March Soccer Giveaway! Lots of hot pink soccer freebies

Today I am kicking off a fun Soccer Giveaway for March! At the end of every month, after unveiling one of the 12 Sport Princesses and highlighting that sport, I have fantastic freebies to give one winner! New items every month. That means that after you're following us, you'll get to see the new sport-themed giveaways every month for this next year!

YAY! Here's what we've got for you this week:

Beaded soccer bracelet!



Hot pink and gray camo Soccer Ball, size 3



Girl's hot pink soccer socks

Sport Princess sticker decal! Choose any color, size is 8 inches

Hot Pink Armband!



Plus $25 bucks at Dick's Sporting Goods for you!
(You can use it to buy online if you don't have a local one)
Retail value of all of the above is $75. Saweeet!

So how do you win these free soccer goodies? Just follow the directions below... there are LOTS of way to be entered into the drawing! We will run this giveaway for just ONE WEEK! Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, March 30th, with the winner announced on Facebook next Thursday 31st, and emailed to email address provided below!

If you would like to enter this giveaway, here is what to do:

     -Just leave a comment below with your email address!

Extra entries available:

Leave an additional comment with your email address for each extra entry below! This is the easiest way for me to track multiple entries :)

      -"Follow" my Sport Princess Blog
     -"Like" us on Facebook
     -Share this giveaway link on your facebook wall
     -Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this post (leave a link to your post in your comment)
     -Grab our Sport Princess button for your blog

For example, if you are already a follower of my blog you would comment: "already a follower. here's my email: yadayada@yougetit.com"

And then if you did a facebook post, you would also comment: "Posted on facebook today. email: yadayada@yougetit.com"

And then you do a blog post on your blog you comment: "Here is the link to my blog post today: http://www.jfkld;jj/.etc" :)

(Hey, that means that if you "like" on facebook, or have our Sport Princess button on your blog, and/or follow our blog, you automatically have entries in all the future giveaways this year!!)

Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win! You have until next Wednesday to spread the word and help us get Sport Princess out there more... good luck! Hugs, BH

Athlete Spotlight: Mia Hamm

For my first *Monday Athlete Spotlight*… how can I NOT start with a spotlight on arguably one of the most important sportswomen of our time, Mia Hamm!

Ohhh where do I start! This sportswoman was… IS… incredible. Do I begin with how she was actually born with a club foot and had to wear corrective braces as a toddler?

Or how she is the youngest player EVER to play for the U.S. National soccer team at just a young 15 years old?

Becoming the youngest American women to win a World Cup championship at the still young age of 19?

Or how about the fact that Mia has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female, in the history of soccer?

Yes, she has done it all. Named the FIFA World Player … TWO times … inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame when receiving 137 votes out of the possible 141 … has the largest NIKE building on corporate campus named after her … and was named the 1997 Sportswoman of the Year!

Hamm retired in 2004 at the age of 32 to start a family with her then-Red Sox shortstop husband (later Dodgers), Nomar Garciaparra. (Does it get any better than that??) In 2007 she gave birth to twin girls! With soccer star momma, and baseball daddy, you better believe those little girls are Sport Princesses!

You gotta watch this awing tribute I found to Mia Hamm! Super cool youtube Mia Hamm Tribute

The many faces of The Soccer Princess "Jo"

I don't know why I've put this off... because from what I've heard so far, this news I'm about to share has been received enthusiastically. And now that I'm looking through older illustration examples again, I'm getting a kick out of this thing called starting over. Since getting signed with my lovely Irish Literary Agents... and in talking to several overseas publishers and marketing companies at the London Book Fair, I heard a consistent message:

"LOVE the idea. Illustrations look a little old or off for the younger target audience though. Change that and you have something that could go international, too"

And then it hits me, too, as so apparently obvious that I don't know why we didn't see it sooner. So with the big picture in mind, and what's best to get all our little girls to love sport princesses and spread the idea... we all agreed to push off the first publication date of The Soccer Princess, (still in 2010!) while we start over on the illustrations! It was perfect - blessed - timing at the Book Fair, because my publisher had just received the proof sample from the printer in Minnesota, and we were at that point to either plow forward with the printing, or make any revisions.

I'm waiting for a new sample illustration from a fantastic agented illustrator right now that we've been in negotiations with, and my publisher will be able to make that decision by the end of next week. In the meantime though, I want to show you several of the faces of Josephina that I've received since the beginning from different freelance illustrators!! The first two (uper-amatear) drawings are my own... how I initially pictured Jo. The rest are several different styles and mediums based on different artist perspectives!

Have fun looking through all these examples!! I would LOVE your feedback and opinion. Several of these are obviously not her exactly, but some are closer than I originally considered... is there a style here that you love for little girls? Is there one that you think is close? Or right on? Have your daughters look through it with you too!

Stay tuned as we continue the search for the right match......

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

I.

J.

K.

L.

M.

Sport Princess Football Referee Signals... Videos!

Want to learn different football referee signals from 3 year old Football Princesses? Watch these super cute videos below! The youtube link is pasted above each video so you can share with your friends and family! Send me your cute girl sport videos and we'll share on the blog!

Part 1: Mackayla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVi0f4ZajUI&feature

Part 2: Avery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfHU71L0Mh8