News Flash: super stealth announcement at the end of this post!
So we’ve done quite a few giveaways this month, in celebration of our newly released book – Eat Like a Dinosaur.
If you recall, first we gave away items that had inspired us in writing the book.
Next, we gave away some of the items we use in the book and on the site to get kids excited.
Then we teamed up with Honeyville, US Wellness Meats and Tropical Traditions for a lucky person to eat through the book.
And now, we announce the winner (Shelly Richardson) for the tools we used to cook through the book.
So… what could we possibly do next? What more could we giveaway? How about an opportunity for MANY people to win ELaD?
What the heck is “Pay It Forward”
I know there’s a early 21st century movie joke in here somewhere… I just can’t think of it, yet.
We’ve heard from quite a few families that they would love the opportunity to buy the book, but that their finances just don’t allow for them to do so at this time. That’s so hard for us to hear! We think ALL families should have the opportunity to own Eat Like a Dinosaur.
It’s not just about eating gluten-free, dairy-free (paleo) foods, it’s about enjoying time together, learning to love life as a family and doing activities that don’t cost much money but give you so much in return. In our opinion, the families that can’t afford this book need it the most!
So, what to do? Well, we’ve figured out a way to share copies of the book. At least 8, but we’re hoping for more (see the Call to Action below). These copies of the book will be given away to families who can demonstrate to us how they will pay the favor forward. If we send you a copy of the book, what will you do in return?
It’s not about money. It’s about taking the knowledge, time or experience you already have – and sharing it with someone else to bring them happiness in whatever form you can muster.
Yes, this giveaway is asking you to tell us how you will ‘change the world’ if we send you a simple book… but, you never know the impact a small thing can do. Just look at us, we started a simple family blog to keep ourselves accountable and we’ve helped inspire many of you to change your lives as a result! The possibilities for paying this forward are only limited by your imagination.
Call to Action
Do you have $16? Are you inspired by this giveaway? Do you want to give a copy of Eat Like a Dinosaur to a family in need? If so, contact us and we’ll add you to the list of donors and be able to increase the number of copies we’re giving away!
Here’s the giveaway details
We’re giving away (at least) 7 copies of Eat Like a Dinosaur AND 1 Grand Prize. Here’s how to enter:
- Be a person or family who can’t afford this book (or enter to win it for someone else who can’t afford it) – no sad stories please, just confirm you’re in need of the book!
- Leave a comment with the information (or a link to a post you’ve made somewhere else) on how you will pay it forward.
That’s it! Obviously, we’d love for you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, YouTube or however else you want to stalk us. But really, this isn’t about us. The only entries that will be considered for this giveaway are the items listed above – because that’s what it’s about.
Please note, we will NOT be judging people based on their need for the book. We expect you all to have integrity and honesty, if you say you need it – we believe you. You will BE judged on how you plan to give back to the community, the best “pay it forward” plans will win!
Fair warning, this is a completely subjective non-randomized drawing. By entering the giveaway, you recognize this is completely unfair by legal standards and are totally OK with that.
The Grand Prize
What will you win? Well, at least 7 of you will win a SIGNED copy of Eat Like a Dinosaur. But, 1 of you – the Grand Prize winner who demonstrates the greatest motivation and ideas to pay this gift forward – will win the following Grand Prize package:
1. A signed copy of Eat Like a Dinosaur AND
2. 1 copy each of Elana Amsterdam‘s books, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and Gluten-Free Cupcakes
Elana is the grain-free goddess who wrote the introduction to ELaD!
3. 1 music CD of The Cave Kids self-titled album, with bonus track – Eat Like a Dinosaur
Watch how happy a $.99 song can make your kids on our YouTube video!
4. 1 t-shirt of your choice from our Spreadshirt shop…
Might I recommend it be one of the new t-shirt designs coming soon?
Follow us on Facebook to find out when they go live in our Spreadshirt t-shirt shop!
Special thanks to our donors for this giveaway. Get yourself on this list by contacting us!
- Courtney of Wildtree Natural Foods
- Maggie (a friend from the DC Meat-Up)
- Vanessa from Healthy Living How To
- Jennifer from Perfectly Natural Family Soaps
- Paula, an unexpectedly awesome reader donation
- Erin from Pushups and Carrots
- The NomBomb Family (NomNomPaleo and FitBomb)
- Nancy, an unexpectedly generous reader
- Catherine, another giving reader
- Lacy, another another kind reader
- Plus an additional 3 from us
CURRENT GIVEAWAY TOTAL: 13 Eat Like a Dinosaur books
Can’t wait to see what you all come up with to pay this giveaway forward!
Giveaway closes Sunday 4/1/2012 at 9PM EST so that we can review all entries and announce winners on Monday 4/2/2012.
The Winners of the Pay it Forward Giveaway!
Karla
“I really need this book 🙂 Here are the ways I would pay it forward:
1) I’d tell everyone in person and on social media how I won this fantastic book which would open the way to talk about the benefits of paleo and how helpful your blog is for people starting out.
2) I’d regularly post photos and comments from recipes I’ve cooked from the book on facebook and explain how my children have benefited / loved the food.
3) By cooking paleo foods for my children (who are a little resistant), I would be paying it forward to them and their future health
4) When I’m in a better financial position, I would purchase another copy as a gift for a friend with children.Thank you so much for your kindness in offering the competition.”
Pagan_Fam
“The ways we would pay it forward:
Spread the good news to family and friends
Make awesome recipes for others (especially those in need from our church)
Share the book with my daughter’s first grade class to help them understand why my daughter eats the way she does & to enlighten their minds
Share recipes and info with other military families
Eat Paleo and set an example for my family (especially my two girls) as to why this is the best diet for our bodies and why it’s important to love and take care of our bodies.”
“Winning WOULD be my paying it forward, you see, I’m not doing the paleo diet, my best friend and her kids are. Her daughter has Celiacs and so there are some big changes going on in their family. I’m so proud of them, but I want to do something to help. She blogs a lot of her cooking experiences and has always been there to help others through things, so I think it’s time for paying it forward to mean paying her back.”
Sharmista
“My name is Sharmista and our family of 7 cannot afford this book. We are eating Paleo to treat my daughter’s autism and my DH’s nerve disease, and it’s working! But you said no sad stories, so I’ll leave it at that.
I would Pay it Forward by giving cooking lessons to those who want to change their diet but don’t have the cooking skills. This isn’t a diet that you can take on if you don’t have basic cooking skills! I know a number of people who want to make changes but are overwhelmed by the thought of cooking this way. I would take the time to have them over, to teach them how to cook Paleo, to encourage them that this isn’t as hard as it seems. 🙂
Thanks for your consideration, and thanks for sharing the love!”
Beth Matthews
“I would love to win this book. I have really changed the way my family eats the last year due to my 5 year old son’s allergies to gluten and soy. We are lucky to live on a farm and have our own beef, pork and poultry but the additional costs of the rest of the diet make finances tight so we would love to win this. I am a volunteer mom at my son’s school and make breakfast for the school once a week. I would love to share some of your recipes with the kids and families and help the kids get their day started off right. That is how I would pay it forward. Thanks.”
Bonnie Cramer Stone
“Hello! What an amazing way to cap off your month of giveaways! Although I wish I could be on the donating end – for now, I will happily share my thoughts on paying it forward if I were to be blessed through this wonderful act of kindness. First, I would pay it forward to my family by starting my personal journey to health. As a 36 year old woman who falls into the morbidly obese category, I am appalled at myself and want to give to my family by taking back my health. Secondly, my husband and I have plans to gradually move our entire family’s eating habits to GF, SF and beyond this summer (long story re:the waiting time) and this book would be a huge way to pay it forward to my boys specifically as they make the transition – a gift to them to make it fun and a blessing to them for avoiding the dreaded ADD. Third, I would pay it forward day to day as I encounter other families that want to make changes in their eating habits – I love to share any wisdom/knowledge that I gain along my own discoveries. As the oldest in my immediate circle of influence, a lot of the other moms look to me for help. Fourth, I have plans to return to blogging as I re-start my journey and I would be honored to pay it forward to the blogging community by sharing the book and how it has impacted my life – so that others may discover it for themselves. Lastly, I just can’t keep my mouth shut when I’m excited about something and when I find a new love. As I anticipate the ELaD will fall into that category, I would love to pay a little bit back to you (and I suppose forward to others at the same time) by “shouting from the mountaintops” so to speak about what a great book it is. Rest assured, it’ll be the topic of many a Facebook post, Pinterest pin, email, blog comment and more. While I realize that none of those things themselves are Earth-shattering, I believe that the momentum created by just one person can make a huge impact. To add to the cheesy movie-themed ideas – I guess I just want to start a Butterfly Effect :)”
Brightr6
“Winning a copy of this book would itself present a gift to people in the community as I am a scout leader and we have scouts with Coeliac issues so the book can become part of the food preparation agenda for camps! The recipes can be used as a guide assisting our scouts at events when providing food and bringing awareness of allergies tolerances and sensitivities to our scouts and the wider community! We can make a difference to understanding and handling adjustments for healthy living showing by example creatively presenting diet conscious standards for our youths to follow!”
missy30567
“I would love to win a copy < we have 9 children and 5 grandchildren 5 children still live at home. I have been attempting paleot alone without kids and hubby for 2 months I am down 15 pounds and off all meds for my autoimmune disease YEAH!!! Now I would like to have help through this book to get my entire family on board! Unfortunately I cant afford it right now! Thanks for considering me”
Denise
“Our community has regular blood drives and snacks are offered after donating blood, but nothing for those of us that are gluten-free. So one of the ways I’ll pass it forward is by making wonderful edibles for donors and volunteers. Also in May a monthly community meal is being started and I’d like to be able to make some gluten free dishes that have been taste tasted and sure to be very appreciated.”
Valerie
“I need this book! I’ve recently changed my diet and I’m seeing amazing results! I know eating Paleo would help my family but there is resistance from a few members… and from our wallet. What I’ve seen so far from Eat Like a Dinosaur is exactly the type of recipes to make convert, lol! I’ll pay forward by 1- showing it to my chiro who is always looking for new ressources to suggest to her clients; 2- bring foods from the book at potlucks; 3- create a “cooking class” for homeschoolers and help them make your recipes (and give a handout with your website and book infos) and 4- I’ll see if I can write a review for a book in English on a French site I write for… if so, Eat Like a Dinosaur will be that book! :-)”
Hope
“Hey Guys,
Great giveaway! I will not give ya a sob story of why I am need of this book, but I have a heart for single moms as my own mom was a single mom, so my plan is to give a copy of ELAD to my next door neighbor (we live in an RV park) who is raising 2 preteens on her own. Her oldest is a boy with ADHD and I have been trying to help her see that diet can help her son get off of ADHD meds which are very damaging to other parts of the body.She obviously doesn’t have the extra cash to buy a book. Diet has helped my own son (who has Autism) greatly. Aaaaaand we live in North Florida which is very southern (we’re not southerners, we’re from WA. state) and most folk here know NOTHING about diet and health. I have already recommended your site to another young family that lives in the park, they have 2 children, an infant and a 3 year old who is already obese (although I don’t know if they recognize it or not). So I would actually give away 2 copies if I had them. First priority would be the single mom though.
You guys are awesome for doing this (no, I’m not trying to earn brownie points lol!).
Hope”
Dawn
“I am entering to win for my family of 3 (plan to be 4). My daughter and I are trying to eat healthy and she has a hard time understanding why she can’t eat other foods that family and friends eat. It will be so helpful to her grandparents, especially, since we live with them due to financial constraint and they don’t understand why I don’t let her eat things like peeps when it’s GF. So to pay it forward we will be loaning out this book to all of our family and friends to read AND reading it to our playgroup so that they can understand as well. We will be bringing a snack to playgroup as well that is healthy AND yummy for ALL fo the kids. :)”
wakeupandbeinformed
“Hi! I’m entering for a friend of mine (ordered my book last week, can’t wait to get it!) – she’s a single mama, full time student, part time waitress – if I win I’ll pay it forward by giving her the book! I’m also planning on paying it forward by bringing paleo dishes from now on to our twice-monthly community potlucks, sharing what I know (and am learning) about paleo foods, and volunteering to be the “treat” mom in my boys’ classrooms with delicious, gluten free, dairy free treats for ALL the kiddos, not just the ones with sensitivites/allergies! (I actually already do this, but Elana’s books could really help me take it up a notch!) I have been eating paleo myself for the last month, it’s time to get the whole family on board. :)”
Jennifer S.
“Hi! I would love to have your book. I am a hospital based LC and I get a lot of nutrition and weigh loss questions. I plan to have your book in my office to share it with other mamas out in the community struggling with nourishing themselves the right way. I’m new to this paleo lifestyle and think so many main stream moms would see that it’s a step in the right direction to healthy families.”
Tina_tracy
“My name is Tina and our family of 5 cannot afford to buy this book; and we would love a chance to win it!
My husband and I are embracing the Paleo lifestyle but find that coming up with foods for the kids to enjoy is hard…we have been sharing with our family and friends the positives of eating a healthy paleo lifestyle, and will continue to do so…We have a lot of friends who are trying to lose weight, and we will share with them different recipes and information on making not just their meal healthy, but their entire family’s meals, too.
Thanks!”
And the GRAND PRIZE WINNER:
Holly Smith
“I need these books. I am a stay at home mom and I spend a lot of time at my daughters school. We just found out that she has celiacs, and my Dr recommended the primal/ paleo diet to us. I will pay it forward by teaching my daughters class about healthy eating and how it does not have to be a chore. I will also teach them how to cook some of the things that are in the book. After that I will share the info with my husband’s command and see if they can not work more healthy options into what they cook and feed the guys when they are deployed. AND I will tell anyone who will listen about celiacs. I had no idea it even existed until I found out my kids have it, and likely so do I.”
Thank you everyone for participating and supporting us and your community. And an extra big thank you to our sponsors! We are on vacation tonight, but expect a bigger announcement and for us to contact you soon!
