Giveaways

Get in on the fit family fun at the Color Vibe 5K THIS Saturday (WIN!)

I’ve written about my 5K adventures in the past and now there’s something new to try. It’s always been about the big time clock for me. Did I run faster than my last race? Did I run more minutes? Was I able to run more consecutive minutes or a farther distance? I won’t lie…it’s never been for entertainment. Every 5K I’ve done has been goal-focused. On Saturday, there’s an opportunity for runners to go a different direction.

Families from across the Grand Strand and visiting the area will take part in the Color Vibe 5K at the Myrtle Beach Speedway! Yes. Someone will run this race and cross the finish line first. Everyone else is in it to have a good time and be active with their families and friends. You can dance, skip, mime, or whatever else you’d like throughout the course. Fun!

Throughout it, there are color stations for you to run through. The race organizers have t-shirts and other merchandise, including MORE COLOR, for purchase while registering or at the race. Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty!

Whether you’re a seasoned runner or someone wanting to see what it’s all about for the first time, you’ll have a blast! Your kids will too, as everyone ages 12 and under runs for free!

Now here’s the best part.

The organizers of the Color Vibe 5K have given me two registrations to give one lucky reader! To enter all you have to do is answer the following question in the comments of this blog post.

What’s your favorite way to stay active with your family?

The contest closes at 9 pm on Wednesday, July 15, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random and must be 18 years of age or older. If you win, you’ll be notified by email, so please be sure to provide a valid address when commenting. While the contest will be promoted on social media, no likes, comments, shares, or retweets on Facebook or Twitter will constitute an entry. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the email. If he or she fails to do so, a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Enter to win a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card TODAY!

By Melissa Byers

Dunkin' Donuts giveaway Last week my family left the beautiful Grand Strand and headed north on everyone’s favorite, I95. We started our trip with a treat – coffee, bagels, and donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts – right on 501. I like to think it keeps the “how much longer, Mommy” in for an extra 50 miles, at least!

The drive went well, but like on any vacation that involves family visits, parties, and a little sightseeing, you’re constantly tired. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to see that orange and pink DD every two miles. Dunkin’ Donuts was breakfast, a mid-morning recharge, my late-afternoon savior, and dessert. I paid with their app, which was convenient.

They’ve got these awesome new breakfast sandwiches on a pretzel roll, which is seriously delicious. I’m also loving the Oreo Coolatta.

Is your mouth watering? Are you ready for an awesome summer goody? Awesome. I have good news for you!

You can WIN a $10 Dunkin’ Donuts gift certificate!

Dunkin’ Donuts has provided me with a $10 gift certificate to be loaded onto their app. You can learn more it and how to download it onto your iPhone or Android device here. All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me your favorite item to get a Dunkin’ Donuts! One lucky winner will be chosen at random.

The contest closes at 10 pm eastern on Friday, July 10, 2015. The winner must be 18 years of age or older. If you win, you’ll be notified by email, so please be sure to provide a valid address when commenting. While the contest will be promoted on social media no likes, comments, shares, or retweets on Facebook or Twitter will constitute an entry. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the email. If he or she fails to do so, a new winner will be chosen.

There are 23 Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout the Grand Strand, but this gift certificate via the Dunkin’ Donuts app is valid at any location.

Good luck!

You can connect with Dunkin’ Donuts on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Enter to win amazing prizes in the ‘Celebrate your Tradition’ contest from Tuttorosso!

By Melissa Byers Leave a Comment

I was completely delighted recently to get the opportunity to sample some tasty products from Tuttorusso. They offer a wide variety of canned tomatoes, which isn’t something I typically use. Let me tell you a bit about my experience.

Last weekend my family had their hearts set on an Italian meal. When it comes to red sauces, I hit both ends of the spectrum. I’m either going full out homemade with my godmother’s family recipe or go with whichever jar is on sale in the grocery store.

My godmother’s recipe is heavily guarded and was literally a wedding present. While I’d love to share it, I promised I’d keep it safe. What I will reveal is that it’s got depth. It’s obviously tomato-based, but has cooking wine in it, along with other bold ingredients. It takes hours to simmer and is delicious. It’s also a ridiculous amount of work! To make it worth it, you’ve got to make a big batch that will last for many meals. The prep, which includes cutting pounds of fresh tomatoes, and clean up is substantial and not often feasible.

The jar is the other extreme. There are none that I consider better than “good enough.” The majority of them are full of salt, sugar, and other unrecognizable ingredients. They’re okay, but not great.

I decided to go up the middle and trying out the Tuttorosso® Tomato Puree and Tuttorosso® Diced Tomatoes In Rich Tomato Juice in their Pasta Arrabiata recipe. My only modification was longer cooking time so I could put the Italian sausage I prepared on the grill in and have it soak up some flavor.

The sauce was DELICIOUS! The tomato products were bright and flavorful. They really highlighted the natural flavor of the tomatoes and weren’t overly seasoned, salty, or sweet. We really enjoyed it and I’m certain I’ll make it again. In fact, I think this sauce has upped the standard for me. No more “good enough” jar sauce. The prep time was minimal and the flavor was worth a few minutes of work!

The other recipe I prepared with the Tuttorosso tomato products was a southern favorite – pulled pork. Better yet, it was prepared in the slow cooker.

I don’t know if your family is like mine, but our weeknights are busy. After-school hours are filled with home, sports, and other commitments. We try to take time to sit down together for dinner, but, while I hate to admit this, sometimes it’s hard. When I don’t have to spend a ton of time making the meal, our odds of enjoying some family time are dramatically better.

The Slow Cooker Pulled Pork required only a spice rub, which was put on the pork the night before, and a can of the Tuttorosso® Crushed Tomatoes With Basil No Salt Added when you’re ready to put it in the crock pot. Eight hours later, after several hours of mouth-watering smells, you’re ready to go. All I did was split some buns, put out prepared cole slaw, and served raw veggies and dip. It was so simple.

Other pulled pork recipes I made included bottled barbecue sauce. Much like jarred pasta sauce, that had tons of salt and sugar. While both ingredients were in the spice rub for this recipe, they were minimal. The tomatoes, which created the sauce, had no salt. Trust me, it wasn’t missed. The tomatoes brought out the flavor in the pork and added great moisture to the meat. It was gobbled up!

Enter to win!

I’m sharing these recipes and my experience because I’m hoping you’ll both try the fantastic products from Tuttorosso, as well as enter their “Celebrate your tradition” contest. All you have to do is “like” their Facebook page and tell them about special family traditions you have in the kitchen. The winner will receive a $250 prize pack that includes a serving plate, sauce ladle, pasta pot set and heirloom wooden spoon, plus $300 to a dinner celebration of the winner’s choosing!

The contest runs through May 7, 2014 and each entrant will receive a meal-occasion themed digital recipe flipbook with a $1.00/4 coupon, recipes, and cooking tips.

Thank you to Tuttorosso for the opportunity to try and write about your products. I’ve been missing out!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Giveaway: Autographed copies of Charlie’s Monsters – A Halloween Tale

By Melissa Byers

charlie I had the pleasure of meeting local children’s author, Tammy Appleton, recently. She’s written an adorable story about Charlie, Bobby’s pet fish, and his spooky Halloween experience. It’s filled with brilliant illustrations and a story that will empower young children to face their fears.

Tammy has been kind enough to sign and offer two copies of Charlie’s Monsters – A Halloween Tale as a giveaway for my readers! To enter, just comment on this post (no posts on Facebook or Twitter will count as entries), and tell us your child’s favorite book. Two comments will be selected at random as the winner.

To be eligible you can only enter one time and must provide a valid email address (which will not be displayed) so I can contact you if you win. The contest runs from Tuesday, October 15, 2013 to noon on Friday, October 18, 2013.

If you win, you’ll be contacted via email on Friday, October 18, 2013. If you do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Good luck!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

A back-to-school treat for moms – an Origami Owl giveaway!

By Melissa Byers

It’s been awhile, but I couldn’t be more excited. It’s giveaway time!

Moms, it’s been a long, albeit fun, summer. I started it with fantastic intentions of long days at the beach and pool, doing crafts, and generally relaxing with my kids. Instead, I worked a ton, we spent more time than I wanted watching TV, and I heard variations of things like, “Mommmm, she’s breathing on me. Mommmm we’re bored. Mommmmmmmmmmm…”

As the summer came to an end, the little ones got to pick out goodies to start their year and off they went. Now it’s OUR turn and I’ve got a treat for you! Cristina Egloff, an Independent Designer with Origami Owl, has offered a wonderful prize for one (and possibly two!) reader.

I became an Origami Owl fan a few months ago when a friend was having an online party. I clicked through the pages as the concept became clear. The company features customized jewelry that tells your story. The Living Locket is a glass locket that you fill with floating charms and plate that are meaningful to you. When Cristina told me about hers, it included her children’s birthstones, for example. It was beautiful and I could tell how special her charm choices were to her.

I’ve built my locket online and it is a large silver locket with crystals, my children’s birthstones, a palm tree, the girl dog charm, an “M” and a silver cross. What’s so cool is that you can have options. Don’t want to spend as much as it would take to build your dream locket? Go small at first and add gradually. Want more versatility with your locket? Purchase different collections of charms and have one set for the Christmas holiday season, one for the summer, and one to support your child’s athletics with a charm for the sport and team colors. The locket opens easily and allows you to switch out or add charms in just seconds.

Origami Owl also has “tags.” They are plates with words on them, similar to military dog tags, meant to be worn on a chain but adorned with words that are empowering and inspirational. Switch them around to get the look makes you feel great for the day.

You can see all that this great company has to offer on Cristina’s page. While you’re there, pick out a few things you absolutely love because she is giving one lucky reader of MyrtleBeachforFamilies.com a $25 gift certificate! To enter, just comment on this post (no posts on Facebook or Twitter will count as entries), and tell us which charm would be most meaningful to you. One comment will be selected at random as the winner.

To be eligible you can only enter one time and must provide a valid email address (which will not be displayed) so I can contact you if you win. The contest runs from Monday, August 26, 2013 to noon on Friday, August 30, 2013.

If you win, you’ll be contacted via email on Friday, August 30, 2013. If you do not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

Here’s where it really gets good. Cristina is hoping to also build a following over on her Facebook page (aren’t we all?!). If she reaches 150 likes by the end of the contest on Friday, she will give a second $25 gift certificate for another lucky winner, chosen and contacted by the same method as the first. While you’re there, have a look at her photos for beautiful ideas for building your own locket!

Want to read more? Check out the latest on the Myrtle Beach for Families blog.

Giveaways

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