short Photo Movie. Nikon’s my Picturetownis currently offering 3 months free off of its Gold Account with the promo code: FREE3MTHS. It also doesnt hurt that with the same piece you can enter an official Nikon contest here too http://holidayphotomovie.mypicturetown.com/
How to enter to win a Nikon Coolpix S8100 [link] Digital Camera
For 1 entry Become a fan of DaDa Rocks on facebook.com/dadarocks and upload a holiday photo come back here and come back here to leave a comment with your facebook name that its posted under.
For 1 entry follow @dadarocks on twitter twitter.com/dadarocks and share a holiday photo on twitter but you must include ” I want to win a @nikon_usa COOLPIX s8100 from @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/i5wSJH ” and come back here to leave a comment with your tweet URL.
You get 5 extra entries creating your own short Photo Movie. Nikon’s my Picturetownand come back here to leave a comment with your movie’s share URL.
You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a friend on Google Connect (right side below facebook box) – you must also comment that you’ve become a friend
Contest ends 1/15/2011 and winner shipping address is limited to USA only.
You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Nikon for providing the prize for this contest.
Music is always a big thing in many peoples life and finding ways to listen to it has become a business on to its own. With the items like iPods that can carry around entire libraries of music hundreds of hours of mp3s can be loaded up and easily moved around. So products that travel and produce amazing sound quality have been coming out for years but at prices that cost almost as much as the iPod itself. In recent times that quality versus price issue has all but gone the way of the dodo bird and with items like Altec Lansing’s IMT320 inMotion Compact speaker system you have a very reasonable priced product with great sound clarity and volume.
Its charges the iPod/iPhones too which always helps… and best of all since this is a travel set there is an aux plug to jack in that DVD player or laptop to really kick up the sound playing those movies.
When I say you can take it and go – it runs on both AC and on Battery power. Works great for in home and on the road, also works with the idea of taking it outside to the deck or near by park during those upcoming spring days. For those with kids you can pack up your kids favorite music and go (which really helps with traveling too).
I say for the money its a buy – check it out on Amazon.
How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. January 11th, 2011.
You must comment telling us which songs you would rock out too? please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
Happy New Year from DaDa Rocks and family to you and your family…. May this year be all that you’ve wanted it to be, may it be a year of health and a year of kindness, may your dreams come true…
May your 2011 be what Betty White’s year of 2010 was…
and if there was ever a time to reinvent yourself the time is now…
Its hard to imagine that tomorrow we start a new decade, of course its a new year and a new chance do right were we did wrong the year before. This statement along with a new year and a new you are the ones that will be with me for a long time… you’ll see some changes happening around here – just to keep up with the new year and the fact that in less then a week this site turns 1 year old.
I know many people stop doing resolutions once they hit a point in their life, I know many say weight loss and that usually just covers the holiday weight they’ve put on over the last month. For me I have a long list along with the idea its time to start crossing items off my bucket list as well… If you follow me on twitter and if you read my christmas post you know that a few weeks ago I had a major health crisis and to be able to walk away from that is amazing. More so to walk away from that event and be able to change my life in hopes of seeing my grandchildren one day is the new mission of life.
When you make your resolutions make ones that you can meet, why because its important to set realistic goals telling yourself to become a millionaire isnt really realistic unless you have the means or the ability to do that… Telling yourself to drop 40% of your body weight isnt either… try more reasonable goals like I’m going to go credit card free in 2011, managing a better budget within the family, I’m going to loose 25 pounds in 6 months and keep it off, and I’m going to run a marathon within 3 years.
My true resolutions are much simpler – its to be a better husband, a better father, a better friend, and most important to take better care of myself (in terms of health and fitness). What are your resolutions?
From my family to yours I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas. As I said in last nights post, please take this time to truly enjoy your family and to truly create memories because in the end the christmas dinner (no matter how the ham or turkey turned out), the plastic toys, and all the gifts dont matter much if it wasnt for family.
Its easy to be jaded with the wonderful life you have, its easy because you take it all for granted – there is no doubt in my mind that 90% of the people I know just live each day like the last and forget the true meaning of this holiday. This holiday season is important to me because of a recent health scare I had… I kid you not – I almost wasnt here today to tell you about why its important to be thankful, to appreciate your love ones, and most of all take time to slow down.
I know the motions, I know the drain that life, work, family, money can put on you… I know there are pressures from every direction but the key is to make sure you have respect for it all. Just think about tomorrow if you werent here, how would your children be? how would your partner be? does it scare you? cause it sure as shit scared me… I woke up thanksgiving morning to a heart attack and since then I feel like my life is one of those Jimmy Stewart movies – I’ve found joy in the small things – I’m trying to reset the balance of my life… and I’m appreciating the time with my family. It’s so easy to be frustrated at a child – they cry and whine, we become annoyed… but if that cry and whine was a remembrance of life and the future you have it sounds sooo different. That’s why I ask to for you to keep this holiday in your heart, its so easy to overlook what the base of this holiday is, its not shopping, its not finding the perfect gift, or that really hard to find one, its being together.
For this holiday season – I ask one simple thing – Take a moment (take two) (take three) create a memory with your children… create a memory with your partner and most of all remember to take it all in. Life is short – we never know just how short until its almost ripped from us. Hug your children – Hug your partner… open that bottle of wine and just sit and relax and start to think about what you want to do this coming year that will be different from the last. For me its take time out – to create special memories with my wife and son… but whats on your list?
We did it… We did it together welcome to day 10 of our 10 days of gifting. Today we have stroller but not just a stroller a true work horse, The Mountain Buggy Terrain [Amazon] is just that a system that goes from Birth to way behind being able to handle up to 77lbs.
As the name suggests its not just a stroller that’s for the neighborhood, this can be a jogging stroller, taken trail running, and sure if around the mall is your style its cake for this stroller.
Perhaps its you’re new year’s resolution to is to get out and run more then this certainly is the stroller to do it with…Oh and if you didnt see the blog post from earlier in the week Mountain Buggy just released this cool addon called a freerider that adds a removable scooter to their strollers.
Lets go over the fact list for the terrain- “maximum control, maximum performance”
newborn to age 6 (fully reclining seat)
weight capacity 77lbs
carry cot and infant car seat compatible
aircraft grade aluminum frame
hand-operated active brake- for complete control across all surface gradients and all speeds
shock absorbing suspension- for absorbing impact and improving handling and surface grip
lock forward front wheel and tracking device- settings for lock back/forward and full swivel
multi adjust handle height
follow the sun canopy with flick out sun visor
16″ tires
compact stand fold
retail $549.99
How to win it… Contest ends 11:30pm EST. December 24th, 2010.
You must comment telling us what you would do with this stroller that a typical stroller couldn’t? please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)
You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this ever 4 hours). Must contain the following information: @mountainbuggy @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/flWImn and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.
Example: I want to win a @mountainbuggy #terrain Thanks to @dadarocks – http://bit.ly/flWImn
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook – facebook.com/dadarocks you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall)
You get 1 extra entry for then suggesting to all your friends to become fans of DaDa Rocks – you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on the wall) — under the logo of DaDa Rocks is Suggest to Friends name
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lifewithoutlimit you must comment that you’re a fan (and leave a little note on their wall that DaDaRocks.com is how you became a fan)
You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed
You get 1 extra entry for becoming a friend on Google Connect (right side below the facebook box) – you must also comment that you’ve become a friend
You will have 36 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Mountain Buggy for this great prize.
Welcome to the ninth day out of our 10 days of gifting – Today we have a great set of the Tegu magnetic blocks. These blocks are awesome if you havent been following along @Tegu on twitter you’re missing some really cool handy work as they create custom requests just recently they did a Tegu 12 days of Christmas song which I thought was awesome – you can check it out below.
How do you win it? you can tweet “ I want to win a set of @Tegu Blocks thanks to @dadarocks at http://bit.ly/ggWA42 ” and don’t forget you must follow @dadarocks as well and for an extra entry go to Facebook.com/DaDaRocks and on the wall “ I want to win a Tegu prize pack from DaDaRocks.com ” but you need to come back here and leave a comment that you did it.
Every day at random times we’ll be announcing a giveaway – it’ll only be for 24 hours! Also we’ll be switching up how to enter to win the prize. You may be asked to comment on a facebook post over at http://facebook.com/dadarocks or to post&follow @dadarocks on twitter.com http://twitter.com/dadarocks or you may just have to leave a comment on the thread.
(remember in order to write on the wall you must become a fan!)
Thanks to Tegu for providing this cool prize pack! but sorry this is limited to United States only
Welcome to the eighth day out of our 10 days of gifting – Today we have a create your own prize pack from Zoocchini – so please go to www.zoocchini.com and figure out which Towel, Dinnerwear Set & Plush Friend you’d like to win come back here and leave a comment with your picks… Also if you want some extra entries you can go to Facebook.com/DaDaRocks and on the wall “ I want to win a Zoocchini prize pack from DaDaRocks.com ” or you can tweet “ I want to win a Prize Pack from @zoocchiniNYC thanks to @dadarocks at http://bit.ly/hL16nm ” and don’t forget you must follow @dadarocks as well.
Every day at random times we’ll be announcing a giveaway – it’ll only be for 24 hours! Also we’ll be switching up how to enter to win the prize. You may be asked to comment on a facebook post over at http://facebook.com/dadarocks or to post&follow @dadarocks on twitter.com http://twitter.com/dadarocks or you may just have to leave a comment on the thread.
(remember in order to write on the wall you must become a fan!)
Thanks to Zoocchini for providing this cool prize pack! but sorry this is limited to United States only.
Now that the kids are off from school you’ll be ready to jump off a bridge play with them. I figured this might help those that are starting to run out of ideas…
What you’ll need…
Empty Jar with Tight Lid (Baby food, apple sauce, and olive jars are good choices.)
Distilled Water (bottle is better, just not greener)
Super Glue or hot glue (with hot glue gun)
Kid’s Toy/keepsake (Look for plastic or ceramic figurines – metal ones are prone to rust)
White and/or silver glitter or fake snow or you could use Sequins, Beads, Glitter, Metallic Confetti, etc.
dish soap (clear) or glycerin (available at drugstores)
How to put it all together now… Step One:
Thoroughly was the empty jar and remove any labeling.
Step Two: Choose which toy/keepsake to put into the snow globe. Remember that it is plastic and has no metal parts, they may rust. Parent should use the Super Glue to stick the toy to the inside of the lid of the jar.
Step Three:
Fill the jar with distilled water and a little squirt of the dish soap or a dash of glycerin (available at drugstores) to keep the glitter from falling too quickly, also helps the items float and swirl. Sprinkle in glitter, sequins, confetti, beads, etc. for decoration
Step Four:
Make sure the jar is filled all the way to the top with the distilled water then carefully put the lid with the toy on the jar. It will overflow slightly so do it in the sink or outside. Make sure you don’t get any air bubbles. Seal the lid with the superglue/glue gun (wait for it to dry/cool) Now, give it a shake and watch it “snow”!
Maybe snow isnt your thing, so maybe you’ll make a beach version!
You could also make a beach collection jar by using sand, shells, and rocks instead of toys/keepsakes.
