This month at Mom in the City, we will be focusing on Personal Growth/Health & Wellness. The following healthy, gourmet meals and de-stressing workout giveaway will be a great help for 2009 diet and exercise “resolutions/goals”.

The first item is Personal Trainer: Cooking for the DS. This is a great interactive coach that helps beginner and experienced cooks. There are over 245 recipes from around the globe included that you will be taught to cook by the DS Chef. In addition to giving cooking instructions, you can also use the DS to create a shopping list, do calorie counts of recipes and much more. What is especially neat is that you can use voice commands to go to various steps so that you don’t get your DS messy while cooking. This is a great way to help you plan and create fun, new meals for your family for the New Year! (I’ll also include a Personal Trainer: Cooking reusable shopping bag to take with you to make groceries for your new gourmet creations.)

Below, you can see a clip of Lisa Kudrow using the trainer:

The winner will also receive QUICK YOGA TRAINING. Once again, this yoga trainer is good for everyone, from beginners to experienced yoga fans. Your virtual trainer will take you through over 180 poses that you get to choose from. This trainer also has navigation and voice recognition so that you can practice your yoga hands-free (of the DS). Other great features are that the system evaluates your physical age, adapts lessons to your level AND measures your breathing pace.

To enter to win both DS games and the reusable shopping bag, please leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with a reason that you’d like to change your diet and/or exercise habits in 2009 (or send an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Healthy” in the Subject line and the answer) by January 31st.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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We’re giving away a (rated E for Everyone) Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams Nintendo DS game.

“Hello Kitty Big City Dreams is an exciting, cute and friendly mini game based adventure for the Nintendo DS ™ featuring the popular Hello Kitty character. The story finds our heroine, Kitty White leaving her home in Sanrio Town to try to make her mark in The Big City. Hello Kitty moves into a simple apartment downtown adjacent to The Big City. Although she lives on the bottom floor now, she dreams of the day she can move up to the luxurious penthouse. Help Hello Kitty explore her new environment, meet old friends and new and perhaps by helping others and working hard, Hello Kitty will finally say Hello to her dream suite in the sky!”

To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of one of the game’s characters or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Kitty” and the answer in the Subject line by January 15th.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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We’re giving away a Nintendo DS version of The Tale of Despereaux: The Game.

“The Tale of Despereaux: The Game lets children of all ages play as the world’s most courageous mouse as he sets out on his heroic quest to save Princess Pea and the kingdom of Dor. Following the storyline from the film and introducing new adventures, the game allows kids to interact with a cast of familiar characters on their way to a magical world filled with exciting battles, fun-filled adventures, and unique puzzles. The console game features fifteen unique levels, upgradeable skills and tools, as well as multiple difficulty settings, so children of all ages and abilities can have a rewarding experience. The Nintendo DS™ game features action-packed grappling, swinging, and scurrying, as well as clever puzzles and whimsical unlockable costumes.

The Tale of Despereaux: The Game for the Console and PC is rated E10. The Nintendo DS version is rated E for Everyone. All platforms are available in retailers across North America for Wii™ ($39.99), Nintendo DS™ ($29.99), PlayStation®2 system ($29.99), and PC ($19.99).”

To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with one of the Despereaux Nintendo DS game features or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Tale” and the answer in the Subject line by January 15th.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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Last year after taking the photo for our holiday cards, I made a mental note that I should stick with a professional photographer in the future. I guess that I’m a glutton for punishment though, because for some reason, I thought that it would be easier to take the boys’ picture for our holiday card this year. “They’re older/better able to take direction,” I (erroneously) reasoned.

So, on Saturday evening my husband and I “tackled” the holiday picture. We dressed the boys in their new, cute Coco Bonbons outfits and we were all set. Or so, we thought. I think that the boys must have drunk some “silly juice” right before the shoot. Michael kept making faces. Sean kept running away. Then, they started laughing and wrestling each other. My husband was trying to act like he was a photographer – using the camera to try to get a good shot. (He didn’t get one.) Meanwhile, I went the Flip route. Even though the resolution of Flip “photos from video” isn’t as great as shots from a regular camera, I reasoned that I would at least get one good frame in the midst of the madness. I did! It took many different shots to get one though.

We took:
-horizontal shots / vertical shots
-shots in front of / to the left of / to the right of the Christmas tree
-shots of the kids leaning against the sofa with their backs to the tree

Here are a couple of the outtakes:

(Suffice it to say, we won’t be trading in our “day jobs” in order to become children’s photographers!)

At the end of the day, we were able to get one (that’s all that we needed!) picture that we liked enough to use.

(I even like the “vintage” feel of the picture due to it being from the Flip camcorder.)

Happy Holidays!

(To see what other moms around the web are “tackling” today visit Tackle it Tuesday).

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Have you heard about the Peek Wireless Email Device?

Well, it’s this cute little gadget that focuses on email without requiring contracts. It’s one of this year’s “big things” - Time Magazine named it as one of their “Top 10 Gadgets of 2008”. The Peek has been praised for its simplicity – it only provides portable access to email. In essence, it’s an ideal way to stay on top of your personal emails when you’re away from the computer. It’s also reasonably priced ($99.95 for the unit and unlimited Peek Email Service at $19.95/month).

So, here’s the great news. The consumer electronics division of Target is giving away TWO charcoal gray Peek devices to Mom in the City readers for the holidays. (Target is the exclusive store retailer of the Peek.)

In reality, I was offered one device to review and one to giveaway. However, due to my oft-mentioned obsessive email checking habit, I didn’t think that it would be the best thing for my marriage - oh well! So, this is how I’m going to do this special one-week giveaway…

One Peek will be given to a randomly chosen Mom in the City reader. To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with one reason why you would like to take your email with you or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Peek” in the Subject line and the answer by noon on December 21st. Winners must send me their contact information by noon on Monday, December 22nd.

The second Peek will be given to a Mom in the City reader who is a blogger. To enter, write a post on the topic of “email” (i.e. your best/worst email of ’08; your love/hate relationship with email; etc.). Be sure to link back to this post. Leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with the link to your post or send an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Peek” in the Subject line and the link by noon on December 21st. Winners must send me their contact information by noon on Monday, December 22nd.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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A couple of weeks ago, MomSelect sent me a very special package. It contained a sleepwear set from The Children’s Place for Michael along with a $30 gift card for me AND a $30 gift card for one lucky Mom in the City reader!

Suffice it to say, I was beyond happy. I get a lot of my kids’ staple clothes at The Children’s Place already. They offer good quality, classic basics at really affordable prices. (It really doesn’t make sense to me to spend an arm and a leg on every day things that the kids will outgrow in a few months.) I also like that when I can’t find the right sizes in the local stores, I can always order online because they have $5 standard shipping.

Anyway, I received the “rocket pj set” which was very cute and comfortable (according to Michael).

(The clothes are actually true to size. Michael’s pajamas are just a bit too big because he is at that awkward in-between-sizes stage — too big for a “4”/not quite big enough for a “5”.)

I needed to get Michael some new tops since he was outgrowing his size “4s”, so I made a trip to my local Children’s Place with my $30 gift card. I took along a coupon (which I had received in the mail because I’m a member of Children’s Place free “place perks” program). Unfortunately, they were out of the sweaters that I liked in Michael’s size. *I learned something new though…it turns out that Children’s Place gives out “free online shipping” coupons if you can’t find the item in the store! (I will definitely ask for this in the future if necessary – I don’t think that every salesperson thinks to offer it.) Later that night, I went shopping online, which was even better for me - I could get my husband’s input, since he and Michael have similar “tastes”. One more tip: type “Children’s Place coupons” in google and you’ll find sites that provide coupon codes that you can use at checkout. I was able to successfully use a 15% off code (it turned out that my “place perks” coupon had expired – I didn’t check the date!).

Now, for the fun part…The Children’s Place is in the “giving” spirit, so they included a second $30 gift card for one of you! The card can only be used in-store, so please only enter this giveaway if you live near a Children’s Place (which shouldn’t be too difficult – there are a lot of them!).

To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of one Children’s Place item that you would get with the gift card or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Place” and the answer in the Subject line by December 31st.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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Tide is giving 2 Mom in the City readers a stocking stuffer kit filled with some great items (to keep or share). I was also sent one of the stockings. It just so happened that I received it the day we had our Christmas party, so I was able to share some of the “goodies” with my friends.

Below are the items that are included in the kits:

• A Meyer’s peppermint candle: SRP $9.99 (I’m giving this to an elderly family friend. Besides the scent, I like that the jelly jar that it’s in can be reused.)

• A Burt’s Beeswax Lip Stash: SRP $9.99 (My girlfriend was so happy with this three-pack of the famous lip balm. Earlier in the day, I had given my aunt-in-law the Beeswax Lip Balm tin that came with the package.)

• A Russell Stover giftbox: SRP $1.19 (Michael immediately claimed this four-piece assortment of chocolates. He ate 2 pieces. I ate one. We’re still trying to figure out where the fourth piece went – I’m guessing one of our party visitors didn’t realize that it wasn’t one of the “desserts”?!)

And

• Tide to Go Mini: SRP $2.99 for one pen and $5.49 for a two-pack. (“When a bit of that holiday meal accidentally gets on your clothes, save the moment instantly and keep that festive new outfit stain-free.”)

(Even if you don’t win, you can find these items in most drugstores, so that you can make your own stocking!)

To enter, leave your name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of your favorite Tide product or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Tide” and the answer in the Subject line by noon on December 21st. Winners must send me their contact information by noon on Monday, December 22nd.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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It's Snowing!

It's Snowing!

(To see other “Wordless Wednesdays” around the web, visit here, here or here.)

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One lucky Mom in the City member will win four tickets for the Saturday, Dec. 20th 11 am showing of Wintuk at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden courtesy of One2One Network.

“Wintuk from Cirque du Soleil is an exciting winter adventure about a boy’s quest for snow. The show weaves thrilling new acrobatics, breathtaking theatrical effects and memorable songs into an extraordinary journey to an imaginary land called Wintuk. The boy and his companions – a mysterious female shaman, a fearless young girl and a yellow-bellied man – deliver endless excitement, exhilaration and intrigue.

Wintuk is playful, musical, and bursts with the energy of the city and the magic of a wonderland. This seasonal story, which features a cast of 50 performers from Cirque du Soleil, is back this year with a mind-blowing new trampoline act and astounding puppet creations by Michael Curry.”

This is a special giveaway that will run for one week only. The winner will be notified on 12/15 and must respond back with their name and address by 12/16. Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win by leaving your name in the Comments section below along with one of your favorite winter memories or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Wintuk” and the answer in the Subject line by December 15th at 5pm.

I (Kimberly) had a chance to see the show this past weekend. It was amazing! This is Cirque du Soleil’s first family show and they did a wonderful job. The dogs, cranes, snow giants and skateboarding acrobats were just a few of the standout performances that kept the entire audience’s attention (the show is about 2 hours). There was also a surprise at the end of the show that brought squeals of delight from adults and kids alike. After we left, Michael said, “That was AWESOME”. There was so much to see that it’s hard to describe the show in words, but you can catch a little snippet of it here at this video link.

Even if you don’t win the giveaway, consider buying tickets for the show. Mom in the City readers are being offered the One2One Network Friends & Family Special 25% Off Select Non-Peak Performances. Simply use the Promo Code: ONE2ONE here. This promotion runs from November 21 to December 23 at WaMu Theater at MSG.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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Family game night is a big hit at our house, so I was happy to hear about Hasbro’s Family Game Night initiative. Basically, they are encouraging families to take one night out during the week to enjoy games together. This is a great, relatively inexpensive way for families to bond. (Each family is different but Friday night tends to work out best for us.)

The following statistics from a recent study reinforce the importance of family game night:

-Nearly half (48%) of Americans believe that a family game night is the most enjoyable form of family bonding. Board games top other traditional family activities such as watching movies (22%), cooking (19%) and playing sports together (9%).

-Mothers and grandmothers everywhere are game to connect with the little ones in their lives: more than one in five (21%) women who play board games say their most frequent partner is their child or grandchild.

-Most Americans don’t have to look any further than their families to find a partner in their board game pursuits—nearly two in three (59%) play board games with their family or significant others more than anybody else.

-Almost four in five (78%) Americans find that board games make excellent gifts, with Christmas being the most popular time (75%) to give games, followed closely by birthdays (62%) among this group.

To help your family have a fun game night, Hasbro is giving away a MONOPOLY Town game to three lucky Mom in the City members. Recommended for ages 4+, this is a kid-friendly version of the classic game. In this version, Mr. MONOPOLY guides kids on a motorized car around the town. The first player to own the most properties in the town wins. (Retail Price: $15.99)

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the game by leaving their name in the “Comments” section below along with the name of their favorite Hasbro game or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Monopoly” and the answer in the Subject line by December 31st.

(To see other contests & giveaways around the web, visit Contesting Monday or Contest Monday.)

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