Adventures of a Military Family of 8: sony style blogger contest

Showing posts with label sony style blogger contest. Show all posts

This is it, this is my chance to shine!!!

Yes, I still have a glow about being a Finalist for The Sony Style Blogger Contest, wait, who am I kidding?
A glow? it's more like bright neon light shooting straight through the ozone layer!!!

I am so happy to see that I have made it this far.
Me, the tiny little blogger that could!!!

To me, this is a dream come true!
A stay at home mommy of 6, a Navy wife, a "mommy blogger", a mother that is completely in love and dedicated to her autistic son; how could I ever be more than that?

How could "I" ever be more than just that?!
A Finalist for a Sony Style Blogger Contest?
Never in a million years would I have believed anyone who told me I had a chance at this opportunity!!!
I entered this contest with no hopes or thoughts of ever being good enough to even be looked at, so being a Finalist just tickles me pink!!! ;)

Since being in the hospital for over two weeks now at my Grandfather's side, I have not had the opportunity to blog as I normally would. Yes, I do feel sad about it, I miss blogging. I also believe that if I had the chance, I would have blogged my heart out and gotten my posts out there for half of the world to see them. I believe I do have the heart and passion to be a blogger for Sony Style. Correction, I know I do.
Would I leave my Grandfather in the hospital so I could blog and win a contest? Definitely not!
That's why, though slow, I have still been trying to blog and get the word out about my posts. Thankfully my Grandfather is doing better, he was moved from ICU last night to regular care. It brings me so much joy to see my Grandfather trying. Trying to make it through this, trying to live, trying to go to Africa to watch FIFA with me. Will he be able to go? That would be up to the doctors, if and when the time comes, they will make the decision.

Winning the Grand Prize and being a Sony blogger would just be so awesome, even without the trip as a prize. A blogger for Sony!!! Did you hear that? How amazing is that!?!? The Sony Corporation is enormous!!! So yes, I am still giggling like a little girl at the thought that little ol' me is a Finalist for The Sony Style blogger contest!!!

Did you see what I have already won as a Finalist!?!??!

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 phone

PSPgo

FIFA Soccer 10 game by ES Sports

Unbelievable!!!!

I know I have blogged a few times about the prizes that I won, and truthfully, I can not blog enough about them!!!
Seriously, the Sony Ericsson X10 itself, is still Unreleased in the United States!!!
The PSPgo is so much fun!!!
The FIFA '10 game is giving myself and the kids something to fight over!!! ;)

((drum roll))
Oh my goodness!!!
Have you checked out the Sony Style Blogger Contest page?!?!
Yes, I have blogged about the trip to South Africa to attend the semi-final & the final game of the FIFA World Cup, but did you really pay attention to the rest?!?!

Look at the entire picture!!!
This is what I could win if I am chosen as the Grand prize winner for the Sony Style Blogger Contest!!!!:

A trip to South Africa for my Grandpa and myself to attend the semi-final & final game of the FIFA World Cup™ DREAM COME TRUE!!!
Travel accommodations to South Africa to attend the games OUTRAGEOUS!!!
A Sony Reader Pocket Edition (for our long flight) EXTRAORDINARY!!!
A Sony α330 DSLR camera to help document our trip JUMPING WITH JOY!!!
Guest Blogger on the Sony Blog AWESOME!!!

Not to mention the prizes from above that I already have in my hands:

A Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 phone (giggling like a little girl when I speak about it!!!)
PSPgo (Perfect gift for Moms and Mom's purses!!!)
FIFA Soccer 10 game by EA Sports (Super fun and addicting!!!)

Please help make my Grampa's dream trip come true, and my wish to be a blogger for Sony!!!

This is it, this is the change I need in my life, the thing that is helping my Grampa have faith in his health, the thing I need to validate me as something more than just a "Mom", The thing to make all of my nights by his bedside and with my laptop mean something great!!!

I want to make my Grampa proud of me, I want him to walk into that airport with me, I want him to be so proud of me when he is reading my posts from the Sony Style website, can you just imagine his smile? His big blue eyes lighting up to see what I have worked so hard for?

I hope that this dream comes true, I want it to come true, I need it to come true, for all of us; especially for my Grampa ;)

The contest ends on Monday at 11:59 p.m, if you think I am worthy of such prizes, please support my Grampa and myself so we can win the Sony Style Blogger Contest, it would mean the world to me!!!

Find me on Twitter @militaryfamof8 and through hashtag #SENDMOMMY2FIFA
Please help us by ReTweeting and by FWD: the link and message to everyone you know, we have one day left!!!
Help make this wish come true!!!

"Sony provided me with a free Sony Ericsson X10 phone and a PSPgo and FIFA Soccer 10 game in connection with my participation in the Sony Ericsson/Sony Style X10 Blogger Contest, which requires me to blog about Sony and/or Sony Ericsson Products."

www.sonystyle.com/X10

So much fun in the palm of my hands... (FUN PSPgo!!!)

As many of you know, I was chosen as a Finalist for The Sony Blogger Contest (insert screams here)

Two of the gifts I received for being a finalist were a PSPgo and FIFA Soccer 10 game by EA Sports.

When I first received these gifts I thought:
"what am I going to do with this? maybe I should just give it to the kids"
It sat in my house for a few days, not knowing what to do with it. I mean c'mon, what is a Mommy of 6 going to do with a hand held video game?

Those were my thoughts, my beliefs...
until "dun dunn dunnn" (like my 4 year old says)
my husband took the game to me at the hospital. He uploaded the game for me and set the game up. Keep in mind that I was still hesitant about playing such a childish game.
To what I remember, he pushed for me to play the game. I can't remember that at all, I can't remember why I didn't want to play it either, I loved it!

It was so fun, I was playing for an entire team! I was so excited that I jumped up and showed my Grandpa a few times, and he would laugh at me because I was so excited and loud over "such a little game" he said.

OK, so here it is, many of you, well the majority of you have PSP's and or have children who have them right?
Yes, the PSP's are fun, but a bit too heavy for my liking, and the fact that you, or in my case "I" have to carry all of the games for the kids, gets a bit tedious. Can you picture me carrying at least 4 hand held games, and all of their games, chargers and "stuff"? Here is what I look like when I need something from my purse:

Ready for the awesome part?!?!
With the PSPgo, you have nothing extra to carry!!!
Ahh, it was such a relief to see that all of the games are downloaded onto your PSPgo.
No more lost games, no more broken games, no more "extra baggage" for 4-6 kids; 7 if you include the husband who always has to have the new tech toys!!!
Oh Sony, you have thought of everything!!!
Hhmm, could a Mom be behind this idea? (giggles)

The PSPgo is so light, I loved that!!!
I could picture 2-3 in my purse and have them equal the weight of 1 PSP, I am loving that. I already made a list of the games my husband is going to download for me. Did you know that here are so many games that are less than $10?!? SUPER!!!

Since my Grandpa got transferred out of ICU tonight, he will now need a little less care, still in the hospital, but thankfully not in critical condition anymore. I will have moments when I will get to enjoy some time, while he sleeps, and a person can only be on the phone or computer for so long!

I will welcome this new toy of mine, a toy that for once will be mine, a hand held game for mommy, and though I have taught my kids that "sharing is caring", this is a luxury that this mommy has earned for herself.

If by my luckiest stars I was to win the Grand Prize and get the trip to South Africa for FIFA World Cup 2010, it would be just awesome to have only this hand held game to carry in my purse and no additional games and weight for such a long flight. I would be fully equipped with my Sony Ericsson X10 and my PSPgo to be a happy camper or flier (insert giggle face here)

I am so excited!
The thought of winning the Grand Prize, of being a blogger for Sony during FIFA 10, and being able to take my Grandfather to Africa is just overwhelming!!!

Seeing all of the comments and the twitter support from friends and people who want to help see my Grandfather's wish come true makes me cry every time. I have been cheering my Grandfather on, I talk with him about the wonderful things we would do if we were to go to FIFA 10, how much fun it would be to be a part of such a great adventure, "OUR ADVENTURE".
He is hopeful that he will one day get better now, I don't let him be depressed, if I see him sad, I start telling him about the animals and the safari's that we could see. He has been trying, pushing himself, I am not sure if he is only doing it for me now, if he is only pushing himself so I won't be so sad anymore. Whatever it is, I am happy for it, if what it takes for my Grandfather to live through this is hoping to go to Africa and make memories with me, then that's what I will do. I will try my hardest to make that dream come true for him. If I was to only be a Finalist, and by that I mean not winning the Grand Prize trip to be a Sony Blogger, then I would naturally be sad, but you know what?

To me, the Grand Prize is seeing my Grandfather leave this hospital, alive!

He has been through so much these last few weeks, so many times he was not to be counted on for the next day, but he's beaten the odds so far, and hopefully he will continue to beat the odds!!!
That would be MY Grand Prize, getting my Grandfather back!!!
Becoming a Sony Blogger and going to FIFA

Here are just some of the specifications of the PSPgo
The PSPgo has:

Built in 16GB flash memory
Smaller and lighter size
No UMD™ slot, all content must be downloaded to the PSPgo
Bluetooth enabled
Utilizes Memory Stick Micro™ (M2) memory cards
Built-in battery
Screen slides open to reveal buttons
No Hold indicator
Uses a Multi Use connector instead of a USB port

www.sonystyle.com/X10

Falling in Love all over again... The Sony Ericsson X10 ;)

What is the Sony Ericsson X10?

It's:
Faster than a texting teen,
more powerful than an avid tweeter,
able to leap multiple social apps with a single touch,
It's a camera,
it's a phone,
no it's the Sony Ericsson X10...

That's right you heard me...
To just call it a phone would be just rude,
Plus it would hurt its feelings ;)

You name it, it has it.
MP3 player... Got it.
Access to social media...To easy coach!!!
8.1 mega pixel camera... Say waaaahhhhtt?!?!
Face recognition, no not the kind that finds a face...
THIS face recognition adds a tab with name of the people in the picture!!!
Memory you ask?: micro SD up to 16GB, 8GB included, Phone memory 1GB

And if that's not enough there is this little green robot that hooks you up with massive amount capabilities.
Oh did I forget to mention that you can also use it to call people as well...?
My bad..lol.

There is no way that I can fully describe all that the Sony Ericsson X10 is capable of, or that my pictures will do it justice, but I will say this:
If ever there was a chance to hold the future within your hands...
this is it!!!

The Sony Ericsson X10 is the future of mobile communications.

Being in the hospital with my Grandfather, I have had all the time in the world to play with my new phone, and I LOVE IT!!!
Thank you so much to The Sony Style Blogger Contest for giving me the Sony Ericsson X10 as a prize for being a Finalist!!!
It is currently not available in the U.S, but if you ever were waiting to get a new phone, THEE new phone, this will be the phone to want;
the phone to get!!!
Did I mention it only weighs 4.8 ounces?!?!

Here are some of the specifics of this baby:
Camera:

Camera - 8.1 Mega pixels
Digital Zoom - up to 16x
Auto focus - Automatic focus for optimal clarity.
Face recognition - Your phone automatically recognizes up to five faces in your picture.
Image stabilizer - Avoid blurriness caused by slight hand movements.
Flash / light type - Photo light-When lighting conditions are poor, your picture can still be good.
Send to web - Catch moments with your camera and send straight to your personal web site or blog.
Video recording - Record video clip-Video light-More light when shooting video.
Geo-tagging - Have your photo tagged with information on where it was taken.
Smile detection - Let the camera automatically snap the shot when your subject flashes a smile.

Music:

TrackID - Record a few seconds of a song and get track, artist and album information sent to your phone in seconds.Media Player
An in-phone media player for music and video
Album art - Choose music by browsing CD album art or other images
Blue tooth stereo (A2DP) - Music from phone to headset over a wireless connection.
PlayNow - Download music and games to your phone.
Music tones - MP3, AA

Web:

Bookmarks - Quick access to your favorite Web sites.
Google search - Find what you’re after with the Google search function.
Web feeds - Get the news in your phone as it happens.
Web browser - WebKit: Full Internet browser with support for standard protocols, images and video.

Entertainment:

Media - Media content in one place for fast and easy access.
3D games - Enjoy quality games with full color and depth.
YouTube™ - View your favorite YouTube™ videos, or upload your own - access is easy via the YouTube™ application.
Video streaming - Realtime video streaming, e.g. live cam
Video Clip - Video clip viewing and transfer to another phone or PC
Sony Ericsson Mediascape - Get instant access to - and a perfect overview of - all your content.

Connectivity:

3.5 mm audio jack - Share your music via the extra jack. Use any headphones with a standard-sized 3.5 mm connector.
Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation* - Get live instructions for how to find your way to your destination - and have fun en route.
aGPS - Use GPS-powered location-based services.
Google Maps™ - Find your way to your destination.
Bluetooth™ technology - Secure wireless connectivity for transferring items to other Bluetooth™ products up to a range of 10 meters.
USB support - PC to phone USB cable support
WiFi™ - Utilize high-speed Internet at Wi-Fi™ hot spots at airports and other facilities.

Messaging:

Conversations - Say it via chat-style text messaging.
Email - Check your email inbox wherever you are.
Text messaging (SMS) - Send text greetings anywhere in the world.
Picture messaging (MMS) - Colourful multimedia messaging.
Predictive text input - Fast and easy text messaging.

Communication:

Facebook™ application - Stay in touch with your friends on Facebook™ through your phone.
Speakerphone - Loudspeaker suitable for using the phone as an office hands free
Vibrating Alert - The phone vibrates and you can feel when a call comes in
Sony Ericsson Timescape™ - All your communication with one person in one place.

Design:

Onscreen QWERTY keyboard - Easy typing with the full onscreen QWERTY keyboard.
Auto rotate - Switch from vertical to horizontal mode by rotating the phone. Whatever you're viewing will rotate to suit.
Picture wallpaper - Background picture on-screen when the phone is in standby mode

Organizer:

Touchscreen - Intuitive navigation – just touch the screen.
Alarm clock - Set a time, and your phone will ring at that time
Calendar - Fully functional calendar with day, week and month views and reminders
Calculator -Built-in fully functional calculator
Flight mode - Disable the radio receivers and transmitters in your phone so you can safely use other functions.
Phone book - Store names and phone numbers

www.sonystyle.com/X10

From sadness to hope, this is my dream...

Before I start my post, I have to apologize to all of my friends for not posting as often as I normally would. It has been over a week since I have been living in the ICU with my Grandfather. Read post here. The stress is taking it's toll on me. Emotionally I am finally a wreck, and mentally I seem to just be blank.

I wanted to share with you the only great thing that has happened to me in a very long time.
I entered a Blogger contest with Sony Style, and I was chosen as one of the Finalists, 1 of the 10 finalists ;)

Check out the Finalist page at Sony Style & the gorgeous Sony Ericsson X10
I will be back to tell you more about the phone ;)
I needed that piece of news so bad, it came during a time where my world seems to be crashing around me. My hopes of my Grandfather getting better and getting out of here, seem to be loosing it's strength, as am I.

His spirits are so low it kills me to see him that way. This was the Man who raised me, the Man that was always so strong and could do everything and anything. He built his children's homes by hand, he helped his sons build their tow truck business by hand, welding those trucks into awesome monsters!
Now, he is broken, and not just physically, his mood and outlook on life is darker than the clouds outside. The only time I have gotten him to smile with me was when I shared with him how excited I was that I was chosen as a finalist for the Sony contest.

The doctors and nurses try to cheer him up, as do I every minute of the day. Speaking with the Nurses yesterday, they said we had to come up with a plan to have him look forward to something, so he could give himself the goal of getting better for that reason.
Immediately I remembered the stories he used to tell us Grandchildren many many years ago.
We used to sit in the backyard, next to the cars he was fixing, and so to keep us from running around and getting hurt, or knocking the car on top of him, he would tell us stories, such fun stories!!.
He would tell us about the time he wrestled a 12 foot alligator and made shoes and a purse for my Beautiful Grandma (RIP).
Or about the time he swam from Mazatlan, MEX to San Diego,CA with the sharks.
One of the best ones was when he went skiing on a pair of crocodiles down the Amazon.
Those were the most awesome stories, of course we knew they weren't real, but to hear and imagine them, it was just so fun!!!

I also remembered that my Grandfather owned every National Geographic magazine ever printed ;) We would sit and read them together. We would talk about how cool it would be to go here or there, and do this and that. He always taught us the importance of reading and learning since a very early age. My Grandfather had taught me to fully translate for my Family from English to Spanish by the age of 3. Leaving people amazed all the time, That was my Grandpa.

Back to my conversations with the Nurses, I told them about becoming a Finalists, and that as a Finalist I had won the Sony Ericsson X10 phone (which is still unreleased in the US), also winning a PSPgo and a FIFA 10 game. I told them and my Grandfather about the Grand Prize, an 8 day trip to "The most beautiful place on earth" (as he calls it) Africa, and tickets to go to FIFA.
My Grandfather got excited,the glimmer in his eyes was back. He immediately started talking about how beautiful Africa is in the pictures and T.V. How he would have fun walking the lions.
It was so funny, it was fun, it was great to see him get happy and excited about something.
Then the charge Nurse asked me to step outside with her, she asked me if I was to win the Grand Prize and get the trip to Africa, who would I take?
I have no idea I told her, my mind went blank suddenly.
Then I heard this:
"Your Grandfather has been severely depressed since being here, if his health was to get better and you had the Doctor's clearance, would you ever consider taking him with you?"
OMG!!! That was the best idea ever! He would always talk about going to Africa and wrestle lions in front of me, not that I want to see it happen, but just the thought of giving my Grandfather THAT wish, THE wish of a lifetime.
It has given ME something to look forward too, something to give me hope that I will see my "strong" Grandfather up and about again.
We (Nurses and myself) told my Grandfather that if I was to win the Trip to go to Africa and go to FIFA '10, if he would like to go to Africa with me.
You should have seen "that" glimmer in his big blue eyes again!!!
He smiled and made a funny face, he said he thinks he is never getting out of this hospital. That he thinks he is going to go "upstairs" with my Grandma (RIP) from here.
I told him that he had to hurry up and get better soon, so I could take him with me.
He is the talk of the floor ;) Anytime a Nurse walks by his room, they peek in and tell him to hurry up so he can go to Africa with me ;)
Seeing a constant smile in his face has helped him and myself so much.

So now, it is MY wish to take my Grandpa to Africa with me. Please help me by supporting me, by spreading the word for me, the more support I have, the better my chances are of making OUR dreams come true.

I am on Twitter @Militaryfamof8 and am Tweeting with the hash tag: #SENDMOMMY2FIFA

Two of the judging criteria in the Finalist Blogging Period is:
1. Readership & Engagement
2. Ability to Generate Online Viral Buzz

The Judging will end this Sunday May 24, 10.
Please help make this dream come true for us ;)

For the first time, just comment love & RT's & FWD's will help make a dream come true.....
I need all the comment love possible!!! ;)