Enter to Win

My grandmother was a war widow.  My father was 3 or so when his father was listed as M.I.A.  As a young widow, Grandma did not sit at home.  She, my father, and my aunt traveled by car and rail all over the western U.S. and Canada.  The stories my father tells are really fantastic about their adventures and mostly misadventures. When they were at home though in the mid-west, my grandma, being on a some what limited budget, entered sweepstakes to win home items.  And win she did. The story goes, grandma had a room in their house where she kept her loot:  washers, irons you name it.

Truth be told I love to enter sweepstakes.  I am careful  not to enter ones I sense are scams or will put me on every spam list out there.  In fact, I even have an email account set up just to enter contests as I know it will be flooded with email offerings.  I know it is cliche, but you cannot win if you do not enter.  My husband who never enters any sweepstakes is very lucky.  He wins at live drawings and has won the grand prize three times! Two of those times were for the much coveted New Belgium Cruiser bikes.

Image: New Belgium Brewing Blog

Some of the contests I have recently entered have given me projects to do my 4 year old.  Boden's Design a Cover Contest was loads of fun.  Kiddos just have to paint a "wintry" theme.  

Sophia chose holiday gifts....who wouldn't!

We had loads of fun 

Not so sure the doggie did though....

Another fun contest is the yearly Real Simple Essay Contest.  This one is a great creative outlet.  I am still editing my essay.  

There are those sweepstakes that you just "Enter to Win" as well.  Just found this one Beso's $1000 diaper give-away.  It is co-sponsored by one of my favorite blogger's Joanna Goddard. I am not in need of diapers (thankfully so on many levels, personally speaking that is) but if I win, will pass on to a friend.

Anyway, often chances are pretty good at winning.  Another friend of mine won a contest for a 2 week trip to New Zealand from a major magazine. So enter to win, you just may yet.  And besides sometimes the fun is in the process or just the anticipation that you may win that luxury get-away for two to Paris.