Cheerios New Author Contest Info And Giveaway

Cheerios_New_Author

This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to the winner, comment #18 from Teresa @tmy56!
Since 2002 when they created the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories® program, Cheerios has given away over 40 million books packaged in cereal boxes, and donated more than $3.2 million to First Book, an award winning children’s literacy non-profit that provides children from low-income families the opportunity to own their first new books. By putting children’s books inside specially marked boxes, Cheerios is providing more of the simple, basic ingredients that help nourish your whole child: 100% natural whole grain oats, just 1 gram of sugar and a great story.

My Dad eats a bowl of Cheerios almost every morning, and over the years he has collected quite a pile of the little storybooks out of the boxes.  First Ryan read them, then Nathan, and now Kaitlyn is sounding out the words in books like “No Dogs Allowed!” by Sonia Manzano, “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” by William Steig, and “Click Clack Moo” by Doreen Cronin. By partnering with publisher Simon & Schuster, Cheerios is putting some of the best books written for children today into the hands of kids and their parents.

We’ve been enjoying “How Do You Hug A Porcupine” by Laurie Isop, who was the 2009 winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest. In this cute rhyming book written in both English and Spanish, a little girl has fun hugging all kinds of animals while a little boy wonders how the heck to hug a porcupine – the answer is found on the last page! Laurie, a small business owner, mother of two boys, and aspiring author since the age of 12, can now add “published author” to her resume. In addition to her book being featured in more than three million specially-marked boxes of Cheerios, it will also be available in bookstores nationwide beginning this July.

Those who want to follow in Laurie’s footsteps and think they have the “write” stuff can visit www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com from March 22 through July 15, 2011 to find out how to enter the 2011 Cheerios® New Author Contest. Cheerios® is looking for the next great children’s book by a never-before-published author. It could be you!

WIN IT: Thanks to MyBlogSpark, we received a huge box of Cheerios that included the book, and a great “create-your-own” book kit for kids that contains two hard cover books and all the necessary materials to creatively fill the pages inside, including story starter ideas and colored pencils. One lucky MomReviews reader will win the same prize pack from MyBlogSpark thanks to Cheerios!

MAIN ENTRY: For your main entry, leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite book was when you were a child or what your child’s favorite book is now. This must be done before any bonus entries will count. Comments left with keywords instead of a real first name or blog name will be DELETED, no exceptions.

ENTRY DATES AND RULES: Enter by May 13th 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. One winner will be chosen using the “And The Winner Is” plugin and emailed for their mailing address. This information will be forwarded to the PR rep handling the giveaway, who will also be handling the shipment of the prize. MomReviews is not responsible for lost or stolen prizes.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

  • Subscribe to the MomReviews feed in a reader or by email using the convenient RSS button in the sidebar. Leave a comment telling me which way you subscribed. (1 entry)
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  • Like this giveaway on Facebook using the Like button at the top of the giveaway post, leave a comment letting me know. (1 entry)
  • Follow MomReviews on Twitter (1 entry)
  • Tweet the giveaway link using the retweet button at the top of the post or by copy/pasting this message: I’m entering to win a Cheerios Prize Pack from @MomReviews! Ends 5/13 http://bit.ly/jNxFJU. You can tweet once per day, leave a separate comment for each with your tweet URL. (1 entry per day)
  • THESE ARE WORTH THREE ENTRIES. LEAVE THREE NUMBERED COMMENTS FOR EACH THAT YOU DO:

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  • Link to MomReviews on your sidebar or grab my button from the sidebar and post it on your blog. Leave five separate, numbered comments with the URL.
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  • *******************
    I’ll choose the winner using the “And the Winner Is” plugin on May 13th, announce it by editing the post, and email the winner for their mailing address. Shipping will be handled by the sponsor. Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

    disclosure: Cheerios provided me with a free product, information, and the opportunity to host this giveaway through MyBlogSpark.

    Cheerios Snack Mix-deliciously addictive

    cheeriossnackmix.jpg Have you tried Cheerios Snack Mix yet? If not, pick up a bag the next time you are at the grocery store. Take it home, pour it into a bowl, and watch how fast it disappears. We got a bag of the Cheddar flavor, which was just okay, next time I’d like to try the Original. Cheerios Snack Mix is a General Mills product.

    The mix consists of six different things-Multigrain Cheerios, small twist pretzels, Wheat Chex (also a General Mills brand), Corn Chex, triangle-shaped cheese crackers, and bread twists. The cheddar flavoring reminded me a LOT of the powder used in Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, to be honest. I would have preferred a sharper tasting cheese, but my boys thought it was just the right flavor. We all wished there were more of the “bread twists”, which are like a small breadstick. Interestingly, the bread twists had the least amount of cheese powder on them too. Some of the Chex pieces were so covered in the powder, they were almost too salty.

    Nutritionally, Cheerios Snack Mix is not a bad choice. A 2/3 cup serving has 120 calories, 3 grams of fat (0 grams of trans fat), 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein. The sodium content is high though, 310 milligrams per serving, and that’s assuming you stop after just 2/3 cup. The amount that fits in one of those plastic snack-size storage bags is perfect for tossing in a lunch box or taking along in the car for when the munchies hit. I still prefer the original Chex Mix, but Cheerios Snack Mix is a yummy alternative.

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