Win $10,000 and Show Off our Mom Genius

Mom Contests

Mom Specials and Holidays - Mom Contests

I was recently fortunate to get invited to iRobot in Massachussets, and now I and some other mom bloggers are hosting a contest that I am very excited about. We are their official That's Ingenious Challenge "LeadHers." Believe me, being associated as idea leaders with the company that made robots a household name (a robot that vacuums? how genius is that?) is pretty cool! First of all, it provides a chance for all of us to share $10,000 in Donor's Choose money to spend right in our own children's classrooms. Better yet? If you're sick of people assuming moms just change diapers, this is a chance to show off just what geniuses we moms truly are. Who's in?

So here is how it works. We, the community of Type-A Moms, are competing to win $10,000 by sharing our great ideas. I know we can win this. Who accomplishes more and is more resourceful than a mom? And we type-As take even that up a notch.

The Prize

The prize itself is pretty amazing: $10,000 to donate to school projects. But that is so much money. You should see some of the projects that are getting funded for merely $500! If Type-A Mom wins, then I will share the $10,000 amongst all of you who participate! We don't want it to get to be so small an amount that it isn't helpful, so I will set a cap at 20 projects. If we have more than 20 participants, then I will randomly draw 20 names from those who participate. Still, those are some killer odds.

After that (and if we win, of course), you will be informed that you are getting part of the prize. You can then go to your child's teacher if you want it to go directly there and encourage him or her to submit a project of the specified amount (at least $500). Once it's in and approved, we will go fund it.

If your child is not yet school-aged or you simply choose, you can also pick a different project. The great thing about the Donor's Choose site is that you can even search by various criteria, such as subject, poverty level and urgency.

What Can $500 Do for a Classroom?

If you think $500 doesn't sound like much to donate, think again. Right at this moment, there are more than 7,000 projects at Donor's Choose that need $500 or less!

Here is just one example project that would cost only $221 to fund and has just 13 days left to get funding.

"I am a middle school Special Education teacher in a high-need community. My students range in age from 12-15 years and have a reading level that is in the 3rd to 4th grade range.
My students lack basic supplies such as pencils, paper and notebooks. They do not have books to read at home, and the majority of my students have never finished a novel. I believe that reading a novel like "Bull Rider" would be an extremely rewarding experience for them.

If I have a book for each of my students, they will have everything they need to become invested in a novel and therefore in reading. This will benefit them greatly and improve their reading comprehension. Also, they will feel the satisfaction of reading a novel from start to finish.

Your help will ensure that my students will have access to resources that will greatly impact their achievement in school. By donating these books, you are giving the students who are usually denied, the same high expectations and resources of students in wealthy areas, the chance to prove that they can be successful in school.

---------or---------

---------or---------

To go: $221

Time left: 13 days

Any amount welcome.

My students need 18 copies of "Bull Rider" by Marilyn Halvorson. The cost of this proposal is $221, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment."

How to Enter

To enter share a genius idea below! I know all of us moms have to be resourceful and clever just to get through the day.

The main thing you do not want to do is share a robot idea. That becomes a legal issue for iRobot. Also, just as a mompreneur, I would discourage you from sharing something proprietary.

For example, my idea I had when my twins were infants, my daughter was three, and I was returning to work was to speed up mornings by placing whole outfits into large Ziplock bags. Then there was no scramble for outfits or matching socks, etc. I could have clothes plus new backups (which spit-up-in' baby twins needed constantly) in a second instead of 20 minutes. That is an example of an idea that isn't particularly proprietary. If I came up with an idea for a special bag type to do that in, that might be a potential business venture.

Mainly, just remember that what you share here will be viewed publicly, both here and on my That's Ingenious page and on their contest site. So please don't share an idea you wouldn't want others to see or steal.

To enter, simply share your genius idea below! To come up with one, think about these questions:

What clever ideas have you had to solve a problem?
How have you handled a challenge?
What is an idea that was so cool, you just had to share it, tweet it, call a friend to tell all about it?
What is an idea you had that you still find makes your life or your friends/families' lives?

Post your genius idea in the comments below. Be sure to include your email where it asks, but do not add it in the comment body itself. The deadline is Sept. 1.

Let's show off just how genius we moms really are!

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Organized Baby Outfits

Kelby (SAdministrator) 2009-08-11 05:37:20

My idea I had when my twins were infants, my daughter was three, and I was
returning to work. We found mornings were a nightmare trying to get out the
door. A big part of the problem was trying to piece together outfits for three
kids, complete, plus the socks, plus required clean backups for daycare.

I
would speed up mornings by placing whole outfits into large Ziplock bags. Then
there was no scramble for outfits or matching socks, etc. I could have clothes
plus new backups (which spit-up-in' baby twins needed constantly) in a second
instead of 20 minutes. I could just grab each child's outfit complete in a bag
to wear, and another for each child to take to daycare as backup.

The cool
part was putting the outfits together only took a few minutes. We would do it in
quiet evenings as we pulled laundry out of the dryer.

Override the Annoying Disney DVD Previews

Kelby (SAdministrator) 2009-08-11 05:39:16

I recently discovered a very cool little trick. If any of you have children who
watch Disney DVDs, you know that about 50 percent of the run time (OK maybe that
is a slight exaggeration) is previews. Kids hate previews. At least mine.

So
one day I was messing with the buttons and discovered a particular sequence
would quickly, easily override the previews.

Press Stop, Stop, Play.

Tada!
Movie plays. This also works on some other movie brands/studios, but not all.

Kid Friendly First Aid

EricaMueller (Author) 2009-08-11 06:41:46

With my husband's encouragement (seeing as how our 2yr old has hit the boo-boo
stage) I've put together a first aid kit, just for Lil Man.

I bought an 80cent
pencil box at the store. I filled it with fun bandaids, a baggie of cotton
balls, and some neosporin.

Now when Lil Man gets a scrape I don't have to dig
through the whole cabinet in search of bandages and creams. I don't have to go
thru another cupboard to find the cotton balls for cleaning sores. It's all
right there in one little box, and it's all his. :-)

Teething babies

falmouthdesign (Author) 2009-08-11 16:54:47

When my third child started the teething phase around 4-5 months, it coincided
with introducing solids. Teething toys never worked on any of my kids but they
all loved chewing on frozen fruit (mostly blueberries) into one of those mesh
safe-feeder bags to soothe their gums. One night I decided to try freezing a
little scoop of baby food (butternut squash) in a silicone ice cube tray - this
one had shells and fish shapes for the cubes and were about 1-2 baby spoons
each. I froze the cubes and put one into the mesh safe-feeder bag. The baby
LOVED it and fed himself dinner in the process! He gnawed on the frozen cube and
as it melted, he sucked out the mush through the mesh. We didn't have to do the
feed & dodge routine with the spoon and his gums felt better. Win-win. I wish I
had figured this out with the first kid!

"Donating" the Pacifier to Needy Kids via Easter

Kelby (SAdministrator) 2009-08-11 17:11:39

My daughter was a hardcore pacifier addict, and at age four we had talked to her
a while about quitting the pacifier. We could see she wanted to do it, but just
didn't feel ready.

It was close to Easter, so we suggested she donate her
pacifiers to the Easter Bunny. We told her he could pass out the pacifiers to
needy babies who had no pacifiers while he traveled around handing out candy and
Easter eggs.

She was all for it, and we made it a big to-do. She gathered all
her pacifiers, and left them out for the bunny.

It was so effective that even
now, at age 6, she remembers it and recently informed her 3-year-old twin
siblings that they would soon need to donate THEIR pacifiers to other children
via the Easter Bunny.

Hint: this could totally work for any other holiday and
visitor.

musingsfromme (Editor) 2009-08-11 17:43:38

I'm a consigner. I might even call myself a master at consigning! After 4 years,
I know what to consign, I know how to make sure that my items are accepted for
consignment, and I know how to resubmit an item so that it is taken.

Clothes:
I check all clothes for stains, tears. I place outfits on the corresponding
hanger from the store showing size of clothing item. I even match up a Gap item
with a Gap hanger showing the correct size. It helps to be a packrat with
everything including hangers.

When I send my items to consignment, I will
place my best item next to a second best item followed by another best item. I
have noticed that a so-so item will be taken if placed next to a fabulous
item.

Toys: I match up all the pieces of a toy or game. I place all loose
pieces in ziploc bags.

I replace batteries in toys, so that the consignment
owner knows that the toy works.

Snacks on the go

EricaMueller (Author) 2009-08-12 05:45:00

After a year of struggling to find and keep snacks on board for Lil Man, and
finding things to take to grandma's, I developed a system that works nice for
us.

I have a couple small containers/dispensers that I put favorite snackies
in: all natural peanut butter puff cereal, gram crackers, and little cups of
mandarin oranges or other fruit. I keep these all in a gallon sized ziplock bag,
in the pantry. When we're walking out the door, I can just toss it into the
diaper bag. When we get home, I put it back in the pantry. On grocery day, when
I'm putting stuff away, I pull out the bag and make sure everything is stocked.

At-Home Language Immersion

Kelby (SAdministrator) 2009-08-15 06:58:12

Here is a trick that we used when my husband and I were planning our honeymoon,
and it can totally be used to learn any language (or to teach kids' words and
basic reading). We went through the house and used sticky notes or masking tape
to label everything with its French word. My husband had never even taken French
and didn't make any extra effort to learn, but he at least arrived in France
knowing household (literally) terms like coffee, bed, window, door, etc.

Simple Job Board For Kids

organizewithsandy (Author) 2009-08-19 17:51:59

I love having a job board for the kids. There are many great ones out
there...but they can get complex.
I simply took old business cards of mine and
turned them so the blank side showed.
I put each childs name on one with a
sharpie marker..then stuck it to a business card magnet (you can buy at any
office store) Instant magnet.
Now make up some more blank magnets and draw
simple pictures (if young children) for jobs/chores you want them to do.
A
toothbrush for brushing teeth (very young children) or a place setting at a
table for setting the table.
Place the children's name magnets across the top
of a magnetic board (or you can use your ref. to cut cost) and below each name
put their assigned job for the week.
I use it for all 5 of my kids. We rotate
jobs each Friday.
Simple, inexpensive and invaluable in teaching
responsibility.

Displaying the Kids' Art Work

sbarton1220 (Editor) 2009-08-25 13:05:05

My girls are prolific artists, which makes it difficult to display, let alone
keep every masterpiece they create. I have devised two solutions:
1.) In their
rooms, we build a chair rail made of corkboard, so that my budding artists can
hang the works of their choosing and see the fruits of their labor, plus they
can change it regularly.
2.) I also photograph their masterpieces and store them
on the computer, so that after these works go into storage, they are still
accessible at any time, without having to dig through boxes and boxes of stuff.

A Visit From the Binkie Fairy

sbarton1220 (Editor) 2009-08-25 13:05:23

When it was time for The Baby to give up her binkie, we knew it was going to be
difficult...at least until Hubs came up with the story about the Binkie Fairy:
the Binkie Fairy gets the call from her parents, saying it's time to go home. We
then hold a special farewell party for the Binkie Fairy where The Baby got to
say goodbye. The next morning, the Binkie Fairly leaves a present behind for her
"big kid." The story made the process so much easier!

Cleaning out the Closet

sbarton1220 (Editor) 2009-08-25 13:04:24

We always have a hard time deciding which items stay and which ones go when we
clean out the closet. At the beginning of the season, I turn the hangers in the
closet backwards (since most people will put them in correctly when they put
something back in the closet). By the end of the season, the remaining backwards
hangers will show you which items have not been worn, which makes it so much
easier to clean out the closet.

Dianna (Publisher) 2009-08-25 13:12:29

I have three girls ages 10, 5, and 2. Getting all three of them out the door in
the morning is a challenge, so we divided 'responsibilities'. The oldest is
responsible for making sure everyone has shoes and socks. The middle child is
responsible for making sure everyone's hair has been brushed, and the youngest
is in charge of brushing teeth. My 2 year old is very good at chasing her older
sisters around with a toothbrush until they get into the bathroom and brush!

It sounds silly, but it's saved me many headaches and the three most
important things get done before anyone heads out the door.

Dianna (Publisher) 2009-08-25 13:14:55

One more:

I hate sorting socks. I hate it with a living passion. So, we
created the sock bucket. We keep a smaller laundry basket in a corner of our
bedroom and all of the kids' socks get tossed in the bucket when I'm sorting
clean laundry. Once a week, I ask the girls to sort and put away their own
socks, and even my 2 year old is able to help. In the meantime, if they can't
find the socks they're looking for, they know to look in the 'sock bucket'. It's
lazy housekeeping... but it works

Portion sizes for preschoolers

cutestkidever (Editor) 2009-08-25 13:23:43

While I'm pretty fastidious about portion control for my family, the grandmas
are not. When we learned that TJ had a weight problem that isn't obvious by
looking at him, we started using a special nutrition program that was created by
a pediatrician. The program is based on 100-calorie units, and I learned that
the grandmas would often underestimate the calorie content of TJ's snacks by a
significant amount.

I created our own 100 calorie packs of all of TJ's snacks
by counting out 100-calorie servings into separate plastic sandwich bags as soon
as I come home from the grocery store with new snacks. We keep all of them in a
grocery bag we call "the snack bag." Any one bag contains 100 calories.
Helpful for the whole family! We send the snack bag with the grandmas whenever
TJ visits, so there are far fewer issues with grandmas overindulging him with
sweets.

Keep the Wooden Blocks

inkville (Author) 2009-08-25 13:33:08

You can give away or sell some of those kiddie toys, but keep the blocks and
other wooden toys. There's something about a wooden surface that seems to
attract all comers.

My sons are now 11 and 15. They don't play with blocks
anymore. But I have a basket of some wooden toys and blocks that I keep in the
living room for when younger guests come to visit. Nearby, taking up valuable
living room real estate, is a big drawer full of other blocks, including pattern
blocks (flat, colorful wooden pieces in 4 or 5 different shapes that interlock
to make mosaic patterns).

We also have tree blocks (sawn from trees and
branches, with the bark still on), unit blocks with onion domes, Japanese-style
pagoda pieces, and other unique shapes, a smaller set of colored blocks and
wooden gnomes, castle blcks, and ones with translucent colored panes, like
stained glass windows. I keep unused shelving boards behind the sofa and pull
out ...

A pen, a pen my kingdom for a pen

musingsfromme (Editor) 2009-08-25 16:57:52

With a kid, a preteen, a teen, a mom, and a dad in one household, we got through
pens, papers, scissors, rulers, pencils like you would not believe. It is not
that we use them up, but the pencils, etc. will just go missing for weeks on
end.

To cope with the "Where is [fill in name of office supply]? I cuse
a multi drawer rolling chest. The chest has 8 thin drawers. I designated a
drawer for pens, pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, stickers, rulers,
hole punchers, etc. Now when one of us wonders where an office supply is, we
look in the drawer. The rolling drawer is situated on the ground floor of our
house near the homework spots of the dining room, family room, and living room.

come down to their level

twincident (Author) 2009-08-25 17:24:06

When my twins were about 18 months I moved all of 'their' plates, cups, etc.
into a large drawer in my kitchen.

From a very early age they could get
themselves a plate or cup AND put them away. At first it made it fun for
them.
Now, as 6 year olds, they are just used to it and know that it's part of
their job.

Bath/Bed Time

KariewithaK (Author) 2009-08-25 18:19:16

My husband travels a lot so bathing my twins and my oldest is a chore to say the
least. I needed to find a streamline way to get them washed, dried, dressed and
into bed without having one run naked through the house.

So I put a cute open
top basket in our bathroom with plenty of towels, diapers, and jammies for the
week.

Now if I am alone to wash the twins and our oldest I am not running
around scrounging for jammies, towels or diapers. I just assembly line them out
of the tub one by one drying, diapering, and dressing and they are all set for
bed.

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