Today is another exciting day in Mommy Shorts history as I am giving away my biggest prize to date. One lucky reader will win an iPad 2 (which starts at $499 for those of you who are not already actively coveting one).
The giveaway is being sponsored by Vonage "Time To Call" in return for promoting their new cheap and easy international calling app.
Since I am currently family-less in Argentina (and perhaps stranded for longer than I planned due to the hurricane), the timing of the promotion seems oddly fitting.
The Vonage "Time To Call" app is a free download for your iPhone, iPad or iTouch that lets you make 15 minute calls to 190+ countries with a flat rate that gets billed directly to your iTunes account. (100 countries are 15 minutes for $1.99 or less and 90 additional countries are 15 minutes for $2.99 – $9.99— excluding applicable taxes.) The app works on Wi-Fi worldwide and on 3G in the US and Canada. Plus you don't have to be a Vonage home customer to use it. You can download the app for free here.
It's incredibly easy-to-use interface looks like this:
Argentina, if you are curious, clocks in at just $1.99 for a 15 minute call.
And let me just say, as much as I love talking to my 20 month-old daughter while I am out of the country, I have learned that a 15 minute phone call from her is more than enough time. (I'm speaking of the video-less variety.)
Have you ever talked on the phone to a one-year-old in front of a group of co-workers? How 'bout on a crowded plane before take-off? No way in hell I would want to be the childless stranger privy to that nauseating five minutes of baby talk screamed at top volume.
(I think I'm screaming because I know Mazzy doesn't necessarily have the phone diligently held up to her ear, but I cannot be sure.)
Besides yelling at the top of my lungs, I am also aware that I use only two or three toddler-friendly phrases because they elicit an understandable response and then repeat them over and over again.
So my side of the conversation might sound something like this:
"HI MAZZY!… HI!…. HI!… IT'S MOMMY!… HI!… IT'S MOMMY!… I LOVE YOU!… I LOVE YOU!… I LOVE YOU TOO!… HI!… HI MAZZY!… DID YOU GO OUT TO PLAY TODAY?… DID YOU GO OUT TO PLAY TODAY?… YES, IT'S MOMMY!… I LOVE YOU!… HI!…"
Lucky for everyone, Mazzy knows when to call it quits before I do. Ten minutes in, five "I love yous" and one "Hokey Pokey" singalong complete, my daughter will take it upon herself to say— "Bye! See you!"
"BYE! SEE YOU!" I shout loud enough to reverberate off the walls, kill various forms of wild life and break every plate within a five mile radius.
I guess the rationale is— she might not be able to see me but GODDAMNIT, she is gonna HEAR ME!
Along with every other person from here to Chile.
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iPAD 2 GIVEAWAY RULES
You must be a Mommy Shorts facebook fan to enter. If you are not already a fan, you can easily become one by clicking "like" on the facebook widget on my right sidebar or by clicking here. I would also appreciate if you "liked" the giveaway by clicking the facebook "like" button below this post, but it is not required.
There are THREE POSSIBLE ENTRIES. For each entry, please leave an additional comment below the post. It's the only way to keep track.
1) Leave a comment below answering the following question: If your child could call anyone in the world, who would it be? Extra credit if you tell me what they would say. For instance Mazzy might call me in Argentina to say "Come home, Mommy!" or more likely she would call Elmo to say, "More celebrity duets, less Mr. Noodle please!"
2) Upload a photo of your baby/toddler talking on the phone to the wall of the Mommy Shorts facebook fanpage. Again, tell me who they are calling and/or what they are saying.
3) Tweet the giveaway link using both @mommyshorts and #timetocall within the tweet.
Winner will be announced on Tuesday, August 30th.
Good luck!!!
UPDATE: This contest is over. Click here for the winner.
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If you want to increase your chances of winning, Vonage is giving away 75 more iPads through other blogs. You can find links to all the participating blogs by clicking HERE. You cannot win more than one iPad in the competition. Also, depending on where the winners live they may receive the Apple iPad 2 32 GB WiFi, or the equivalent Apple Gift Card to use at an Apple retailer.
Tweeted!
Tweeted : )
http://twitter.com/#!/simplysoirees
My child would call Ms. Stephanie (her daycare provider) and tell her the new word she learned today was “ass -juice” or what we call it when a dog blows out its anal glands. Yeah.
My dad (her “Rex”) in Saudi Arabia!
tweet!
http://twitter.com/#!/channynn/status/107142774150799361
My child would call Santa Claus. He would ask how old he is.
My kids would call their grand mother who is 86 and ailing.
My one year old loves calling his grandfather “Zaidy” but all he says is “hi” and “stuck” he would love to say “can I help you fix things with your tools?”
my girls would call their grand mother who is 86 and ailing
If my kids could call anyone they would call their daddy and tell him to come home. He works a lot if hours and they look up to him so much and miss him tons! Also, I REALLY want this…please choose me!!!
https://twitter.com/#!/aahaft/status/107145904523460608
Tweet – https://twitter.com/#!/happishopr/status/107146269188825088
My son would call people who don’t want to talk to him. Although he MUST HAVE THE PHONE whenever I am on it, if it is someone who wants to talk to him (like my husband), my son will decide that he no longer wants the phone anymore. He’s only 7 months old, so I’ll give him a break.
My daughter Fiona would call me and most likely ask me for something – anything that costs money.
My son Cooper (who is almost 2) would call Swiper (the fox from Dora) as he is constantly telling that fox NO NO, NO SWIPING! He tells it to the TV when it’s on, but uses his play phone to give Swiper the what for!
Mine would want to call their grandparents.
My daughter would call my mother in law and say “Mommy is boring, because she doesn’t tell me how BRILLIANT and how STRONG I am when I yank handfuls of hair out of HER head and stick it in my mouth…”
My son would call Clark Klent and ask him to come over as Superman.
Well, I don’t have any kid, so can I use my cat as an example? She would definitely call some fishing boat out in the Atlantic and tell them to HURRY BACK WITH HER TUNA!!
Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/Angloaddict/status/107150482262335488
It depends which kid. My almost 8 year old son would call Steve Jobs, because he’s my computer genius and he has a few ideas to run by him. My 5 year old doesn’t care for phones (can’t blame him) but might make an exception for Tom & Jerry, the cat and mouse from the cartoon. Though of course they’re a cat and mouse so that seems doubly impossible. Then there’s my 3 year old daughter, who will talk to anyone on the phone but will probably like talking to herself most of all because that’s just how she is.
I am Liking you on FaceBook.FaceBook Name :- Bhattacharya Sushruta.Also liked this giveaway post. 🙂
Thank You for the opportunity. 🙂
[ peti1212@gmail.com ]
If my child could call anyone in the world, that would it me.She would most probably say , i can’t live without you mom.Please come home ASAP.
[ peti1212@gmail.com ]
Alright GF, I posted the FB page!
my child would call from Australia and say “haha mommy, im in australia and you arent, mate!” 🙂
I tweeted this! http://twitter.com/#!/Jessica_Ward_ss/status/107156825949999105
Uploaded a photo of our baby on your FaceBook wall.
FaceBook Name :- Bhattacharya Sushruta
[ peti1212@gmail.com ]
i liked you on FB too
Tweeted the giveaway :- http://twitter.com/#!/SRK_IS_GOD/status/107158439091912705
Also following you on Twitter ( @srk_is_god ).
[ peti1212@gmail.com ]
Thank you for the opportunity. 🙂
my daughters would call me from the beach in NC and say “when can we move down here?”!!
My toddler would call the Fresh Beats band.
Oh. And now I have put a pic on Facebook. 231 comments already?! Nice work. I did all three things. Feel free to put an extra tally in the basket for me just cause 😉
My son would choose to call his Grandma or Barney, He would then probably not talk once they were on the phone like he always does with Grandma!
I’m not sure yet – Dayne is only six months old. Maybe the Backyardagins to ask if he could join in on the fun. He seems to love that show.
I don’t have kids yet, but I would call my friend in England, to tell her that I won the lottery and was flying her here for our other friend’s wedding in a couple weeks!
My 12 year old son Doug would call his cousin Al who is in the Navy and stationed in Japan. Doug and Al have always been very close, with Al being like a big brother to my son. Doug would first ask him if he was having fun, what he was doing and when he would be coming home.
I’m a FB friend (Margaret E. Smith)
Thanks so much
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/peg42/status/107165127291305984
Thanks
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com
I tweeted the contest. My daughter would call her best friend Shoshana who moved 6,000 miles away to the Middle East and would say “I miss you!”
My kids would call their Grandad in Australia and they would tell him that it snowed here the other day! it NEVER snows here!
My 21-month old would probably call grandma and sing the alphabet song!
If mia could call ANYONE in the world it would probably be
tinkerbell! she would probably say to her…”hi tinkerbell! do you live in disneyland?? that’s what my mommy says. I’m gonna come see you for my birthday!! I love you so much!
Ella asks to talk on the computer to her Grammy Sita pretty much every day.
I set her up with a bowl of cereal and the computer and get ten minutes of free time in the morning!
Tata is the baby that all my family take care, we are all the babysitter, but he miss his mom often, he only see her some days in the week, she is so busy, he would call her asking for her to come home.
My pic of Tata:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=7380234&l=9af83eb539&id=827494196
My tweet:
http://twitter.com/#!/capitanmelao/status/107177818852564992
I tweeted about this! =)
@DrGEN
My 3 yr old Daughter would call her Grammy to ask if was her birthday again and could grammy bring another present…
My kids would want to call their uncle and talk about video games.
If your child could call anyone in the world, who would it be?
My cats. Even though he’s sitting right next to them. torturing them.
I just tweeted! http://twitter.com/#!/shawnamp/status/107193028673945600
She would definitely call the dog. they speak on the phone on a regular basis.
i like you on fb under name elle lifepath
My son says he would call SpongeBob and my daughter would call Carly from iCarly.
Oh, and if I win this . . . they are not getting their sticky cookie fingers on the iPad. I’m tired of scraping crust off of my current laptop after they play games.
I liked you on fb as patricia skinner
My son would call me and ask if I can cook some spaghetti.
dawns_horizen@yahoo.com
link to tweet https://twitter.com/#!/Old_Stuz/status/107193823255461889
Liked on facebook as Stuart Old
My seven year old Isaac would like to call his Chinese teacher from last year Ms Le and tell her all about this year’s teacher. My five year old would like to call Batman and tell him he is the coolest Superhero and that he loves him! My boys are completely opposite! LOL!
My little boy Liam loves talking to his daddy while he is away at work. He also loves talking to his Nanas & telling them how his day has been. He is a little chatter box. He also is starting to become aware of computers so he would love to learn to use the iPad if we were to win it. He mostly says hello daddy & Nana Nana repeatedly.
If my child could call anyone in the world, she would call Justin Beiber. I am not joking. It pains me that I cant answer “Me”. *sigh*
And Tweeted as well!!!!
My daughter would probably call Mary Poppins. She has repeatedly asked if our next vacation can be “on the rooftops of London.” She believes that we will be able to climb soot staircases & dance with the chimney sweeps. She had the entire lyrics to the movie memorized after 3 viewings (at about age 3.5)
My kid is still relatively non-verbal so she would call “Baba” (grandma) and tell her that Rory (our lab) is a “bad dog”
Just asked my 4 year old and he said, “I would call Nascar to talk to number 88. My name is Brayden and I have a remote control race car, not a Nascar, but it is blue and red and goes really fast. I like to play with it all the time but my mommy hates it. Nascar is very cool, it is my favorite, number 88 is green and white. Bye.” End quote. Yikes.
I uploaded a photo to facebook! But I didn’t say who she was calling 🙁 she said it was a secret…
Tweeted! (reluctantly)
The child would call Santa and ask for a Wii.
If my child were to call anyone in the world, it would be her grandmother in the Philippines. She would talk about the latest news on her pet bunny.
I tweeted the contest!
http://twitter.com/#!/meagl/status/107219484372238336
My 2 1/2 year old says she would call “UNCLE DAVID!!” and tell him all about her day. However, when we actually call Uncle David she usually just nods her head (which he cannot see over the phone) and stares at the phone with her big blue eyes while he tries to have a conversation.
My kids would call their Yaya (filipino grandma) and ask her to come and make them crepes. Which they pronounce “craps”, much to my great delight.
Oh, and I already Like you, of course, but I did Like this post as well.
http://twitter.com/#!/ky2here1/status/107224780394074113
ky2here at msn dot com
If my daughters could call anyone in the world, they would call our friends who are in Belgium for 2 more years, and they would say, “Come home sooner!”. If they could call ABSOLUTELY anyone my 9 year old would call Katy Perry and tell her that she loces her hair. My 7 year old would call Smurfette because she rocks! Funny, because Katy Perry was Smurfette in the movie!
I tweeted about the giveaway. @adlf2000
My 9 month old son would call daddy bcause thats his favorite person right now. He’d also say DADA over and over again, and everytime it makes my hubbys day.
I’ll tweet this and “like” mommy shorts on fb when I get home from work. I really want a Ipad.
Do I need to leave comment for both, or just the tweet?
Tweeted about the giveaway! (@edgar_m0x)
I tweeted
http://twitter.com/rilekat/status/107232753451413504
rilekat at gmail dot com
My 4 year old would call Auntie Mimi in Phoenix and try to feed her food through the screen! Auntie Mimi would read bedtime stories to her two favorite nephews (4 and 8 months) since she can’t be here to do it often enough 🙂
My son would call me when I’m at work and his dad is watching him asking for milk sans bottle. “Nah!”
My son would call his host brother in Germany who he stayed with two summers ago…and would most likely ask him to send more gummy frog candies.
I tweeted too…and my kids? No longer cute on the phone, so I can’t enter that way…
If my daughter could call anyone in the world it would be her daddy and she would say “da da da da” because that’s all she can say right now! And her twin brother would be in the background screaming because that’s all he can do right now!
My husband is a first generation immigrant from Peru, so we frequently call South America. When Caitlyn is on the phone to Peru she usually just smiles and tries to press buttons, but I’m sure one day she will say “hola abuela!”. WE WOULD LOVE THE IPAD!!!
My 4 year old would call her Papa and Nana to ask for a sleepover. I guess she like the food and entertainment better over there.
My son would call his best friend and talk about swords and battles.
My 5 year old son would call Katy Perry and I’m sure he’d say, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag??” He is in LOVE with Katy!!
my 20-month-old would call Rachel from “Signing Time”, probably to try to convince her to adopt him and take him away to the giant treehouse and away from here where his mean mommy MAKES HIM TAKE BATHS even when he has clearly said NO. Luckily, he would probably try to do most of it in sign language, so we’d only stand a chance of losing him to signing-time-world if we used video calling.
I asked my 3 yr old son and he said he would call Nike, my mom’s bird. He would say “hi Nike, nice to meet you. I will come back to Nana’s soon”.
Here is my Tweet…
https://twitter.com/#!/SrViciio/status/107251110523318272
If I win, I think I’ll call my old college roommate in Turkey. We haven’t spoken since college so maybe it’s “Time to Call”!
Gracelyn would call her nanan, or her daddy when hes at work. she mostly likes to just hear their voice.. or she sings pokerface to them.. shes a ham. and loves lady gaga.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1966968809235&set=o.153515434662274&type=1&theater
also p[osted on fb..
My little one would call Batman in Gotham City and ask if he could have a ride in his car- oh wait – Gotham isn’t a real place?????- so he would probably call his grandparents.
http://twitter.com/#!/tnsnx/status/107273573479088129-
tweeted
My kids would call their favorite cousin, Braxton! They would tell him to come over, so they can play outside!
I like Mommy Short on Facebook Christina Brundick
My twin daughters would call Dora and they would ask Donde esta la mochila y la mapa? (where is the backpack and the map?)
whoops,sorry thought this was supposed to be the 1st post. I’ll add my tweet link to this one
http://twitter.com/#!/sunshyne1977/status/107281427715989504
He’s only 5 months old,but I’m sure his grandmother in Canada would like to hear his grunting and squeals.
I’m pretty sure my boys would request to call Santa and ask him to speed up Christmas. You and I know he probably won’t answer but I’m telling you now, that’s who they would want to call!!
My tweet! http://twitter.com/#!/elainea/statuses/107288384438943744
Mmy son would call spongebob asn ask him why he live sin a pineapple under the sea
stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net