Selecting the ten runner-ups and the grand prize winner for the Mom Skillz contest sponsored by myCharge was probably harder than judging any other contest in the history of this blog. And that’s saying something. As Angie (aka Fashion By Mayhem) said after reading my top 75 entries (read them here and here), “This is way freaking harder than I thought it was going to be. WAY.”
But besides being a hard choice, reading through all the mom skillz was awe-inspiring.
“Holy shit,” said Amy (aka Pregnant Chicken). “These women are amazing. The more I read the more the wind machine and Katy Perry ‘Roar’ amped up and I’m lucky I didn’t punch a hole in the drywall screaming ‘WOMEN ROCK!'”
In addition to Angie and Amy, the judges were myself, Karen (aka Baby Sideburns), Julie (aka Rants from Mommyland), and all of our mothers. Each judge was instructed to select a #1 and a #2 pick. When four of our ten judges came back with the same mom as their #1 pick, I made that mom our grand prize winner.
The grand prize winner of the Mom Skillz contest, who will take home a Mini iPad and a myCharge Hub 6000 is….
Why did the judges choose Jessica, besides the obvious?
Julie said Sophia’s smiling face “practically made me pass out from cuteness” and Karen said she loved how Jessica didn’t just fix things for her daughter, “she empowered her to change things for herself.”
Congratulations, Jessica! I hope your prize makes your holidays that much happier!
We have ten more runner-ups to award a hot pink myCharge Razor Plus. Each judge got to pick one.
Angie (aka Fashion By Mayhem) chose…
“I’m totally jealous of that ability,” Angie said. “It’s probably best I don’t have that though… I’d abuse that power in a heartbeat.”
Angie’s Mom chose…
Amy (aka Pregnant Chicken) chose…
“You know what I was doing at 25?” Amy said. “Getting drunk and buying boots. It’s one thing to say, ‘Wow, this kid needs someone to step up’ but it’s another thing to actually do it.”
Amy’s mom chose…
Amy’s mom said, “I am sure there is a baker out there who knows how this is done, but I don’t.”
Julie (aka Rants from Mommyland) chose…
Julie picked Billie because “a shared appreciation for Geek Culture is pretty much the glue that holds my family together.”
Julie’s Mom chose….
Julie’s mom says, “when you decide to love someone else’s baby like your own, that’s pretty much the best thing ever.”
Karen (aka Baby Sideburns) chose…
“Doing an awesome job as a mom is basically a big game of improv because kids are constantly throwing the unexpected at us,” Karen said. “The mom who thinks on her feet the fastest wins.”
Karen’s Mom chose…
Karen’s mom thought Lauren’s solution was “adorable and clever” plus, “it averted a possible meltdown!”
I (aka Mommy Shorts) chose…
I picked Lindsay because I bragged about my braiding skills and Lindsay totally showed me up. I know when I’ve been beat.
My Mom chose…
My mom says “being an advocate for her own family as well as a resource for others makes this woman a hero.”
So there you have it. Congratulations to all the winners! I hope you enjoy your prizes! Please contact abby@mommyshorts.com to claim them. And a big thank you to myCharge for sponsoring this contest and giving us all a reason to brag about what we do best.
MyCharge is “the ultimate in portable power solutions” and has many options for busy moms who must keep their devices (and their kids’ devices) charged throughout the day while on the go. The myCharge Hub 6000 has built-in cables and connectors for smartphones, tablets, e-readers or whatever device your little rugrat is choosing to drain the battery out of that day. You can get up to 27 hours of additional talk time, as well as integrated, quick-charge wall prongs. That’s why myCharge refers to it as their “Swiss Army Knife of portable power devices”.
The myCharge Razor Plus is super light, ultra-thin and delivers 13 hours of additional talk time for your smartphone. So you can let your kid play Candy Crush on your phone all through dinner at the diner and still be able to call Grandma on the way home. Did I mention it comes in hot pink?
To see all the myCharge products, click here. Personally, I think the patterned energy shots (see below) would make an awesome stocking stuffer.
Thanks to everyone who entered!
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This post was sponsored by myCharge, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wow! All amazing moms and lucky kids. I loved this contest even though I couldn’t think of a special skill myself. 🙂
All really incredible moms , incredible human beings.
Congratulations!
WOMAN ROCK. That’s it.
Darn typo. WOMEN ROCK.
This is not one of those contests where I’m like, “I should’ve won!!!” because I know I am soooo out of my league here. Well done, super moms!
To runner up Joy and her family: you ARE brave and amazing. I have so much respect for you. My heart broken reading your post. Please, please know he is with Jesus and you are in my prayers. Much love, fellow mama and family. <3 BOTH of your babies are so fortunate to have such love and dedication from their parents.
These are all great women. But a woman who acts like her child is special needs because of spd? Seeking attention for herself, is what that is. I get that spd is real. But a non-verbal child, a child with feeding tubes, a non-verbal child, etc….those are far more complex and ACTUAL special needs. All of the women here do what the 1st place winner does, and MORE. Im suprised she won. She seems like the kind of mom who talks about her childs “disability” to everyone and everything, to gain attention. Meanwhile, people with children who suffer with a lot worse, are rolling their eyes at this womans “look at me! look at me!” complex. Its spd..a minor glitch that will work itself out. Not a life-long medical disorder. Get over yourself.
Not sure what planet you are on, Abbi, but these three conditions are debilitating on their own, never mind together. Unless you have spd or know someone who suffers from it you have no idea how it prevents everyday activities. And migraines – I’m guessing you’ve never had one yourself? One a month is pretty horrendous, but 5-6 times a week? Add anxiety to the mix and you have a child with complex special needs and a pretty awesome mum. Did you enter the competition yourself, Abbi – is this where all these sour grapes are coming from??
Not a life long dissability? Really? I take it you don’t have any knowledge on the subject. It does not go away There are good days and bad days. Ranging from severe anxiety causing migraines just thinking about having to be in a crowd or is there something I can tolerate eating to how they think of themselves and being accepted. All dissability’s start with encouragement to learn to cope with and accept who they are. It’s people like you who make them feel different and cause low self esteem. Ihave a dissability that can not be seen and have worked with dissabled students after having my son for 21 years now. It takes 17 positives to undo one negative. She deserves the 1st place for finding an emotional tool that will inspire her child and others.!
I guess your ignorance must be blissful Aby. I hope you never have to suffer from migraines, never have a child with anxiety or SPD. My daughter has Aspergers, anxiety and spd so i understand the situation. Be thankful if you have never come across them. Feel free to educate yourself. Imagine how the world would be for all people with special needs if all the ignorant ones vanished?
CONGRATS TO THE WINNER. HOPING YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND YOUR DAUGHTER REALLY ENJOYS THE IPAD. X
Abbi, are you kidding me? This wasn’t a whose child is more disabled contest. This was about a mom’s personal experience with their special needs child. If one child is more functioning does that make them not disabled? Disabilities are not in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps you need to educated on this.
The term ‘special needs’ is used to collectively define those that require assistance due to physical, mental, behavioral, or medical disabilities or delays. This term is used in clinical diagnostics as well as in functional and educational settings.
As a parent of two SPD kids, I assure you it is very real and is something my children cope with daily. My youngest has a speech delay and was non verbal until 4. They have required speech, OT and PT. What is your definition of special needs?
Just to add in my two cents—
1) This wasn’t a competition about who has the most difficult job. The hair braider or the cake maker could have won just as easily.
2) I asked moms to brag about what they do. That was the whole point of the contest so to call her out as “attention seeking” just seems to me like you didn’t read the rules.
3) Her comment was inspiring for many people, which is why four out of ten judges picked Jessica. They each got to pick two people and there was no overlap otherwise— so Jessica was a pretty clear winner.
*non-mobile…not “non-verbal” the second time
Way to bring the mood down, Abbi. Sounds like you need to get over yourself. Congrats to the winners. Awesome moms all around!
You do realize there are different DEGREES of special needs, and it’s not just SPD that my daughter deals with. She has migraines 5-6 days a week, has severe acute anxiety, and has to be virtual schooled because of her issues.
So, are you saying that kids with Autism aren’t special needs? Are you saying that children with learning disabilities shouldn’t be in special education? Sorry my child isn’t “ill” enough for you. You are making a lot of assumptions about my daughter, and I am very offended by your remarks. SPD does NOT work itself out, by the by. It’s a lifelong medical problem she will have to learn to deal with forever. She’s had it since birth – and I saw it within 2 hours of her birth.
You’re the one on the high horse. You have absolutely NO idea what I have to do with Sophia on a daily basis, and what she has to do to make it through her days without meltdowns, screaming from pain of the sounds of PAPER, getting through a lesson with blurry vision of her near daily migraines. SPD is just one part of her life. You obviously can’t read very well.
My daughter absolutely deserves this award. She has come so far. This iPad and win was not for ME. It was for her. The iPad will be used to help with her school instruction.
Now, I’m going to hug my child a little harder knowing that there are such arrogant, self-loathing people out there that are ballsy enough to judge a 6 year-old and ME because she is a sore loser. People like you are the reason she has such horrible anxiety. I roll my eyes at YOU.
Waaaaay to late I finally realized what my (bragable) mom skill is. I am so good at giving birth. My kids were impatient and I got to the hospital at 10cm and they were both born within 45 mins (no at home laboring). I am damn proud of myself for pushing 2 kids out sans epidural! (Not my plan for sure) most painful thing I have experienced ever! Now if I could only get the rest of this parenting thing nailed down
Abbi, people who have children with “greater disabilities” do not roll their eyes at those who are more functional. This judgement only presents in those who do not fully understand the challenges faced by kids and parents when a child has any, if not all three, of these conditions… Ignorance and lack of compassion. I hope you take the time to really learn about these disabilities. Spend a little time with a kid like Sophia. It may help you more than it helps her.
Abbi, wow judge much? I am 49 years old and the mom of 4 boys, all of whom have some degree of disability. I don’t go around telling others about my sons and all they have overcome to gain sympathy or attention; I tell people about them, because they have overcome so much to be where they are today. One of my sons is a police officer (became a Sargent by age 30), one who is a fire fighter (both paid and volunteer), one who went into the military, and one who is still at home.
All of my boys have had some form of disability. My youngest is the worst. He has anxiety, SPD, Apraxia of Speech, and ADHD with learning/development delays. You obviously have NO idea what it is to have a child with disabilities. It’s not a competition about whose child has the worst disability, but about which mom has a super power. Sometimes that power is in the eye of the child and not something that means anything to you!
Do some research and spend some time with some children who suffer these awful maladies and maybe you will have some compassion for others, instead of judging them for not being disabled enough for you!!!
I