Smarty Alert: Win Free Tix to Willy Wonka on Stage

By Katie M

The Community Theatre of Greensboro is graciously giving away 20 tickets this week to fans of our Official Triad Smarty Pants page on Facebook! So beginning today, we will pick one winner to win 4 tickets every day until Friday. Winners will be announced and notified the following day. (We'll announce our first winner tomorrow, so hurry up and email us!)

And if you suggest our fan page to your friends, we'll throw your name in the hat for every 10 friends you invite. So, if you invite 10 friends, you'll increase your chance of winning 2x. Invite 20 friends and increase your chance of winning 3x. And so on. All you have to do is send us an email to triadsmartypants@gmail.com, put "Willy Wonka" in the subject line, include your name and phone number, and send us the list of any names you suggested our fan page to. If you are picked as a winner, someone from CTGSO will contact you by phone to arrange the day and show time you want.

The Community Theatre of Greensboro & Guilford County Schools are proud to present a thrilling and magical musical adventure: Willy Wonka with Music and Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newly, Adapted for the Stage by Tim McDonald, Based on the Book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Directed by CTG's Executive Director Mitchel Sommers.

Don’t miss this Broadway family classic based on the popular 70’s musical movie and to be the premier partnership production between the Community Theatre of Greensboro and Guilford County Schools, featuring the talents of GCS students and their families, as well as GCS faculty and staff.

Show dates and times for Willy Wonka are as follows:
July 16, 17, 22, 23, & 24 at 7 pm
July 17, 18, 24, & 25 at 2 pm
July 22 at 10 AM

Good luck, Smarties!

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Smarty Alert: Are you a TSP Facebook Fan?

By Rachel H

If you are not yet a Facebook Fan of Triad Smarty Pants, you are missing out! Not only do we post our daily blog on the fan page, but we have many contests that are only promoted through Facebook. Currently there is one going on where your family can win VIP tickets to a Dash Game from Prudential Carolinas Realty...

We also announce sales and specials from our advertisers on our facebook page. For example, all of our Favorite Photographers and Stylin' Smarty Sponsors have June Specials going on right now, so if you forget to check out these buttons on our website at the beginning of each month, we'll remind you with posts on our FB page.

So visit our Fan Page by clicking here and then click "like." Then hop on over to our Friend Page here and "like" that one as well so that you can get a message sent right to your inbox each time we start a new Monthly Giveaway on our website.

Are you an Anti-Facebooker? No sweat, we will still have our Monthly Giveaway on our website - just click the button on the right to enter our current contest each month! Then just be sure to visit TSP each day so you don't miss out on anything too important! :)

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Smarty Alert: Register to Win This Necklace!

By Rachel H

Smarty Sponsor, Jewelry XOX, has this trendy sterling silver necklace up for grabs for a TSP reader! The best part is that it is so easy to enter this contest! Simply visit the Jewelry XOX website at www.jewelryxox.com and enter your email address in the newsletter subscriber box in the lower left hand corner. You will not only be registered to win this necklace, but will receive newsletters from Jewelry XOX every so often that contain great discounts on their quality jewelry. It is already so reasonably priced, you can't pass up these sales!

Register now by signing up for Jewelry XOX'x newsletter and a random winner will be chosen on Wednesday, June 9th! Good luck!

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You Gave Us an Hour, and We Give You the Winners!

By Katie M

Congratulations to Leslie Morgan and Kelly Gunzenhauser. They are the two winners of our Give An Hour, Get An Hour contest!

As you'll remember, we picked our winners based on the submissions they sent us and not by random selection. While Leslie and Kelly sent out amazing suggestions, ideas and comments about Triad Smarty Pants, every submission we received was outstanding. We really appreciate the time everyone took to help with the site and for sending us such thoughtful emails. We can't wait to take your ideas and use them on our site! Read below to find out more about our winners!


Leslie and her husband, Rick, have two girs: Ellie, 7, and Abby, 4. Leslie found out about TSP from a friend, and says, "I love the sense of connection to cool moms and upscale events/retailers in my local community. The site is dynamic and the content is relevant. Thanks, Triad Smarty Pants!"


Kelly and her husband, Eric, have two boys: Casey, 5, and Reid, 3. She found out about TSP from Rachel H, and says this about the site, "My favorite thing about TSP is that there is really useful, practical information on there from REAL moms (and dads). I have actually implemented several cool ideas from the site, such as putting all of my kids' clothes for the week into a hanging organizer on Sunday night."

Way to go Leslie and Kelly! Leslie is getting ready to enjoy a spa treatment from Chevalrie Salon and Spa in High Point, and Kelly will get pampered at The Salons at Cicero in Winston-Salem. Enjoy it, ladies. It's well deserved. And thanks so much for your participation in our contest.

Thanks again to our local salons for their donations. Be sure to stop by and check them out! They were both referred to us by our loyal readers:

The Salons at Cicero
952 West 4th Street, Suite 101
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Call Heather Kiser at 407-3683

Chevalrie Salon and Spa
3710 North Main Street
High Point, NC 27265-1892
889-3759

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Deadline extended for contest!

By Rachel H

Many readers sent us emails asking for an extension on the "Give An Hour" contest. We thought since it is now Spring Break for some of our children, many moms will have more time to actually give this hour over the next week or so. We have decided to extend the deadline for this contest until April 15th. If you have already entered, we thank you! We have saved all of your emails and have already gotten some fantastic ideas from you! For those of you who missed the blog about the contest, here you go ...


You ladies are gonna love this contest! Give us an hour of your time and we’ll give you a chance to win an hour worth of pampering! We will have two winners! One will win a massage from Heather Kiser and haircut from Heather Foster atThe Salons at Cicero in historical West End, Winston-Salem. The other will win a choice of a hour massage or luxurious facial from Chevalrie Salon and Spa, located on North Main Streetin High Point.

Last week we received this email:

Dear Katie and Rachel,
I officially wanted Triad Smarty Pants to know that I became completely sucked in for my entire lunch hour going through blogs on your site - new ones, old ones, REALLY old ones - and could have continued for quite some time. While I have always known y'all were great - I have to admit that once I get home from work, take care of the little ones (they are called "dependents" for a reason), and wrangle them into bed, I usually don't get on the computer. I'm constantly behind on Facebook and home email (452 messages are in the inbox) and have only visited the site periodically and through updates on Facebook.

That said - the site is WONDERFUL and such a fabulous resource. I told some friends of mine last week to check out the summer camp list and I have put the First Family workshop for this Sunday on my to-do list because we have wanted to go to the Reynolda House for quite some time.
Thanks so much for all you do on TSP!
Janet


Needless to say, we were so excited by this email! Our team is always looking for feedback so we can learn what our readers like, don’t like, or what they want to see more of! But we were most impressed by the fact that our reader, Janet, took the time to scroll through old posts and find some useful information. This gave us the idea for our “Give An Hour, Get An Hour” contest.

So here is the challenge: Give us one hour on our website. (Yes, we know some of you have logged on every morning for the past year and can quote every blog, but you can still do this!) Give us one hour – your lunch break, kids’ nap time, morning coffee quiet time, midnight … whatever floats your boat. Spend one hour on our site by clicking through our directories, scrolling through blogs, visiting our sponsors, and most importantly, visiting our categories listed down the left-hand side of our page. We have a category for almost any topic you need, but we know there are more ideas that you have!

After you give us an hour, send an email to triadsmartypants@gmail.com. Tell us about your hour – what you found, what you liked, what you learned, what was helpful. Then also tell us what you would like to see more of, what you would like to see less of, and even if you have a blog topic in mind or know someone who may want to guest blog for us. Maybe you know a Smarty Mom or Dad you would like to see featured, or a local shop you would like to see highlighted on our site.

After you give us an hour, we are going to pick two lucky winners to get that hour back in the form of a pampering session from one of our fabulous, reader-recommended salons! For the first time ever, these winners will not be random. Katie and I are going to read all of your entries and choose the ones we like best and found to be the most helpful to our website.

So have at it, ladies – give us your hour sometime between now and March 31st! Send your entry to triadsmartypants@gmail.com and be sure to include the Triad city in which you live so we can match you up with the closest salon. We hope that the useful info you find on our website and the hour pampering session you may possibly earn in return will be well worth it!

Thanks again to our local salons for their donations. Be sure to stop by and check them out! They were both referred to us by our loyal readers.
The Salons at Cicero
952 West 4th Street, Suite 101
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Call Heather Kiser at 407-3683

Chevalrie Salon and Spa
3710 North Main Street
High Point, NC 27265-1892
889-3759

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Congrats to our Winners!

By Rachel H

We had a fun contest that ran in our newsletter for the last two weeks. The TSP e-newsletter is sent to all subscribers once a week and often includes specials and contests available only to our subscribers. We had many readers register for this contest, and five winners were chosen at random. These lucky moms won four tickets to "Disney Live! Mickey's Rockin Road Show!" ...

Maggie Craven
Michelle Walsh
Genesa Trogdon
Rachel Brandin
Darla Sprague

We hope you ladies and your families enjoy the show! For the rest of you, keep checking your weekly newsletters and logging on to TSP daily to watch for more contests and giveaways. This week will be especially exciting because our April Giveaway starts on Thursday!

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"Give An Hour, Get An Hour" Contest!

By Rachel H

You ladies are gonna love this contest! Give us an hour of your time and we’ll give you a chance to win an hour worth of pampering! We will have two winners! will win a massage from Heather Kiser and haircut from Heather Foster at The Salons at Cicero in historical West End, Winston-Salem. The other will win a choice of a hour massage or luxurious facial from Chevalrie Salon and Spa, located on North Main Streetin High Point.

Last week we received this email:

Dear Katie and Rachel,
I officially wanted Triad Smarty Pants to know that I became completely sucked in for my entire lunch hour going through blogs on your site - new ones, old ones, REALLY old ones - and could have continued for quite some time. While I have always known y'all were great - I have to admit that once I get home from work, take care of the little ones (they are called "dependents" for a reason), and wrangle them into bed, I usually don't get on the computer. I'm constantly behind on Facebook and home email (452 messages are in the inbox) and have only visited the site periodically and through updates on Facebook.
That said - the site is WONDERFUL and such a fabulous resource. I told some friends of mine last week to check out the summer camp list and I have put the First Family workshop for this Sunday on my to-do list because we have wanted to go to the Reynolda House for quite some time.
Thanks so much for all you do on TSP!
Janet


Needless to say, we were so excited by this email! Our team is always looking for feedback so we can learn what our readers like, don’t like, or what they want to see more of! But we were most impressed by the fact that our reader, Janet, took the time to scroll through old posts and find some useful information. This gave us the idea for our “Give An Hour, Get An Hour” contest.

So here is the challenge: Give us one hour on our website. (Yes, we know some of you have logged on every morning for the past year and can quote every blog, but you can still do this!) Give us one hour – your lunch break, kids’ nap time, morning coffee quiet time, midnight … whatever floats your boat. Spend one hour on our site by clicking through our directories, scrolling through blogs, visiting our sponsors, and most importantly, visiting our categories listed down the left-hand side of our page. We have a category for almost any topic you need, but we know there are more ideas that you have!

After you give us an hour, send an email to triadsmartypants@gmail.com. Tell us about your hour – what you found, what you liked, what you learned, what was helpful. Then also tell us what you would like to see more of, what you would like to see less of, and even if you have a blog topic in mind or know someone who may want to guest blog for us. Maybe you know a Smarty Mom or Dad you would like to see featured, or a local shop you would like to see highlighted on our site.

After you give us an hour, we are going to pick two lucky winners to get that hour back in the form of a pampering session from one of our fabulous, reader-recommended salons! For the first time ever, these winners will not be random. Katie and I are going to read all of your entries and choose the ones we like best and found to be the most helpful to our website.

So have at it, ladies – give us your hour sometime between now and March 31st! Send your entry to triadsmartypants@gmail.com and be sure to include the Triad city in which you live so we can match you up with the closest salon. We hope that the useful info you find on our website and the hour pampering session you may possibly earn in return will be well worth it!

Thanks again to our local salons for their donations. Be sure to stop by and check them out! They were both referred to us by our loyal readers.
The Salons at Cicero
952 West 4th Street, Suite 101
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Call Heather Kiser at 407-3683

Chevalrie Salon and Spa
3710 North Main Street
High Point, NC 27265-1892
889-3759

Read more...

Another Chance to Win Circus Tickets!

By Rachel H

Have the snow days made you feel like a ringmaster with the kids at home, acting sillier than normal and needing to get out of the house? We’ve got the perfect remedy – let’s go to the Circus!

In less than a week, you'll be able to attend Barnum's Funundrum at the Greensboro Coliseum!

Show Dates and Times:
Wed, Feb 10 7:30PM
Thu, Feb 11 10:40AM, 7:30PM
Fri, Feb 12 7:30PM
Sat, Feb 13 11:00AM, 3:00PM, 7:00PM
Sun, Feb 14 1:00PM, 5:00PM

If you have not already purchased tickets for your family, you can win four tickets to the showtime of your choice by entering this contest!

Our giveaway for the night at the O.Henry Hotel was so successful, that we would like to do this same contest and ask our readers to help us build up our new fan page on Facebook.

All you have to do is invite 10 friends to join our Facebook Fan Page to get your name thrown in the hat for this prize. Email us at triadsmartypants@gmail.com and send us the ten names of the friends who you invited. We'll then put your name in the hat to win four tickets to the circus! AND even better ... for every additional ten names you send us you will get another entry! So, invite 100 friends to join our Fan Page and you will get ten entries. Just be sure to send us an email that lists all the people you invited and be sure they live in the Triad area. Anyone who entered the O.Henry giveaway will be automatically entered into this contest as well. So if you sent us 50 names last time, you still have five entries into this new contest for circus tickets.

Click here to get to our Fan Page and invite friends to join! You only have one week, but we will randomly choose one winner each day for seven days!
Good luck!

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O Yea, We Have an O. Henry Winner!

By Katie M

A big congrats goes out to Lori Clark who won our Facebook fan contest and will get to enjoy a night at the O. Henry Hotel with her husband, Dale, in Greensboro! Lori was randomly picked from over 100 readers who helped to recruit several hundred new fans to our Official Triad Smarty Pants Facebook fan page - helping us reach and exceed our 1,000 fan milestone! Thank you to all who participated in this contest and for boosting our numbers!

Lori and Dale have one son, Cameron, who is six, and what she loves most about TSP is "the amount of truly useful information you all provide to mommies just like me!!!! I could read all of the info/blogs/links/TIPS for hours - it is so just much!"

Here's what TSP reader Lori had to say about winning, "Oh HOW HEAVENLY this will be!!!! I can't believe it!!! I thought when I entered how marvy it would be to win....how my hubby (because of COURSE I will take him, too) would be thrilled!!!! He needs it - even more than me!!!! We will use it for US, to have a DATE/couple night!!!!! How thrilling!!!!!"

Congrats, Lori and enjoy your night! Stay tuned for more contests to come from TSP!

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Win a Night Away at the O.Henry Hotel!

By Rachel H

We have just been giving, giving, giving at Triad Smarty Pants lately, and we are about to give some more! Currently, we are still running our Monthly Giveaway, where one lucky reader will win a photo session and boutique print from Andrea Halsey Photography. There are no gimmicks or games with this! Just click here to register and you can be our winner! It is simple as that. It is our way of showcasing a fabulous photographer in our Triad area as well as a way to give back to our readers.

Then we also gave away tickets to the crazy Monster Jam show at the Greensboro Coliseum! Our winners have all been notified and will be able to enjoy the show tomorrow night! Our final winner is listed at the end of this blog.

Now on to our next fun giveaway surprise ...

After the holiday season, school starting back, and this bitterly cold weather, who doesn't need a night away from it all? For the next two weeks you will be able to enter to win a night valued at $250 at the luxurious O.Henry Hotel located by Friendly Center in Greensboro.

Of course you can use the night however you wish! You can always take your significant other along with you, OR use this for a great Valentine's surprise, OR just use it for a personal escape to enjoy a peaceful, relaxing evening!

Instead of registering through our usual Survey Monkey for this giveaway, we would like our readers to help us build up our new fan page on Facebook. It's called the Official Triad Smarty Pants Page! All you have to do is invite 10 friends to join our Facebook Fan Page to get your name thrown in the hat for this prize. Email us at triadsmartypants@gmail.com and send us the ten names of the friends who you invited. We'll then put your name in the hat to win this wonderful getaway! AND even better ... for every additional ten names you send us you will get another entry! So, invite 100 friends to join our Fan Page and you will get ten entries. Just be sure to send us an email that lists all the people you invited. Last request - each person you invite must live in the Triad area.

Finally, be sure you are inviting people to join the correct page - we have two TSP Facebook pages. One is a friend page, which we will eventually close. The other one is our new Fan Page, which is listed as The Official Triad Smarty Pants Page. Click here to get to our Fan Page and invite friends to join!

Good luck!

You have one day left to register for the January giveaway from Andrea Halsey Photography! Click here to learn more about her business and register. Don't forget that you must be a newsletter subscriber in order to qualify for this giveaway.

Congratulations to our final winner of the Monster Truck show tickets, Rachel McDowell! We hope you enjoy the show!

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Smarty Scoop on Weekend Events & Giveaway!!!

By Rachel H and Katie M

Before we get to our list of the weekend activities, we have a question ... How many of you have a son who has been watching TV and then comes running up to you claiming that he just HAS to go see the Monster Truck Show? Oh yes, we have all seen the commercials and heard the roar of the engines and probably ignored our children's pleas to go. Well, no more ignoring the requests, because now you can WIN two free tickets to the show on Friday night 7:30pm, Jan. 15th, 2010. This can of course be a great bonding moment between dad and son if the girls aren't up for it!

All you need to do is click here (This contest has now ended) to register. Be sure you are a TSP newsletter subscriber first (just enter your email in the newsletter sign-up box in the upper right of our website). We will be choosing one random winner each day up until the day of the event. At the end of each day's blog we will announce our winner. Stay tuned and good luck!

If you are interested in purchasing tickets for the Monster Jam, follow this link! Now on to our weekend events ...

Summit at Night
Summit School in Winston-Salem is now accepting registration for “Summit at Night” classes, which will be held in January and February 2010 and are open to the greater community. The class presenters donate their time and talents, ensuring that all funds raised go to the Summit Financial Aid fund. Classes are also offered for all ages on topics ranging from photography and stop motion animation, to cooking, sumo-bot robot wrestling, yoga for kids, and tips for getting a book published. Registration information and a complete list of Summit at Night classes may be found on the Summit School website (click link above).

"Esperanza Rising”
Friday 10 a.m, noon and 7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m.
Arts Council Theatre, 610 Coliseum Drive, W-S
A musical presented by the Children's Theatre of Winston-Salem and Allegacy en Español. Recommended for 3rd-8th gradeers. $8; $12 (premium seating evening and Sat. shows only).

Half-Price Friday Nights
Friday, January 8 from 5-8 p.m.
Greensboro Children's Museum
All families welcome for a night of fun at a discounted admission of $3.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Magnet Schools Enrollment Fair
Saturday, January 9 from 10 am to 2 pm
South Main Hall of Benton Convention Center
The magnet school fair is a great place to learn about all 15 WSFCS magnets at a single location. Meet staff and teachers from each of the magnets and watch student performances that highlight the schools' outstanding programs.

The Healthy Chefs
Saturday, January 9 at 2 pm
Magnolia House of Health, 215 N. Broad Street, WS
This class is for women who would like to get a healthy start on the new year for herself and her family! They will feature a different cuisine every month. This month is healthy Asian cooking. The class will consist of learning an entree, a side dish, dessert, and a drink. So, grab a friend and join in for some fun! Please RSVP.
Cost: $16.00 Need more information? Contact: stevens.juli@yahoo.com.

Crossfit Open House
Saturday, January 9 at 10 am
CrosssFit Winston-Salem, 105-B Griffith Plaza Dr, WS
Watch our wild work out style or jump in and try it! Flipped any tires lately?
Free!

"Robin Hood" Auditions
Saturday, January 9 from 1-4 p.m.
First floor, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St., GSO
The Greensboro Children’s Theatre is holding auditions for children in grades 4 - 9. First-come, first-serve basis. Requires cold readings from the script along with a short improvisation that will be provided. No preparation is necessary. Free.

Forsyth Astronomical Society’s Annual New Telescope Owners Workshop
Saturday, January 9 from 1 - 5 pm
Sciworks, 400 W. Hanes Mill Road, W-S
Got a new telescope for Christmas? FAS members will be available to answer your questions about how telescopes work and show you how to use your telescope. Free with paid museum admission, adults, $10; ages 6-18, $8; ages 2-5, $6; under 2, free.

Healthier Ever After Expo
Saturday, January 9 from 10:30 a.m-noon
Children's Museum of Winston-Salem, 390 S. Liberty St., W-S
YMCA aerobics instructor Christi Eley, founder of Angel Bear Yoga, is offering a fun and high-energy family aerobics class, along with healthy snacks from Best Health and take-home recipes. Members who register, free; non-members, $5.

Family Movie Night: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”
Saturday, January 9 at 7 p.m.
Thataways Youth Center, 1334 Overbrook Road, Burlington
Families invited to enjoy a movie on the big screen. Warm popcorn and candy available for small fee. Just bring your own seat or blanket. This film is rated PG. Free.

Lincoln Financial ArtQuest Community Arts Sundays
Sunday, January 10 from 3-5 p.m.
ArtQuest, Green Hill Center for N.C. Art, 200 N. Davie St., GSO
Each month on designated Sundays, ArtQuest will feature arts and crafts activities of cultures from around the world. Come learn how these cultures contribute to our local community. Members, free; non-members, $2.50.

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Congrats to our Winners!

By Rachel H

Congratulations to the following readers who won tickets to Barnum's Funundrum Circus this coming February! These readers registered to win by simply becoming fans on our NEW Triad Smarty Pants Facebook Fan Page. If you are not yet a fan of our new page (not to be confused with the old friend page), click the Facebook icon at the top of this website to sign up!

The winners are ...
Jenny Boneno
Jitka Helmus
Cabell Edmundson
Susan Anderson
Allison Nolan
Shelley Holden
Jodi Stephens
Melissa Maltzahn
Maria Money
Kay Smith

Stay tuned for another giveaway in January!

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Win Tickets to Barnum's Funundrum!

By Rachel H

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is roaring into town with Barnum’s FUNundrum, an event so big, it's 200 years in the making! Hop aboard and go on an unbelievable excursion that brings together performers and characters from exotic countries all over the world - even from places for which there are no geographic borders. From the moment that you arrive, the momentum explodes as The Greatest Show On Earth® comes to life in a way that can only be inspired by the greatest showman who ever lived.

Thrill-seekers may pay for the entire seat, but will only need its edge as a rip-roaring motorcycle troupe braves fear and physics in the 16-foot Spherical Miracle. Height-seeking high-wire artists perform 40 feet in the air, all while at a 45 degree angle. Masters of Musculature use their bodies in the ultimate test to see how far the human body can be pushed in a mind-blowing world of distortion and contortion.

Just as the Ringling Bros.® train keeps traveling from city to city, Barnum’s FUNundrum keeps the energy going As each extraordinary act blends thrills and contemporary spectacle to overdeliver a heart-racing experience that, until now, was beyond imagination!

The most exciting part of all is that our readers at Triad Smarty Pants have the chance to win tickets this spectacular event! It's super easy! All you have to do is become a member of our NEW Facebook Fan Page! (Do not confuse this with our friend page which has been up for most of the year.) This is a new page, where it will be much easier for the TSP team to post sales, alerts, blogs, and giveaways without needing to send private email messages through the friend page.

Simply click the Facebook icon at the top of our page to visit our new Fan Page and then click "Become a Fan". That is all you need to do! Then, we will use our trusty Random.org website to choose our winners. Watch the page each day as we will announce a daily winner of two circus tickets beginning today!

If you are not on Facebook, have no fear, TSP always has more giveaways in our backpocket that you wil be able to register for soon! Or if you want to get tickets for the family now, follow this link to see dates, times and availability! It will be an event your family will remember!

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Vote for Your Favorite Blogs!

By Rachel H


As we near the end of 2009, we want to look back on our readers' favorite blogs from the past year. If you are new to our site, or may have missed one of the blogs below, you can click on it to read the post. Then please take a minute to click here and vote for your favorite, most entertaining, or most helpful blog of 2009.

We will post our results on New Year's Day. Here are the contenders ...

Bullying - It's Not What it Used to Be
Having Fun on the Potty
How Old is Too Old
Halloween Costume Contest
Creative Containers Sale
Kids Eat Free and Almost Free
Great Pumpkin Patch Search
Best Kept Secrets of the Triad
Is it Just Me?
Day Trips Category
Smarty Moms Category
Birthday Party Directory
Preparing for the EOG Test - Smarty Style
Why I Homeschool
Remembering Lillie and Helping Others
Favorite Parks in WS/GSO/HP
Grocery Shopping - Smarty Style
Smart and Trendy Back to School Supplies
Going out to Eat without Breaking the Bank
Tips for Working Moms
Gift Giving Ideas for the Holidays
Whimsical Women
Festival of Trees

OK, time to cast your vote here!

Don't forget to register for our Ultimate Holiday Give-Away! Click here to take our survey and register , but first be sure you are a newsletter subscriber. (This is required for you to be eligible as a winner.) Our winner will be chosen at noon on Friday, December 11th by a random number search. We will contact you that day to let you know that you are our winner, and we’ll feature you as our Giveaway winner on Sunday, December 13th. Pass this blog along to your friends so that you can also be entered to win tickets to the circus! The more friends who register, the better your chances of winning! Good luck!

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Smarty Alert: Great Contests Running in Forsyth Family Magazine this Month!

By Katie M

The November issue of Forsyth Family is on stands now, and in it features two contests now running on their website. The first is their 2nd Annual Trick my Tree contest. Just visit their website by December 1 and tell them why you or someone you nominate needs a Christmas tree make-over. One lucky winner will be chosen to win a totally Tricked-Out Tree - includes live tree and decorations compliments of A New Leaf.

Additionally, if you tell them what Joyful Giving means to you or how you felt when someone joyfully gave to you in time of need, you could also win a complete Veggie Tales DVD library! Hurry now while these contests are still running.

And while you're out, be sure to pick up your copy at one of these locations this month!

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And the Winners of the Costume Contest Are ...

By Rachel H

We had an abundance of readers to weigh in and vote on these crafty homemade halloween costumes! Our top 5 winners with the most votes are listed below (in no particualr order). These winners will appear on Fox 8 Morning News this coming Monday! Tune in to see just how these costumes were made and to see the smarty moms and dads who made them. Take good notes in case you want to try making one of these for your little one.

Our winners will also receive 4 tickets to Disney on Ice! Thanks to everyone who participated. Thank goodness the voting was not up to me because it was not an easy choice! All the costumes were great and the kids were so darn cute! If you were not a winner this time, don't give up! We will have more contests and giveaways in the future, so keep TSP on your Favorites list and check back often!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Purses

Ryan the Lobster in a Clam Shell

DJ as Peter Pan

Owen the Native American

Louis the Cheeseburger & AJ the Hotdog

Congrats to all our winners!

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Homemade Halloween Costume Contest - Let the Voting Begin!

By Rachel H

The entries are in! Thank you to all of our moms and dads who submitted entries into the TSP Homemade Halloween Costume Contest! We were so impressed with your ideas! Now it is all up to our readers to decide the winners. Everyone please take a moment to scroll through and vote on your favorite costume by clicking the link at the end of the blog. (Only one vote per person, please!) Double-click on any of the photos below for a close-up view.

Readers will have until Wednesday, the 14th at 5pm to place their votes. We will tally the votes that evening and the five costumes with the most votes will be announced as our winners on Thursday, the 15th at 2pm. Our winners will each receive 4 tickets to Disney on Ice. They will also appear on Fox 8 Morning News on Monday, October 19th.

We hope these costumes will give you some inspiration in designing costumes for your own family this year. Good luck to all!

Mercer the Good Wicked Witch




Brock as Lightning McQueen




Emma the Lollipop






Ryan the Lobster in a Clam Shell
(Baby Ryan is the lobster and Dad is in the background)






Alex the Turtle


Mason the Devil


Sisterhood of the Traveling Purses


Phoenix the Pipe Organ


Carter Nicholas the Octopus



DJ as Peter Pan


Louis the Cheeseburger & AJ the Hotdog


Maddie the Three-headed Skeleton




Tanner the Centaur


Owen the Native American


Voting has now ended.

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Announcing our winners of the Disney on Ice Tickets

By Rachel H

Last Monday we ran this contest on TSP. Thank you SO much to everyone who entered the contest by spreading the word about our website. We had an abundance of new newsletter subscribers and we know it was because of you...

Last night we counted all the entries, and emailed these two ladies to ask for their pictures and tell them they had won and. They were both thrilled to know they would be taking their girls to this magical Disney performance! Jill Sherron of Winston-Salem (left) and Ashleigh Brown of Burlington (right) each sent out emails to over 195 people in the Triad telling them to check out our website! Holy macaroons! I think they were only one or two addresses apart, so we decided to call it a tie and award both families with a 4-pack of tickets to see Disney on Ice!

The TSP Team used our super-sleuth ways to double-check their email recipients and they were all lovely ladies and gents in the Triad, just as we requested! Jill and Ashleigh - you ladies are great and we thank you for your efforts! We hope you enjoy the show!

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Homemade Halloween Costume Contest

By Rachel H

It’s time for all you crafty moms to strut your stuff! We know Halloween is still two months away, but you need to get those creative juices flowing now to win this contest.

As you begin to think about this project, keep these three “C”s in mind: creative, child-friendly and cheap! Design your child’s costume and take a picture of him/her wearing it. Send the photo to triadsmartypants@gmail.com by noon on October 8th. We will then post all of our contest entries on the website from October 9-14th. The TSP readers and your friends will have a chance to vote for your favorite homemade Halloween costume. We will then gather our top 5 winners with the most votes, and announce them on TSP. Not only will you win bragging rights of having the favorite Halloween costume, but you will also receive a family 4-pack of tickets to Disney on Ice AND your costume will be featured on Fox 8 Morning News on October 19th! Is this fun, or what????

Here are a few things to keep in mind ...

As stated above, our top 5 winners will have their costumes shown on the Fox 8 Morning News. You can choose to have you and your child appear on the news with the costume, or Katie and I can just show a picture of the costume and present it for you. On the news segment, we will ask you to please show all of the materials and steps involved in making the costume, so please be prepared for this. (Again, you and your child can be on TV to show the steps, or Katie/Rachel can get the materials from you and demonstrate it on the news. We realize that the thought of being on the news can be frightening and we don’t want to scare you away!)

The sky is the limit on imagination! All we ask is to try to keep the costume budget friendly and remember that a child actually has to wear it. (I remember my dad making a Hershey Bar costume for me out of cardboard one year and I think I fell over a thousand times trying to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood! Actually, I think I did this to my son two years ago when he wore a robot costume I made, and the box was way too big. Ooops.) Anyway, you can make a great costume on a budget. My kids’ costumes above were both completed for less than $15. Jake’s mummy costume was simply a few rolls of bandage tape wrapped around pants and a top. We did the top and bottom separately because it was easier for trips to the bathroom. Anna’s pizza costume was a big piece of foam that I spray painted and then hot-glued the felt toppings.

There is no time to waste – get moving now and get your photos sent to us anytime within the next month. If you are not Miss Crafty, but know someone who is, please pass this idea on! The more the merrier. Good luck!

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WIN FOUR FREE TICKETS TO DISNEY ON ICE!!!!

Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in "Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!" You’ll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and all the Disney Princesses. Your children will be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you’ll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

This family performance will be at the Greensboro Coliseum December 3-6th. Tickets go on sale August 28th! You can get show times and prices here. For more information about the show visit www.disneyonice.com.

Here is the most exciting part - TSP has a surprise! We have a pack of 4 tickets ready to give to one of our lucky readers! Keep reading to find out more ...

We have decided to hold a contest for this prize that is super easy. On our last giveaway, we asked readers how they found out about our site and the overwhelming majority said the site was referred to them by a friend. Word of mouth obviously works! So, to continue spreading the word and to be entered in our contest, here is all you have to do: Send an email to all your mommy (and daddy) friends in the Triad and tell them about Triad Smarty Pants! You can tell them why you like it, what types of blogs we feature, and how we give cool stuff away for free. You can tell them to register for the newsletter, or - maybe you know one of our Smarty Moms or guest bloggers who has been featured - and you can tell your buddies to check out that blog!

Then all you need to do is copy us on the email at triadsmartypants@gmail.com. You will have one week to do this. On Monday, August 31st, we will look at all the emails that have been sent, and the person who sent it to the most friends in the Triad will win the family four-pack of tickets to Disney on Ice! Easy peasy!

We will use the honor system and ask you to please send your email only to Triad families, and not to Great Grandma in Minnesota who will never read TSP. We will randomly check a handful of emails from the winners list to make sure they are legit.

Get your email list ready and be sure to copy us on it! Send it out anytime between now and next Sunday! Good luck!

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