Maisy book giveaway

Posted on December 16, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

Here at Fans of Being a Mom, we believe it’s never too early to encourage a love of reading in our kids. That’s one reason we were so charmed by a new title from Candlewick: Maisy’s Snuggle Book. This book is perfect for even the youngest “readers” in the family. It features Maisy and all her friends – Charley the crocodile, Tallulah the chick, Cyril the squirrel, Eddie the elephant, and – of course! – Maisy’s special pal, Panda. The friends are all here, sharing their bedtime routines of getting into their pajamas, brushing their teeth, having some milk, reading a story, and getting a cuddle.

Maisy has always been a favorite at our house. Though my daughter is, in her opinion, too grown up for Maisy now (she is in the second grade, you know), we still read some of our Maisy favorites at bedtime … just for old time’s sake. Maisy and her friends are cheerful without being saccharine. The bright colors and bold lines are especially appealing to the younger set, offering lots of contrast and vibrancy. For kids old enough to follow a storyline, the adventures of Maisy and her friends are entertaining and comforting.

The soft, plush edition of this book makes it a literal snuggle book – the outside cover is a fuzzy, fleece material that’s both printed and embroidered, giving it some great texture for baby’s fingers to explore. The inside pages are a durable material around a soft stuffing, making the whole book soft and squishy and very inviting. The binding on the cover is a smooth, blue satin, like the edging on many favorite baby blankets. The book comes packaged in a gift-worthy striped box with a peek-a-book window that will probably keep your little one entertained for almost as long as the book.

If you think your little one would enjoy a copy of this Maisy’s Snuggle Book, you may be in luck. Our friends at Candlewick Press have offered to give away two copies.

For a chance to win one of the free copies, simply leave a comment below sharing your thoughts about Maisy or bedtime or really young readers. All comments must be in by midnight EST, this Sunday, the 18th and include a valid email address. Please note that the comment must be on the blog, not on our Facebook fan page to be eligible to win. If you’re one of our randomly selected winners, we’ll be in touch by email to get all your shipping details so the nice folks at Candlewick can send out your goodies.

Good luck, happy reading, and be sure to stop by and “Like”Candlewick’s Facebook Page.

Giveaway: Cute board books!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

There’s something about board books that we find irresistable. Maybe it’s their chunkiness or their sturdy construction, their easy-to-turn pages, or the way they double as teethers for little ones. Or, maybe we love them so much because they are our children’s first exposure to the joys of books and reading. They help little ones take their first literary steps as they open the doors to a world of exploration and learning.

Whatever our reasons, we are board book junkies and we’re not ashamed to admit it. Even though our own children have outgrown these durable reads, we still fall for them every time. Today, we’ve got two new Candlewick titles to share with you: I like toys and I like vegetables. These are board books with a slight twist. In addition to all the usual goodness, they feature touch-and-feel details that will have tiny fingers roaming the pages while bright eyes are taking in the bright pictures.

In I like vegetables, curious kids learn not only about produce, but about opposites like above and below, inside and outside, and so forth. Not only that, but you can start getting your kids excited about eating carrots, corn, and peas. (It’s never too early to start, right?)

In I like toys, the focus is on shapes. As little fingers touch different textures in the images, mommy can explain about circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles. Each spread features one large image and then two smaller images – all of which are labeled. The square pages feature images of blocks, a jack-in-the-box, and a book.

GIVEAWAY: Would you like your very own copies of these two great, little board books? The nice folks at Candlewick Press are giving us five sets to giveaway to our readers. For a chance to win one of these sets, just enter your comment below and tell us what you like about board books or about your favorite board book. You have until midnight tomorrow (Friday, August 26th) at which time we’ll choose 5 random winners. Good luck and happy reading!

Giveaway – Harper Collins Book Pack

Posted on May 4, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

Sorry!  This Giveaway is now closed.

So many books, so little time.

Curling up with a good book is one of the things most moms would love to do if only we could find the time. There’s nothing like losing yourself in a good story to take you away from whatever trials and tribulations have troubled your day.

To inspire you to carve out some time for a date with a book, we’ve teamed up with the nice folks at Harper Collins to bring you a fabulous gift pack of books. This collection includes some great titles that are perfect for you and your kids. If you’re lucky, you can get the little ones engrossed in some reading of their own, and steal away to your own literary adventure.
The titles in this Harper Collins gift pack include:

For you:
HarperTeen’s paperback repackaging of Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility (These are for teens, but we think moms will like them, too – and they make you look so smart!)
Summer in the City: A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell (Fresh off the presses and ready for beach reading!)
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (The latest from a #1 NYT bestseller.)

For the kids:
Falling Up by Shel Silverstein (You can’t go wrong with Shel – kids everywhere love him.)
Splat the Cat by Rob Scotton (The first in the NYT bestselling series.)
Splish, Splash, Splat! by Rob Scotton (The latest in the Splat series – coming out mid-May)
Fancy Nancy Poet Extraordinaire (It’s fantabulous!)
Hooray for Amanda and her Alligator by Mo Willems (From the creator of the Pigeon series, a new comic masterpiece.)

Giveaway: If you’d like to claim this bookish treasure for yourself (and your kids), just leave a comment below telling us something you love about books – your favorite kids’ book, grown-up book, reading memory … whatever. You’ve got until midnight tonight to give it a shot. Good luck!

Image Credit (statue at Wilson Hall, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ): Sister72

Giveaway – MommyJuice Wines. You need this.

Posted on May 3, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

Sorry!  This Giveaway is now closed.

More than anyone, moms need a break once in a while. I mean – let’s be honest – once you’ve entered the hallowed halls of motherhood, you can kiss peace and quiet goodbye. Calm, Zen-like moments are a thing of the past. Relaxation is a concept that is interesting in a gee-I-wonder-what-that-would-be-like way. It’s sad really. Well, have no fear – MommyJuice Wines are here. When you’re feeling frazzled and slightly-less-than-sane, pour yourself a glass and let the bliss begin. Don’t miss the GIVEAWAY below, but first – today’s guest post from the founder and creator of MommyJuice Wines, Cheryl Durzy, you’ll learn how to pair certain wines with everyday mom events. Take it away, Cheryl!

I have been in the wine industry for over 13 years. The only other area where I have even remotely considerable experience in is parenting—7.5 years. Over 8 if you count pregnancy.  In many circumstances, I have discovered that these two passions of mine overlap. Wine is a regular part of my post-parenting regime – after I’ve put the kiddos to bed for the night, I relax with a glass (or two).

Chefs and sommeliers like to pair wine and food.  I like to pair wine and parenting situations.  All wines have unique personalities and traits, just like kids and their little quirks.

Parenting Situation #2567: Homemade “Paint” on the Walls or Crib

Homemade paint = poo. Poo on the walls, the crib, the floor. Sooner or later, most babies/toddlers stick their hands down a diaper and come up with a finger full. And wow, it looks fun to paint with!  When the unsuspecting mom comes in to check on her peaceful, supposedly napping babe, the scent and sight can be very disconcerting.

It’s stinky and a pain to clean up. But it will be okay. Probably cleaner then before—which means it’s time to celebrate and embrace the “poo.”

Many Syrahs, especially those from the “Old World” winegrowing regions (anywhere in Europe) have a scent to them that wine experts describe as “barnyard.” Translation: it smells a little like poo. But that is not a bad thing. Combined with other characteristics like dark berries, smoke, and maybe a little bacon, the wine becomes interesting, complex and really tasty. Relax – your baby was just trying to express his artistic side. Maybe he will be the next Poo-casso.

Wine Pairing: French Syrah from the Northern Rhône Valley (it will not say Syrah on the label because French wines are sold by the region, not the varietal/grape type. For the best value look for red wine from St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage)

Parenting Situation #4546: The first day of daycare/preschool

As a working mom, I brought my oldest child to daycare for the first time when he was about 4 months old.  I love my job, so I was excited to go back to work.  However, I had finally found a good routine with the little bugger and was really enjoying my time with him. I had serious doubts about returning to work, but that was not a financially viable option for me. So, off to daycare he went.

My son was fine. He slept through the entire drop off. I was a mess. I cried when I left. I cried in the car. I cried on my way to work. I cried at work. I called the center three times in the first hour to see if he was okay. The director of the center told me politely that she would call me with anything and to PLEASE STOP CALLING. It was horrible. When picked up my baby at the end of the day I was so happy to see him. We had a lovely evening at home and then he went to sleep. Though we had to do it all over again in the morning,  the next day I only cried until the first stoplight. I called only once. The day after that, I teared up. Then, I was okay.

I chose Viognier that first night. I was overwhelmed with the return to work and leaving my baby with people I did not really know all that well personally (although I had many excellent references). Why Viognier?  For a white wine, it has quite a kick…and by kick I mean alcohol – typically over 14-15% in California Viogniers. And after bugger went to bed, I needed some “down” time. And fast. I had two glasses of Viognier, got a little happy and went to sleep. Plus Viognier has great stone fruit (apricot, peach) flavors with aromas of honeysuckle. Seems delicate, but there is some muscle in there. It does the job efficiently. Which is what every working mom strives for: efficiency!!

Wine Pairing: Viognier (pronounced Vee-Oh-Nay): Look for a California Viognier. Try and find one  grown in the Central Coast region of the state where the grapes really showcase the floral aromas and flavors the varietal is famous for.

As moms, we learn to handle all kinds of crazy situations. Each time we get through another chaotic day or traumatic crisis, we get a little stronger. Still, there’s nothing wrong with a little help when it comes to unwinding and recuperating from the day’s “adventure.” After all – we’ll have to do it all over again tomorrow; may as well kick back while we can!

GIVEAWAY: Enter to win one of 10 MommyJuice Wines gift certificates worth $25 each. Just leave a comment below (by midnight tonight, Tuesday, May 3) telling us why you need a little MommyJuice and we’ll enter you into the random drawing. Good luck!  (Click here for rules and regulations for our Week of Mother’s Day Giveaways)

MommyJuice Wines – Made for mommys by a mommy

MommyJuice Wines was founded by Cheryl Durzy, a mom of 2 and 10+ year veteran of the wine industry in Sales and Marketing at Clos LaChance Wines. These wines were inspired by her young children that point to wine glasses everywhere claiming “That’s Mommy’s Juice!” Her vision includes balanced, fruit-forward wines that bring just a bit of peace after the chaos of everyday life as a parent.

Giveaway – Delicious, delightful cake

Posted on May 2, 2011 by FoBaM-Jamie

Sorry!  This Giveaway is now closed.

Cake – yum. Cake made by someone else – double yum. Cake that’s as beautiful to behold as it is tasty to devour – I don’t even have the words.

That’s why Miss Em Zee Cakes leaves me speechless. These culinary masterpieces are baked with as much delight as delish. Created by artist/baker Susan Morley-Zender, each confection is a bona fide work of art. And then you taste it, and – wow.

Personally, I’m a fake-n-bake mom. I have very few skills in the kitchen and cake baking is not one of them. I so wish I was eligible for this giveaway; it would make my life so much easier the next time someone invited me somewhere and I had to bring a dessert.

Cake Pops are a Miss Em Zee specialty – a cross between a lollipop and a cake. Genius, right? Kids love them – they’re unique, whimsical, and fun to eat. And – hey! – no slicing required!

Giveaway: If you’d like to get your hands on one of the two Cake Pop bouquets we’re giving away (each contains 24 delectable cake pops in an assortment of flavors: vanilla bean, red velvet, and chocolate), just leave a comment below telling us your favorite thing about cake. You have until midnight tonight to enter. Good luck & save some for me!

Miss Em Zee Cake Art, Marblehead, MA – Custom cake works of art that taste as good as they look! Created just for your occasion by artist/baker Susan Morley-Zender – using the most excellent ingredients. Friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @MissEmZee.

http://www.missemzeecakeart.com/