Good morning! and welcome to the Group Effort Pay it Forward! In case you have been SKIMMING, here is what’s happening:
1) A whole bunch of us are starting fresh new Pay it Forward contests, all together, all at the same time. Anyone may join in. (Email the URL of your contest to swistle at gmail dot com so I can add you to the list.)
2) All the contests will end Friday July 4th. Keep checking this post for more contests: I’ll keep posting them here as more start up.
3) Each winner will get a gift in the mail. Each winner will then continue on the grand tradition, holding his or her own Pay it Forward contest. Typically such a contest starts with a photo of the received loot, so we can all snoop nosily.
I will link below to all the contests, adding more as more start. Please feel free to click right on down the list, entering every single one: that is in fact what we have in mind here. Please feel free to enter even if you are also throwing a contest: this has the potential to create fun little loops.
If you win more than one contest, you can throw a single Pay it Forward contest of your own, choosing one winner for each time you won. OR, you can accept one winning and ask the other bloggers to choose a new winner.
A few people wanted to enter the contest, even though they don’t have blogs. For those, I will draw additional winners from my own Pay it Forward contest. The blogless participants are:
1) Dynamita, who lives in LONDON, and that immediately makes me wonder about COOL LONDON STUFF.
2) My good brick-and-mortar friend Lee.
3) Andrea, who lives in AUSTRALIA, and that immediately makes me wonder about COOL AUSTRALIAN STUFF.
4) Libby, who once thought I was British and therefore was immediately on my good side.
And now here is a list of blogs running Pay it Forward contests (I’ll keep adding to it as people keep emailing me) (hint: the ones toward the bottom of the list have been up for less time, and therefore have fewer entries and a greater chance of winning):
Parking at Home
Mimi All Me
My Little Monkey
and the duck said…
The New Girl
Cookiemonks
All Dressed Up
Pantsfreesia
Twists and Turns
Incubation Nation
Our House
Everyday Life
Andrea Unplugged
Alice’s Wonderland
Messing With Texas
Cerebral Palsy Baby
Sublime Bedlam
Smiling Mama
Splendid Sustenance
The Creamery
Move Along – There’s Nothing to See Here
It’s Not About That Anyway
Just a Bunch of Silliness, Really
3 Giraffes
Life of a Daycare Girl
Eleanor Q.
Midwest Mom
As Many as We’re Given
Keeping Up With the Laughlins…
Emblita’s External Monologue
Honest and Truly!
Everyday Bailey
Totally Serial
It’s My Life
Get Up and Play
Clueless but Hopeful Mama
Sunday School Rebel
Tina Hearts Adam
Emily is Enceinte
Yes, I Would Really Like to be Thin
Amelia Sprout
A Little Left of Lost
Random Rantings
Mommy Daisy
Bethtastic
Under Construction
The True Adventures of Axel and Outlaw
aibiffity
Bethiclaus
Blondie Speaks
Houndrat
This? Is Not the Life I Ordered!
No Whey, Mama
Life in the Fast Lane
stickyfeathers
A is for Beautiful
Learning to Love Life in a Tiny Town…
Bebellyboo
Swistle: Baby Names
The Princess of Quite a Lot
Jennifer’s Mommyblog
Today is a Different Day
My Life
Thank You For Not Being Perky
Enter, enter! And don’t forget to enter mine as well, by leaving a comment on this post. You can say anything: “Me, me!” “I hereby enter,” “ENTERING,” “You are a goddess to me,” whatevs. If you need help coming up with something, you can tell me if you know how to swim. Okay, go!
You are a target goddess to me!
I don’t know how to swim! I even failed swimming lessons when I was four.
So there you go. Entered. :)
Who does #3 WORK FOR? PICK ME, PICK ME! :)
something something something squirrels …
So, has your brother written that “random number generator” that only picks me? Just wonderin’…
Anyhow, I’m officially entering your PiF contest.
Love,
Erica
I would die dead if I won Swistle’s PiF contest! =)
Maybe I will get lucky again!
I am currently wondering how to sabatoge your “Random” number generator to make it much less random and much more my number!
I do know how to swim, but my husband doesn’t. Apparently there is no such thing as recreational swimming in certain parts of the 3rd world, and almost nobody knows how to. He took some swimming lessons is grad school in Florida, but the instructor gave up after a while. Recently a friend of his took him to the beach to try and teach him (they were on a business trip over a weekend) and he made some progress. He came home saying “Now I can swim as far as I can breathe!
WHAT does that mean? Like, you can move yourself forward for as long as you can hold your breath, but then you have to stand up? Or you can swim, but then you have to stop and take a breath but then you can start again? Can you do this in deep water, or do you have to stop and stand up? Can you tread water? THE INFORMATION YOU GAVE ME IS COMPLETELY INSUFFICIENT!
Also: Entering. Also also: No blog Also again: If I win, how do I pay it forward since I have no blog with which to hold a contest? Just pay it back to YOU?
Oooo! I’m so going to create my own contest. In the mean time, entering this one.
I’m so excited about this! I hope I win. Also, I do know how to swim and I used to compete in a league in middle school and I was on the high school swim team my senior year.
I can keep myself from drowning, but I am a horrible swimmer.
Now send me some Target bags.
;)
I just spouted off an email to you. I’m in!
If mimi dies dead, can I have the gift she wins? :D
I think I technically swim, if by “swim” we mean “stay afloat for short but exhausting periods of time”.
In in, too. WHY NOT?
me, me! :)
I need to win so I don’t kill myself while visiting the in-laws this weekend.
I can swim, thanks to the HUMILIATION that was 9th grade pool class. Seriously, did they have to pick THE year I was at my ugliest, most self-conscious, pubescent-eyness to force us to put on bathing suits in front of 60 of our fellow students? Did I mention it was co-ed?? And a REQUIRED credit??
Didn’t know such an innocent question could evoke such anger, did you? Sorry!
I would love to win your Pay it Forward! Except that I would cry that it’s too hot to mail fudge.
BRash- If you win and you are blogless, I will choose another commenter, and you’ll mail a prize to that commenter.
I’m exhausted from all the commenting and adding of blogs to my reader. Exhausted!
I was going through the cupboards looking for what to put in the PiF winner box when it occurred to me I was a mite ahead of myself…
I do have a blog but it is on yahoo and they don’t let you comment unless you have a yahoo account. I consider that VERY unsporting of them. So, how would I be counted?
Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi.
Yay! Entering to win is fun!
Also: and totally random – can I ask you when Henry started having his constipation problem? I’ve heard babies don’t get constipated. But Alice hasn’t poo-ed since Wednesday. You can email me your answer if you don’t feel like posting something like this here. THANKS!!!!
Kali- You could have people email you to enter. Or, if you like, I can include you in the list of blogless participants, and then I’d choose a winner for you from my own comment section.
Whimsy- I am reaching into the dim recesses of my mind, and coming up with nothing. I don’t THINK he ever got constipated while he was still exclusively breastfeeding (though he did go a long time between, which is common for breastfed babies), I think it started after he started solids.
I do know how to swim. My mother is deathly afraid of water so she forced all of us kids to become master swimmers. I hated it when I was actually taking the swimming lessons but I’m grateful now.
I can swim, sort of, if dog paddling counts. I can keep myself from drowning, but I’m not going to be winning any prizes for style.
Maybe if I win THIS prize, it will have style? Target style? :)
I will try to get it together soon enough to run a contest too.
I can swim.
You are my blog goddess.
I love browines too!
I know how to swim. Fun Fact: I could swim the entire length of an Olympic size pool when I was five years old.
Wonder if I could do it *now*.
Also, ooooo I want to win! :D
i can swim…ish. i took swimming lessons every year growing up, but it turns out when you seriously have no body fat, you just plain ol’ can’t float. which means i never progressed past “advanced beginner” in classes, which means that is still my basic skill level. except now i have more than sufficient body fat to float well :-)
I’ll email you our blog post but I want to enter yours as well….
Chris
I can swim but I prefer waterslides. They’re more fun.
I do know how to swim. I have even taught swimming…to toddlers…which was every bit as painful as it sounds like it might be.
Sending butterfly kisses your way, because I’m that nice.
I can swim, in creeks preferably, where there are LARGE MYSTERIOUS UNDERWATER OBJECTS.
I can swim, but I don’t, because I hate to get my hair wet in public.
I learned to swim in RENO even though I grew up on a lake, go figure.
(:-D
Yipeee! Hereby entered! Will send you my link to my PiF contest this evening. Oh, and I totally want to be entered into Dynamita’s contest too-Cool London stuff does sound intriguing!!
Oh Swistle this is so much fun! I’m having a blast thinking of all the wonderful goodies I’ll include in my package!
I can swim, and now, so can my son! Yay! I remember swimming all the way around the dock at Christina Lake when I was 6. I was sooo thrilled. And I did Bus-to-swim for years. All the rural moms would put their kids on the bus to the pool 20 miles away and then pick the soaking wet and starving kids up again 3 hours later. I wish we had that now.
This is fun Swistle, thanks for hosting!
Thanks Swistle
I’m in. Great idea!
Pick me! :)
I can keep myself alive, but I wouldn’t call it swimming. Thankfully my kids seem to be taking after their father. I want to win. And I’ll email a link to my contest as soon I post it!
I can swim very well, thank you for asking.
Also, of course you are a blog goddess.
meeeeeeeeeee!!! meeeeeeeeeee!!!
(i’m working on being annoying. is it working??)
Well we all know you are a goddess, do you really need us to tell you???
:-)
I can swim, I was actually a certified lifeguard for several summers (not at a pool, but as part of my awesome summer camp job). I think that means I was even a strong swimmer, at least back then. Although I’m still confident in my ability to stay afloat. Also, I always beat my sister in backyard swimming races, always.
I’m entering!
And I do know how to swim, but feel awkward swimming. For example, I want to swim laps at the pool but NOT when other people are there. It is a ridiculous thing to be self-conscious about and yet, I am.
OOOH entering!!! I can swim but I wish I still fit in those water wing dealies.
I’m back to say that you forgot to mention a side-effect of hosting a pay-it-forward contest: obsessively checking for entries!
Oh, that’s just me?
Sorry then.
Entering your contest, but can’t get myself together to host one of my own this time…please tell me you’ll do another one soon. Yes? Please?
In any case, yes, I can swim quite well.
Ooooo I so want to win your contest. And yep, I swim. And Little Miss gets her swimming lessons (just like her big brother) as soon as she learns to poop on the potty instead of streaking her underwear six times a day.
Entering to win big BABY!!
I can swim
Your brownie recipes make my mouth water
I’m only here for the cheese.
I am a great swimmer but never joined the swim team as a child because I was afraid to compete!
All this talk of brownies may force me to bake tonight…see what you make me do?
I had swimming lessons as a child, but I am not a great swimmer. I’m okay at dog paddling my way along.
I can kind of swim. Ie. still pool water? Not a problem. Till I get out of breath. But in the ocean? Big waves and rips and undertows? Uh uh.
I think I read in the comments of someone else’s blog (maybe jonniker?) that you make some kind of delicious and salty brownies.
Am I making that up?
Because I loves me some salty chocolate things.
The New Girl- Here are the salty brownies.
Nonsoccermom- I have a feeling we WILL do another one!
This is such a neat little idea. I’ve been bloggen since January and haven’t come across this type of thing before. Thanks for showing me the way!
I would like to enter but don’t have a blog!
This is Melissa who is currently relaxing in Bethany Beach, DE! I am getting my swistle fix while on vaycay! Can I enter please please? I promise great stuff! I’m rich! (just kidding about the rich part)
I know how to swim but I am terrified of any body of water that contains living things. So just the pool for me thankyouverymuch.
Oh please, Gods of all things Random, PICK ME!
Oh, I’d love to enter your contest. I just sent you an e-mail about hosting one myself.
Mrs. F- Of course! If you win my PiF, I’ll choose a second commenter and that can be your winner. Oh, or wait! Do you mean you want to be on the blogless participants list? I’ll assume you mean you want to enter my PiF contest—so let me know if you mean you want to THROW a PiF contest up there with Dynamita and Lee and Andrea!
I never win things, but I keep trying anyway. I’m persistent like that.
Pick me! Pick me!
I know how to swim, but I still don’t like to put my face in the water…
I live on an island off Australia – OF COURSE I know how to swim :)
I had to pass a swim test to graduate from college. Because one has so much to do with the other. In any case, I’d been swimming since I was a wee little babe.
I’m so tired, I can’t remember if I entered already….
What a great and fun idea.
oh boy oh boy!
This is such a great idea! I wanted to join in but couldn’t quite get it together in time. I’ll do it next time if you do it again, I promise. I have the greatest idea for a prize, too!
You are looking particularly fabulous today.
Happy Tuesday! Let’s do this thing!
Commenting all over the internet is exhausting. But will be so worth it when I win fifty bajillion contests.
I barely float but count me as entered :) i’m joining in on the pay it forward too, i’m sending you an email now :)
Enter me! Better yet, pick me!
I’m in!
I’m so in….And I even promise not to use a Target dollar bin item as my prize.
Um…I don’t know what I mean—do whatever to my entry!
OK, must back away from the computer and take the kids down to the beach. Why do I even think it’s a good idea to take a laptop on vacation??? (oh yeah, because of contests like this!)
I can swim (growing up in “the land of 10,000 lakes” will do that).
Also, I wanted to congratulate and thank you for your emails to Netflix, because they are now going to keep profiles! Yay!
-Becky
I can swim (growing up in “the land of 10,000 lakes” will do that).
Also, I wanted to congratulate and thank you for your emails to Netflix, because they are now going to keep profiles! Yay!
-Becky
I can swim (growing up in “the land of 10,000 lakes” will do that).
Also, I wanted to congratulate and thank you for your emails to Netflix, because they are now going to keep profiles! Yay!
-Becky
Hi! I’m in!
Knock knock…
Who’s there…
Bah, who am I kidding? I don’t know any good jokes and even if I did I can’t tell them.
Open Sesame?
Let me in the contest, pretty pretty please with brownies on top?
Oh, and yes, I can swim.
I can’t believe you got my link up that quickly!
Like Saly, I can swim enough to survive.
I totally can doggy paddle. That would be about it…lol.
MMEEEEE!!! MMMMEEEEEEEEE!!!
I wanna do a Loop¡
ME TOO!
i’m so in! :)
YAY for contests!
i never win anything..but i thought it’d be fun to enter anyways!!
-hannah
I forgot about entering your contest while entering other contests. The contest entering is fun because I get to check out some new blogs.
So, officially entering!
PS- I can swim! BUT, I cannot dive and my swimming teacher had fits with me about it.
Ooh I love Target and giveaways!!
i can swim… but i have never been able to do that “freestyle” stroke
I can swim, but not well. My daughter swam better than me by the time she was 4.
You are a goddess to me. I wonder how many people think that after this post? Really, you’re awesome Swistle! Thanks for getting this started!
My mom took me to swimming lessons since BIRTH, so um, yeah, I know how to swim.
I don’t know how to act at a pool however, in a bathing suit. GAAAAH.
I can swim, trying to teach my 2.5 year old too!!
I can swim, trying to teach my 2.5 year old too!!
I can swim, trying to teach my 2.5 year old too!!
Such a great idea! Can’t wait to see who the winner is!
Rolling the dice!
This is the coolest thing ever! Contests everywhere! Now I am off to comment on a million blogs and send you an e-mail so I can do a contest too. Whew!
HI SWISTLE!
Awesome contest-count me in..and I’m drumming up ideas to host my own but I’ll have to think quick! I’ll let you know if I can get it together.
Lordymercy, but this is a lot of contests!! I’m IN. :) Excuse to shop? OH YEAH.
Love reading you
Entered! I can swim enough to not drown, not enough to impress anyone with my breaststroke. Often, in fact, my swimming could be mistaken for the beginning stages of drowning, what with the flailing limbs and splashing.
amazingly feeding 2 babies and enering! er entering
Dang. I missed the timing on this. And I’ve got a garage full of Mystery Boxes I still haven’t unpacked that would have been perfect “prizes.”
T2ed- You’re not too late! Originally we were planning to all start on Monday or Tuesday—but then I thought actually it was fine for them to start anytime before Friday.
Not only do I swim, but I tread water! I float! I can even backdive!
I can swim, barely. I always find good reasons for not getting into the water.
I can swim, barely. I always find good reasons for not getting into the water.
I can swim, barely. I always find good reasons for not getting into the water.
entered!
Lola
Can’t swim!
I swim excellently, however I am dropping the ball on joining the PIFers. Please forgive.
Whoho! I LOVE contests. Only.. I’m in new Zealand. That seems like a long way to send cool stuff.
I’m in an uncreative mood so: entering. :)
This looks exciting to do!
I’m feeling lucky!
Can I be added into Andrea from Australia’s contest please??
Holy smokes! I can’t believe that long list of contests! You are quite a trend setter Swistle. Love it!
I do know how to swim, I love it, exercise without sweating!
Enter me, please!
Dear Random Number Generator:
Pick me!
Pick me! Pick me!
Fun way of doing contests, I’d love to enter & then continue the game!
shoot. i meant to do one of these. is it too late? do i have time?! herm!
My that is a l o n g list of blogs very cool. Sadly, I didn’t check back and therefore didn’t see that the rules had changed and I could have held a contest starting today! Bummer. So hopefully I’ll win at some point and pass on some crafty goodness.
Pick me! Pick me!
YOu are a blog goddess. Now enter me please.
Can you believe it’s been THREE YEARS since you did this? So fun! I can’t remember if you did something like this again, so I’ll have to keep reading =).