My Diet Coke risk that paid off

A couple of weeks ago, I received this e-mail:

Dear Amy,

Is Diet Coke always the first thing on your shopping list? Do you take a daily Diet Coke break?  Is Diet Coke your go-to drink? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I have quite the opportunity for you.

Diet Coke is kicking off a trial Brand Ambassador Program designed for extraordinary fans like you and we want you to be first in line. The program will consist of several campaigns that will help enlighten and educate you about Diet Coke and give you first look at some behind-the-scenes developments with the brand. We want you to help us spread the good word about a product that you already love.


Waaaahhhhhh! Where was this e-mail 5 months ago, before I gave up Diet Coke?! A chance to work with the Diet Coke brand? Holy carbonated, zero-calorie nirvana!

It was too painful to pass up the opportunity, but not really worth picking up my Diet Coke habit again. (I cut my consumption for a combination of economic and health reasons.) As I thought about it, the truth is that I've mostly given up Diet Coke, but sometimes it's just what I need. So, after several days of thinking, I replied with this:


Here is where I am with Diet Coke. I love the brand. But I cut back my consumption about 5 months ago, based on the idea that it's not good for me.

I still drink it 2-3 times/week. I love the brand itself. I still have my Diet Coke bottle from a NYC visit in my office, a  Diet Coke bracelet and will definitely hang my Diet Coke ornament from my Christmas tree this year.

I'm interested in participating primarily because I'd love to have the health info, but I'm not sure if I still fit your brand ambassador profile. If you'd be on board with an "I love it, but I want to make informed decisions" perspective, I'd love to be part.

It was a risk to answer this way, but I figured I had nothing to lose. I was honest, not compromising my integrity. If I didn't fit what they were looking for, they'd let me know.

Extraordinarily, the answer was yes, they'd still love to have me! It's a short-term, trial brand ambassador program, so there will be some #MyDietCoke posts coming from me in the next few weeks. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Diet Coke, pro and con, too.

So, how do I drink my Diet Coke now? As I said, I indulge in Diet Coke maybe 2 to 3 times per week. Almost always, if I'm going to enjoy a Diet Coke, it's in the morning on my way to work and it comes to me via the McDonald's drive-thru window.

I'm not a coffee drinker. I've been learning to drink iced tea, but on days when my eyes stay bleary longer than normal, when I need a little oomph to push me into the world of the functioning awake, nothing does the trick like Diet Coke. And for some reason, no one does Diet Coke better than McDonald's. The order is always the same -- 1 large Diet Coke for $1.09. Cheaper, and tastier, than a fancy schmancy latte from Starbucks.

Occasionally on the weekend, Mike will buy a fridge pack of Diet Coke and I might have one. If I'm drinking the bubbly stuff at home, it's over crushed ice, preferably in my Butler University or Indianapolis Colts Tervis Tumbler, and closely guarded so no one can steal a swig of it.

So how do I enjoy my Diet Coke? Like all good things in life...in moderation.

How about you?

Disclosure: M80 contacted me on behalf of The Coca-Cola Company to participate in this brand ambassador program. I said yes all by myself.

Call 'em, text 'em, Facebook 'em, TELL 'EM (Giveaway)

Sometimes when my head hits the pillow at night, I think about if I talked to my kids that day. I'm sure I told them stuff -- hang your coat up, do your homework, no more videogames, brush your teeth. But did I really talk to them?

Did I take the time to ask about the doodles on Annie's hands and listen to the tales of friendship attached? Did I check in with Charlie and ask about how things are going with the lunch table crew? Did I tell Robbie how proud I am that he is taking such an interest in doing well in school?

I think we all have days like that. We all have people in our lives who need to hear something from us. Last month, I was invited to a Hallmark Moments & Milestones event in Indianapolis. They think telling people what they need to hear is so important, they've created a whole campaign around it. (OK, so they kind of have a vested interest in the idea, but they happen to be right.)

In true Hallmark fashion, they took this room full of bloggers and started by pulling on our heartstrings with this video, created with snippets and photos from our blogs. (My contribution is Amy M.)

Now, tell me you aren't reaching for the Kleenex right now. 

Then we each wrote our "Tell Them" thought on a piece of paper to share with the room. Here is mine, inspired by the whining and scowling that comes with getting into the driver's seat to drive to three different schools, play rehearsal, basketball practice, Cub Scouts...

Once we all dried our eyes from that little share-fest, we got to hear from two Hallmark writers and an ornament designer. Seriously, me getting to get a little peek inside the inner workings of the brain of a Hallmark writer is like Charlie having a chance to learn shooting technique from Michael Jordan.

After hearing about the ornament design process, I will admit to feeling more than a little bit guilty that I'm not a mom who buys her kids a new Hallmark Christmas ornament each year. Hey, those things are pricey. However, I will say that learning all the steps involved in the process -- did you know they make and dress with real fabric 7 models of each little figure, I can appreciate the cost a little more.

This ornament was carved in clay first, then molded in plastic, then produced in pewter.

Maybe I'll start buying one family ornament each year. 

Even though it was mid-October, we enjoyed frosted Christmas sugar cookies on custom-designed paper plates. If my mother-in-law were still alive, this is so something she would buy. Well, she would ask me to buy them because she would never be able to figure out how to order online.

This cutie on my plate is the daughter of one of the bloggers who was there. So I was very careful not to smear frosting on the plate, so I could wipe the crumbs off and let the mama take the plate home. Oh yes, I did. If it was my kid's face on a paper plate, I would have collected every plate in the room. Your kid's face on a paper plate? That tells them "You're special."

(Want to order plates like these? Or personalized Christmas cards? Use the code BLOG30 at Hallmark.com and enjoy 30% off your order!)

And then, there was the swag. Oh yes, the swag!

There were Thanksgiving greeting cards, interactive story books, ornaments, recordable books, and my favorite, the Text Bands.

Text Bands are wrist-watch like devices that allow kids to type a message (up to 10 characters) into their band. Think of it as "Tell Them, the digital version." The message scrolls across the face of the band -- URCOOL or BSTFRIEND or LUVMOM. Then when the kid bumps knuckles, high five or shake hands with another band-wearer, the messages swap. Up to 24 messages can be saved on the band. Click the picture to the right for a demo.

The Text Bands are meant for kids, but I could see a few uses for husbands and wives -- TONIGHT?...

Anyway...moving along...

The Giveaway
I think the Text Bands are so cool that when Hallmark offered me the chance to do a giveaway of one of their products on my blog, I picked Text Bands. Lucky you!

So here's the deal. This contest is open from now until midnight on Saturday, November 17. I'm using one of those fancy RaffleCopter widgets to collect entries. The winner will be drawn on Saturday morning and your set of 2 Text Bands will be sent to you directly from my new friends at Hallmark.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BNO*

*Bloggers' Night Out

It's been a little while since I've gone to a bloggers' event. My last opportunity was the Container Store, which sadly, I had to miss for some reason that was very important then, but that I can't remember now.  So when I got the invitation to attend a night hosted by Plum District (a mom-to-mom deal company), I was happy. When I realized it would take place at one of my favorite stores -- 4 Kids Books & Toys -- I was thrilled.

The purpose of the event was to help area bloggers get to know Plum District and vice versa. Oh yeah, and to eat and leave with swag bags and prizes.

I saw some familiar bloggers (shout out to DesignHerMomma, The Average Parent and In Good Cents). I also met some new-to-me bloggers. One woman, Erin Wilson, is the founder of a company called CupCase. Can you guess what she sells?  No cheating. Guess first, then click the link.
 


Travel cases for your bra. Yes. That's exactly what I just said. Truthfully, I thought she was nuts. Who the heck needs a case for her bra? Shove it in the suitcase and be off.  Erin said she gets a lot of that, but she also talks to lots of women who are on her same wavelength and love the idea.

But she was a hoot and she was also one of the only other moms there who was beyond the diapers-preschool-little people stage. Plus, her contraption did make one cute little purse. She said they currently come in sizes A-B and C-D. I suppose if you are a GG, you could carry one as a bowling bag instead of a purse.

So after some wine and a few snacks (yes, I did make myself eat some veggies), it felt like a good time to go home. But there were the prize drawings, so I decided to wait. My name was the last one drawn (everyone got a Plum District deal as a prize) and if I had been my own mother, I would have been appalled at my behavior.

Some of the other ladies got frozen yogurt deals and bounce house passes and other fun stuff. Me? I got two Pilates sessions. My gut reaction kicked in before my be gracious reaction and I made a face that looked more like I'd just won a free pap smear. About 60 seconds later, I came to my senses and feebly said something about "maybe I'll give it a try." Geesh! One plastic cup of wine and all my manners went out the window.

The night ended with me finding that my keys were locked in my car (on purpose, but that's a boring detail). So Erin offered me a ride home. It was fun to get to know her better (raised in West Lafayette, Indiana University grad, athlete), even if she does put her bra in a protective case.

Oh, and if you're interested in the Plum District deals, check out the widget at the bottom of my blog.It's an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy the deal, I get some money. I'm not planning on getting rich from it, but if it pays for a Diet Coke from time to time, I'll be happy.