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By Mom Unplugged, April 16, 2007 8:00 am

Can you and your family turn off the TV for one whole week?

In honor of TV Turn-Off Week, I would like to propose a TV Turn-Off Week Blog Challenge as an aid in turning off the TVs, and encouraging others to do so also. Plus, there is even A BRIBE…err…I mean PRIZE!! I will award a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate to a random participant. The way I thought it could work is this:1) If you want to commit to “The Challenge,” add a comment to this post.

2) Add your name to “Mr. Linky.”

3) Copy the little image below and place it somewhere on the main page of your blog (right click on it, select “save as” to save to your hard drive, then upload to your blog as usual). Link the image back to this post (please make sure it is the POST not my main blog page). Please email me if you need help with any of this. If you really don’t want the image, that is OK, but it would help spread the word.

4) Write a post about “The TV Turn-Off Week Blog Challenge” preferably before April 23rd so as to spread the word. We want to get as many participants as possible in order to make it fun and effective! Tell them why you are doing it and how they can join too.

5) Also, it would be really great if you could please link back here (to this post) from your post so that your readers can easily find all the other participants.

6) During National TV Turn-Off Week (April 23-29, 2007), KEEP THE TV OFF AND HAVE FUN!!! Play board games, read all those great books on your Callapidder Days - Spring Reading Thing list, take walks, play sports, garden (it is finally spring!) do art projects, clean out your closets, visit the library, cook meals together, have a garage sale, blog more or blog less, throw a party or a picnic…the possibilities are endless.

7) At the end of the week write another post describing how it went, whether you were successful, what you did, how it felt, would you do it again, etc…say whatever you are moved to say! If you want to write a series of posts all week about it, go right ahead. Hey…you could get a week’s worth of posts out of this! What is your family doing day by day? Inspire others. Help them find ideas for TV-free activities!

I hope that we will have some interested people. With a little involvement, this could be fun and rewarding. If you think this a worthwhile cause, whether or not you intend to participate, please help spread the word. I do not have a big readership yet and without a little help, this “Challenge” will involve only me and my ever-faithful best friend. It would be much more fun with a larger turnout!

Thanks and please feel free to email me with any questions (unplugyourkids “a t” gmail “d o t” com).

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By Mom Unplugged, March 14, 2007 10:17 am

No, this is not another post about my two favorite obsessions mess and stuff.

1) CONTEST DEADLINE

Today I just want to remind everyone that the deadline for entering the “My String Is A…” contest is on Friday (March 16th). Click here for the details.

Brad Hauber from Bubblegum Books found my blog and left the following comment regarding the contest:

“Thanks for posting information about the “My String Is A…?” contest. While it ends March 16, we (Bubblegum Books) plans to team up with the organizers of TV-Turnoff Week again next year for another contest. We’ll keep you posted. Take part in TV-Turnoff Week. Read a great book that will spark the imagination (like “The Things A String Can Be”). Thanks. Brad Hauber - Bubblegum Books”

Thanks Brad! Please keep us updated on your contests.

2) TV-TURNOFF WEEK IDEA

I thought that in honor of TV-Turnoff Week we could try a little experiment. I plan on trying out my very own Mr. Linky for the first time. During that week I would like any interested bloggers to write a post about what your kids are up to instead of watching TV. You could even post a picture of their artwork, anything at all! All you will have to do is link to your post with Mr. Linky. TV-Turnoff Week begins April 23 so you have plenty of time to think about it. We will probably be a small and intimate group judging by my readership numbers so far, but it could be a fun way to observe TV-Turnoff Week. What do you think? If you think it is a good idea, please help spread the word!

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By Mom Unplugged, March 5, 2007 7:07 pm

Looking for something for you and your kids to do during your non-TV viewing time? Enter the “My String Is A…” contest sponsored by the Center For Screen-Time Awareness and Bubble Gum Books!

The contest is based on the picture book “The Things A String Can Be” written by Julie Goulis and illustrated by John Ferguson. Apparently, the book follows a little boy and his friends who use their imaginations and a piece of string to dream up many adventures. Bubble Gum Books’ press-release says:

“Based on the book’s theme of using the imagination, the ‘My String Is A…?’ contest encourages elementary-school children, teachers and families to use their imaginations to come up with their own ideas of fun things that can be done with string. It could be an activity, project, adventure or anything using string. The idea is to be as creative and imaginative as possible.”

Sounds fun! But hurry up, the deadline is March 16th, 2007 (National Hiccup Day, more on that later)!! The ten most interesting ideas will be announced during TV-Turnoff Week (April 23-29, 2007) and prizes will be awarded. The grand prize is a visit to the winner’s school from the author and/or illustrator of the book.

Click here for details of how to enter. Good luck!