2009 New Year Giveaway #9
We’re up to our 9th giveaway! I hope everyone is enjoying their prize winnings. We have had some fantastic items to give away.
But first…
Congratulations to the winner of our most recent After Holiday Giveaway!
We heard some great ideas for ways we can all relax and de-stress our lives. Our 8th Giveaway Winner is “The Mom Jen” who relaxes by slipping under the covers with a magazine and some chocolate. mmmmmm, chocolate. Jen will be receiving Crystal Wine Charms, compliments of Juli from www.moonstarj3.etsy.com and www.moonstarj3.blogspot.com
Ok, now to the next giveaway…
Our next giveaway is for: A Gift Certificate for a FREE Personalized Birthday CD, compliments of Victoria from www.kidspersonalizedmusic.net. ($25 Value). 
What a cool gift for a child. Kids love to hear or read their names in books and CDs. What a great idea and a great thing to try to win for any child’s upcoming birthday.
My thought of the day: The recent election has been a whirlwind. So many emotions from so many people. Some are negative and some are positive, but thankfully I have heard mostly positive. This is the first election where I was thrilled with the presidential selection. I actually watched some of Inauguration day for the first time ever. I remember thinking how exhausted Michele and Obama must be after that very long day of ceremonies and balls. For some reason I just feel so differently with this president. He seems more human to me. I have high hopes for Obama and look forward to see how he fixes the mess our country is in.
This leads to my next question…
Did you feel any strong emotions (either negative or positive) on election day or on Inauguration day? I would love to hear about it.
The deadline for giveaway #9 entry is 11:59pm EST, Wednesday January 28th, 2009. To review the rules of our giveaway, please CLICK HERE.
How to Choose Books For Children
By Heidi Rosenberg
When purchasing books for the lovely children in our lives the highest priority should be to seek out books with meaningful content. Try to avoid poor quality and commercialism.
Go back in time when my generation (children of the 70’s) and older were growing up. Almost all the books were good quality books, with great content. I am sure you still remember some to this day. In the 80’s two things happened, big publishing houses and mass retailers! Because of this profit margins became the driving force for the production of books. All of a sudden books became based on TV cartoons, video games and general commercialism.
So getting back to the question, how do you choose good quality books for children when there are so many books out there?
1. Seek out books that you remember from your childhood. (House that Jack built, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Hen, Three Billy Goats Gruff and many more)
2. Look for new books that will build on important values for your family. There are lots of new great books out there.
3. Avoid books that will take the child back to the television or computer.
4. Give your child good quality books.
5. Read to your child and enjoy good quality time together. Books with music CDs are a great way to enjoy a story (you should see our house when my 3 year old has her playgroup, its so much fun)
Barefoot Books, a small independent company that started in 1993 by two working mothers, Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland has the vision and goals to publish and share books, gifts and arts that promote children’s love for learning, independence of the spirit, multiculturalism and protection of the environment. Barefoot Books products include award-winning books, music cds and colorful artworks that appeal to children and all children at heart.
About the Author
Written by Heidi Rosenberg I became an independent stallholder for Barefoot Books in September 2008. I have two young children and we love reading together. Being an independent stallholder has given me the opportunity to stay home with my children but still earn a little bit of spending money. We love the books; they have such great artwork and fantastic stories and many of the books have facts for the reader in the back.
My Website
Barefoot Childrens books Winter sale ends Feb 2nd
After Holiday Giveaway #8
I decided to change the name of these contests to “After Holiday Giveaway”. Either way, I am continuing by giving away more FREE STUFF! We’re up to Holiday Giveaway #8.
But first…
Congratulations to the winner of our most recent After Holiday Giveaway!
What fantastic and funny stories about most embarrassing moments! Our 7th Giveaway Winner is CanCan (Mom Most Traveled)! She had a very funny story about inadvertently flashing complete strangers! CanCan will be receiving A Toddler Spa Towel Wrap, compliments of Vanessa from www.michaelgrace.etsy.com. 
Ok, now to the next giveaway…
Our next giveaway is for: Crystal Wine Charms, compliments of Juli from www.moonstarj3.etsy.com and www.moonstarj3.blogspot.com
I don’t know about you, but I love to have the occasional glass of wine, mostly due to its health benefits, of course. Make sure to enter this one!
My thought of the day: There are lots of things that I love to do…some more than others of course. I try to do something that I love each and every day. We all need some “release”, or some way to forget about our troubles. My methods of relaxing are probably simpler than others, but none the less, they relax me and that is all that matters! I like to play a game called Bubble Shooter at a site called Twitter Break…I’m an addict. I like to play games with my boys. I like to watch very funny movies with my Husband. And, I like to have a glass of red wine once in a while.
This leads to my next question…
What is it that you like to do to relax at the end of a stressful day / week?
The deadline for giveaway #8 entry is 11:59pm EST, Wednesday January 14th, 2009. To review the rules of our giveaway, please CLICK HERE.
Parent Tips to De-Stress Your Day
Parenting is the toughest job I know!
But, also the most enjoyable. Having two small boys myself, I am quite aware of the trials and tribulations that go along with parenting. It doesn’t matter their ages…each age brings new “challenges” and opportunities with it. Our job is to be creative and make our children well rounded, responsible, conscientious, empathetic individuals…among other things.
Over the years, my creativity has been deeply challenged. My boys are four and five years old. They feed off of each other. Together, they can push Mommy over the edge. I have had to be creative to divert their inner need to push my every button. I have decided to share some of these tips in the hopes that I can prevent other Moms from snapping…
- To avoid the “get dressed!” argument in the morning, we have a race. Who can get ready first; Mommy & Daddy, or the Brothers (we work in teams). Or, we set a timer and see if the boys can beat their previous “record”. This has been a huge success for us.
- My kids are very picky eaters, so we’ve found that when we have the kids help us prepare the meals, they sample the ingredients and they also are more anxious to eat what they’ve created. Read more about having your kids help you at mealtime HERE.
- I cannot express how much it has helped to turn their food into shapes and characters, and it’s soooo easy to do. The robot shaped grilled cheese is a huge hit in our house!
- My husband and I have created a trivia game during our dinner-time. We just ask age-appropriate questions and in order to hear the next question, they must take a bite of their food. This has worked surprisingly well for us.
- And finally, watch this video on occasion for a good laugh…
Do you have any great tips of your own that you would like to share?
Holiday Giveaway #7
I know the Holidays are basically over, but I’d like to make them continue by giving away more FREE STUFF! We’re up to Holiday Giveaway #7.
But first…
Congratulations to the winner of our most recent Holiday Giveaway!
Our 6th Giveaway Winner is Chakeeta! Chakeeta will be receiving a Travel Wipe Case and matching Burp Cloth, compliments of Shawna from www.ballerinasandbuckaroos.com. 
Ok, now to the next giveaway…
Our next giveaway is for: A Toddler Spa Towel Wrap, compliments of Vanessa from www.michaelgrace.etsy.com.
My thought of the day: I’ve probably had more that just a few embarrassing moments in my life, but one more recent one comes to mind. It was so embarrassing that a national magazine thought so too, and they published it in the January issue of First (for Women) Magazine. If you’re at the grocery store or your local pharmacy, pick up a copy for a chuckle.
I will sum up the story by saying this: Don’t ever pack a water/gel bra away for too long because the fabric surrounding the water/gel becomes VERY weak resulting in a potential leak. Quite embarrassing at a formal party. That is all I will say!
This leads to my next question…
What is one of your most embarrassing moments? We all need a laugh now and then…help us out here.
The deadline for giveaway #7 entry is 11:59pm EST, Tuesday January 6th, 2009. To review the rules of our giveaway, please CLICK HERE.
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