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“Parenting is totally smooth sailing!”…………… said no parent EVER.

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If you have kids, then you know exactly what I mean… one minute things can be all sunshine and rainbows, and the next minute the storm magically reappears in one of its impressively reliable forms. As a working mom of 2 young girls myself, it feels like I’m constantly *manning our ship*, so to speak, and usually just trying to prevent it from toppling over… never mind any fantastical dreams about *smooth sailing*! 😜

Sometimes the most impressive parenting work actually happens in the middle of a storm though, or when you’re too busy taking care of things to even realize it. But I bet someone else realizes it… and if they did, wouldn’t it be AWESOME to be reminded that you’re doing a good job?!

HEY! You’re #doingood

That’s exactly the thinking behind Minute Maid’s #doingood campaign, which encourages people to recognize and celebrate great parenting, which is likely happening all around you. And the holidays are an especially great time to offer some extra high-fives to moms and dads, as this time of year can bring about added stressors for parents and even more things to juggle than usual.

As part of the campaign, you’ll see a section on several Minute Maid products where you can fill in the blanks to personalize a #doingood message to give to someone you know. Filling this out and dropping it off or sharing a picture of it with them is a super easy and unexpected way to spread some joy!

JUICE CARTON SAILBOATS

If you want to get a little craftier though, here’s another idea! In keeping with the “not-so-smooth-sailing” concept, I turned some of the empty Minute Maid juice cartons into sailboats and designed printable “encouragement sails” to use on them. Just add your favorite edible treat, and you’ve got yourself a creative – and very thoughtful! – homemade gift.

Each of the 3 sail designs comes in 2 colorways: 1.) black with white type and 2.) white with black type and a pop of cheerful holiday RED.

YOU’LL NEED:

• empty juice cartons
• craft paint
• paint brushes
• Boat Top Template
• Printable Sails
• bamboo skewer
• hot glue gun
• craft knife
• scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Give the carton 2 coats of white craft paint. Let paint dry completely between coats.

2. Cut out the Boat Top Template and lay it on top of the carton. Lightly trace around the template with a pencil. Next, trace the rectangle shape inside of the first shape, and cut it out with a craft knife.

3. Time to paint! Add stripes, windows, etc, and just have fun with it. Let the paint dry completely.

4. Hot glue a printable sail front and back design together, then glue a wooden skewer to the back. Use a craft knife to puncture a small “x” in the top of the carton for the skewer to be inserted through.

Done! Just place a treat inside to turn the boat into a gift. I filled these with a buttery toffee popcorn, but you can use your own favorite edible or non-edible treat.

Here’s one of the options for the back side of the sail… (the other version has fill-in-the-blanks inspired by the design on the Minute Maid carton):

#doingood Holiday Contest ($500 Prize Value)

*** Winner update, 12/12/16. This contest is now closed. Thanks so much to everyone that entered and WOW was that a difficult decision to pick a winner – there was so much thought and creativity that went into the entries and I wish I had several prizes to give out! There can only be one though… and the winner is Anna B. who put together this inspiring board! Congrats, Anna! :) ***

I hope you’re feeling inspired to spread some #doingood joy! And here’s some extra motivation for ya… you may have noticed that the title of this post mentions a contest, so here’s your chance to win a prize pack (valued at $500) with the following items:

–  $300 Visa gift card (this should help with holiday shopping!)
– 2 Minute Maid #doingood journals (one to keep, one to gift)
– a personalized canvas print of your favorite family photo.

You’ll need to create a Pinterest board to enter. Here are the details:

CONTEST RULES:

1. Create a Pinterest board and name it “Minute Maid #doingoodcontest“

2. Pin ideas and inspiration about recognizing or celebrating great parenting and family moments during the holidays.

For example, you could pin other projects or things that would make great #doingood gifts, funny quotes that will make parents laugh, inspirational family holiday moments, ideas for celebrating with other moms, etc. Here’s my board as an example. Please note that you are NOT required to promote Minute Maid products as part of the contest, and the board will be judged on the quality, not the quantity, of pins.

3. Post a link to your board in the comments section of this post, along with the hashtag #doingoodcontest.

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Important Disclosures:

This contest is open to US residents only, age 18 or older.

The contest starts on November 10, 2016 and ends on December 8, 2016 at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be contacted via email on December 12th and announced here.

The contest prize is provided by Minute Maid. Minute Maid is not a sponsor, administrator, or connected in any other way with this promotion.

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Minute Maid. Thank you so much for supporting the companies that make it possible for me to keep the creative content coming your way!