Pirates weren’t known for their healthy smiles. Truth is most swashbucklers had poor oral health, and unfortunately, many children in Colorado share this same affliction. As a major supporter of the Real Pirates exhibition at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Delta Dental of Colorado, the state’s largest dental benefits provider, is hoping to educate Colorado children and families about how to keep cavities at bay.

Delta Dental of Colorado is giving one lucky LaLaGirl – Twinfinite Chaos reader a family six-pack of tickets to the Real Pirates exhibition. Enter Delta Dental’s Treasure Your Smile Giveaway at www.TreasureYourSmile.com and use promo code 0977 for a chance to win the tickets and be entered into a monthly drawing for a Sonicare® toothbrush and a grand prize drawing for a trip to Disney World®. The Real Pirates ticket contest deadline is Friday, July 10th, 2011.

You can also “piratize” your picture like the one of Kayley and me!

This is a compensated post from Delta Dental of Colorado.

I recently learned about a fun little contest – 8th Continent Soymilk is asking kids to draw and submit their own sun-inspired artwork, to go along with their newly unveiled carton design. Kids ages 5 and up can submit their artwork to the 8th Continent website, or even use the drawing tool right on the website. (Fun! My kids LOVE stuff like this.) One hundred winners will each receive $1,000 in art supplies for their school art programs, and the winning designs could be featured on 8th Continent soymilk cartons this fall.

More details about the contest, from their press release:

Children five years and older can submit their own sun-inspired artwork at www.8thcontinent.com

Entries can also be created online through an interactive drawing tool at www.8thcontinent.com

Contest participants can submit one artwork entry per day through 11:59 pm EST on June 12, 2010

All design submissions will be featured on www.8thcontinent.com in an online gallery where the public can vote for their favorite work of art

The number of public votes in the online gallery will determine 50 contest winners and a panel of judges selected by Stremicks Heritage Food will determine an additional 50 winners

The 100 winners will each be recognized with $1,000 in art supplies for their school art programs – for a grand total of $100,000!

Winning designs may also be featured on 8th Continent soymilk cartons beginning this fall!

Here’s some stuff you probably didn’t know: 8th Continent soymilk is made from soybeans grown in here in the U.S. (My oldest daughter has lots of extended family out in central Illinois, growing vast amounts of soybeans – wonder if any of them make their way to 8th Continent?) 8th Continent soymilk is an excellent source of calcium, and is the only American Heart Association-certified soymilk containing less than 3 grams of fat. It’s available in four different varieties: complete, regular, light, and fat free – and it’s lactose free, vegan, and Kosher.

And, it tastes good! Know how I know? 8th Continent was kind enough to hook me up with a prize pack, which contained a coupon for me to try it myself, along with yummy cereal and darling melamine bowls (my kids are fighting over them right now – two bowls don’t go very far in a family of seven!) In addition to the breakfast items, the prize pack also contained some art supplies so my kids could enter their sun drawings in the contest. And, because they’re cool, they’re giving me a second prize pack to award to one LaLaGirl reader. Could be you! Yes, could be. In order to win, just leave a comment on this very entry. You can get a bonus entry by LIKING me on Facebook. But you already do like me, right? Right? One winner will be drawn on Monday, May 24, 2010.

Hey, you might as well check out 8th Continent Soy Milk on Facebook, while you’re at it!

Anyway! The winner of the Glade basket has been selected, and I’m pleased to announce it here, almost a week late: it’s Comment #5, KIM! Yay, Kim!

I’ll be contacting you for your shipping address!

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Anne Marie of A Mama’s Rant hosted an intimate little event which was sponsored by Glade. It was so much fun. I’ve gone to lots of blogging events in the past, and while it’s always a blast to meet other local bloggers, it’s usually crowded and noisy and hard to hear what people are saying. This event wasn’t like that at all. We gathered at the fabulous Warwick Hotel in downtown Denver and enjoyed some great appetizers and drinks while we heard about the Glade Sense & Spray products. Here’s a little info about the Glade Sense & Spray – it’s pretty neat!

Glade® Sense & Spray™ is a smart air freshener that automatically freshens only when you need it, and the new Clear Springs™ scent is specially formulated to eliminate odors. Motion-activated Glade® Sense & Spray™ helps busy moms keep their home smelling fresh with the personalized fragrance they deserve, while conserving the refill and enjoying a value-conscious lifestyle.

Glade® Sense & Spray™ is available in six fragrances. The starter kit is offered in new Clear Springs™, Clean Linen™ and Apple Cinnamon, and refills are available in new Clear Springs™, new Hawaiian Breeze™, Clean Linen™, Apple Cinnamon, Powder Fresh® and Country Garden®. This innovative air freshener is available in the air-care aisle of most food, drug and mass-merchandise stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and many more.

We had a good time making up names for new Glade scents – somebody actually suggested bacon. Haha! My suggestion was, “Newborn baby head” although I’m not sure how they’d get that scent into the can. Everyone also had a blast making gift baskets, which contained a mug ready to decorate with markers, a chenille throw blanket, a jar of homemade cocoa mix, a satin sleep eye mask, and the Glade Sense & Spray. The blanket and the basket itself were provided by IKEA – they’re awesome! Each of us was able to make two baskets – one to bring home and one to give away to a reader. Yay! A giveaway! I’m actually giving both away. The one I brought home with me is going to make an awesome teacher gift for my favorite para. Hope she doesn’t read my blog, or it’ll spoil the surprise! (Surprise! Your house stinks! No, not really. But kind of funny, huh? Hee!)

Want to win the basket I created? Here it is. This is the EXACT BASKET you will receive, if you win this little contest!

Look closely, because my basket is extra special. I’ve already decorated the mug with Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba. Now you really want it, don’t you? Imagine sipping your coffee out of this darling mug!

Also, I agonized over the decision of which color throw to put in my giveaway basket. I loved the red throw and the green, but ultimately decided the green would be prettier in the giveaway basket. Yay, green blanket from IKEA. Yay, nice smelling bathroom. Yay, Yo Gabba Gabba inspired coffee mug! If you want this basket, I would love for you to have it. All you have to do is leave a comment on this very post. That’s it. You don’t need to Tweet about it, post about it, follow my RSS feed, or anything else. (Although you can if you want to! Share the love!) Comment as often as you’d like. One winner will be chosen at random on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. (That would be the 27th, if you’re keeping track.) The basket will be shipped to you directly, so you’ll need to provide me with a shipping address.

Please see review policy and contest rules linked at the top of this page for more info.

A big thank you to the 300+ people who entered this contest! Here’s the winner of the Karito Kids doll…

BECKY GRAYSON

Congratulations, Becky! I’ve already emailed you, and you have 48 hours to get in touch with me in order to claim your prize. Huzzah!

Recently, our family received this totally cool looking doll in the mail:

She’s ZOE LINDEN, one of the darling dolls available in the Karito Kids line. Each of these dolls hails from a different part of the world, and comes packaged with her own trendy little outfit and hardcover story book all about her life. This particular doll is from New York City (New York City! I just have to shout it out like in the old Pace Picante Sauce ads. I can’t help it.) Her book is all about saving her mom’s house from foreclosure. No, really.

After you buy one of these dolls, you can log onto their website, KaritoKids.com, and set up an account for your child. Then, you can register your doll and enter a special code to earn World Change Coins. These can be converted into donations to help kids around the world. So, there you go. You’re not spending a small fortune on a doll, you’re giving money to charity.

My own kids were very excited to meet our new buddy Zoe, as you can see here:

Once we cracked her open, they were much more enthusiastic. My oldest daughter decided that Zoe sort of looked like her. Well, dressed like her, anyway. She gave thumbs up to the fingerless gloves and Converse AllStar knockoffs, although she did say if it were HER doll, she’d draw little stars on the shoes to make them look more like the real thing:

  

If only we could change the colors in her outfit from bright and cheerful to dark purple and black, she’d be downright emo. I personally like this doll because she looks so much like my little Nikki. She’s got nearly the same blonde hairstyle, curly with bangs. If we rubbed Spaghetti-Oh’s into the doll’s hair and let it get really tangly, she’d look JUST like Nikki. She does have a super cute face – check out the freckles and eyelashes:

Now this is where the difficulty comes into play. One doll. Four children. Even our little boy loves dolls like this, particularly those that look REAL. We’re trying really hard to be fair with the sharing and turn-taking, but it’s not easy, man. Here are my little Karito Lovers:

Besides wanting to kiss it and love it, Pablo really loves to gently and lovingly stroke the doll’s face, pointing out her eyes, nose, mouth, ears, lips, etc. to us. It’s actually quite precious and touching to see.

A few things about Karito Kids dolls. They’re what I would tactfully call AN INVESTMENT. If you have a kid who is really rough on their toys, this may not be a good choice for you. The dolls are well made, but again, I’m not the type of parent who can plunk down a Benjamin for a DOLL and think nothing of it. But hey – I’m not representative of all parents! You might not be up to your armpits in small children like me. Back in the day when Kayley was an only child, her dad and I both worked, and Christmastime at our house was INSANE. I totally would have bought this doll for her back in that life. She is such a mellow kid, though – the clothes would be completely intact years later, I guarantee you. Here in THIS life, though, we’ve already lost the shoes for poor Zoe. Also, within about 5 minutes of removing this doll from the box, a button or something came off of her outfit. I didn’t see it, I just heard about it from my husband, so I thought I’d mention it. I wouldn’t say it’s a choking hazard, because this doll is rated for children age 6 and up. But – for a doll of this quality, I would expect the buttons to stay on the clothes, y’know?

Bottom line: This is a cool doll. My kids adore it. It might be a perfect fit for your kids and your household. I hope what I’ve written here helps you make that decision. Would you like to win your very own Karito Kids doll? I’m giving one away, valued at $99.00. Woohoo! Just leave a comment here for a chance to win. I’ll randomly draw one winner on September 30th. Be sure to check out the contest rules linked in the menu bar at the top of the page. Good luck to ya!

(Psst…like winning stuff? I’m still giving away kids’ music all month long! Enter those giveaways too!)

I want to introduce you to my new obsession: Funky Mama. I’m her brand new stalker, and she doesn’t even know it yet. We received this CD to review a few days ago, and I’ve listened to it no less than a dozen times. I even listened to it alone in my van coming home from my twin club meeting last night. Should I admit that? Perhaps not. Seriously, though, this chick can ROCK OUT. Her voice is amazing – she’s like Susan Tedeschi meets Laurie Berkner. Her songs are funny and catchy, but if you weren’t paying attention to the words, they’d be perfect background music for shooting pool at the bar. It’s such a perfect blend of grown-up sounding music with kid-friendly lyrics. And did I mention this chick can rock out? I want to sing like her! Check out this video clip of her song Grandma’s House I found on YouTube:

Isn’t she awesome? And isn’t it crazy, hearing that gigantic, soulful voice coming out of such a cute little MOMMY? Here’s another clip from a news interview with Funky Mama Krista Eyler, where she talks about playing at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House and her former career as a television news anchor:

And finally, here’s a clip of her on the news rocking out to her song MOO JUICE, with her big ol’ pregnant belly. Don’t you love it? All pregnant, up there with her bright red guitar – you GO, girl:

Here is the track listing for Funky Mama’s brand new, just released album, MOO JUICE:

• Moo Juice
• Sippy
• Pop n’ Hop
• Potty Train
• Freeze Dance
• Down Down Baby
• Ooo, Ahh, Oww!
• The Grandparent Song
• My Dad Rocks
• No Sleep Tonight
• Let’s Drive
• Hot Time In the Old Town
• Multi-Taskin’ Mama
• Stuck Inside
• Can You Hear Me-1-2
• Sambalele
• Hush Baby, Hush Child

Check out clips of each song from her Moo Juice album right here. My personal favorites are My Dad Rocks and Multi-Taskin’ Mama, which I can completely relate to! All the songs are great, though – we are seriously loving this album, and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you!

Do you want to win a copy of your very own? Of course you do! Go to the Funky Mama website and listen to the song clips, then leave a comment here letting me know what song you like best from the Moo Juice album. One comment will be picked at random and the winner will receive the CD for free.

Here’s how to enter…

Leave a comment on this blog entry, telling me which song from this album you like best. Additional entries may be gained by posting about this contest on your own blog, and by voting for this entry on various social networking sites, such as Digg, Kirtsy, and Stumble Upon. Leave a separate comment here for every method you’ve used to share the love. This contest is subject to the contest rules posted in the menu bar above. Contest runs until the end of September, at which time I will draw the winners for all the CD giveaways featured throughout the month.

This CD has had so much play in my van, I’m afraid we’re going to wear it out. My kids absolutely LOVE it, and so do I. If you’re looking for unique baby gifts, it should be on your shopping list: That Baby DVD and CD Bundle! This music is guaranteed to mellow my kids right out – it’s all acoustic covers of songs I actually know and like. Creating kid-friendly versions of classic rock songs is such a genius idea. My kids get to know the songs, and I don’t feel ridiculous when I have them stuck in my head and I’m singing them out loud in the grocery store. Well, I feel less ridiculous, anyway.

The DVD is perfect for chilling the kids out right before dinner or bed. The music is relaxing, and the images that accompany it on the DVD are almost dream-like. I love watching it right along with them! Some of the artists covered on this DVD and CD bundle include Fleetwood Mac, Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, The Pretenders, Bob Marley, The Beatles, and Paul Simon. You can check out clips from each song on the That Baby website, and you can check out a clip from the DVD right here:

That Baby DVD and That Baby CD are products of OyBaby, a parent-run company which prides itself on its responsible, customer-friendly business approach. OyBaby products are made from recycled materials and printed with soy-based inks. The company offers a “no questions asked” money back guarantee and free lifetime replacement of scratched discs.

You want it, don’t you? I know you do! It’s awesome! Here’s your chance to win a That Baby DVD and CD for FREE! Head over to their website and check out the song clips, then come back here and let me know which song you like best. One comment will be picked at random and the winner will receive the DVD and CD bundle for free. And you can order it directly from the site and save 20% off your entire order with the coupon code LALAGIRL. Sweet!

Here’s how to enter…

Leave a comment on this blog entry, telling me which song from this album you like best. Additional entries may be gained by posting about this contest on your own blog, and by voting for this entry on various social networking sites, such as Digg, Kirtsy, and Stumble Upon. Leave a separate comment here for every method you’ve used to share the love. This contest is subject to the contest rules posted in the menu bar above. Contest runs until the end of September, at which time I will draw the winners for all the CD giveaways featured throughout the month.

And don’t forget! You can save 20% off your purchase of this CD or DVD (or both!) by using the coupon code LALAGIRL

Music is a huge part of our lives, particularly since we have a child with autism who adores music. So often, I hear other parents tell me that they can’t stand listening to kids music CDs, but I’m here to tell you – times have changed! The selection of music for children extends way beyond Disney movie soundtracks and songs from Barney. And this is what led to the idea of doing a whole month of giveaways featuring artists who create great children’s music.

Throughout September, I’ll be posting music reviews of artists that my kids adore, and you’ll have the chance to win CDs and prize packs from all of them! I’ll update this post with links to each giveaway. Yay! You’re going to discover some fantastic music!

Links to each contest:

• That Baby DVD and CD Bundle
• Funky Mama – Moo Juice CD
• More to come!