Angelface Winner!

And the winner of the $50 Angelface Prints gift certificate is....

Krista S. of Peterborough, ON! She was comment #16 out of 84 entries, and her number was chosen through random number generation.

Krista said:

"I love the idea of personalized photo cards for any occasion, and thought the Peace on Earth Christmas card was very nice too! I really like how they offer templates to choose from or that they will work with you to design your own!"

Congratulations, Krista!

Don't forget to enter to win a $60 gift card from CSN Stores, and my Canadian readers have a couple of days left to enter to win Scholastic kids' books about Canada (low entries for this one!)

Perfect Parties: Testosterone Edition

I admit it: with two girls, my parties are a little skewed toward the feminine. The party ideas I'm stealing borrowing from my friend (also mom to two daughters) may seem a bit girly as well. I promise that some of her future themes will be adaptable for boys, but until then, my friend Trina thought I should share a few tidbits from her ultra-boy party:

"Well, moms of boys are crazy party planners as well, you know! Check out the army cake that went with the camo balloons, tablecloth, napkins, banner, plates, etc. Every little monkey got a camo hard hat with a tube of M and M's taped to the top as their head lamps. We did a 'mission' with clues along the way leading to a prize. Also a little 'spin the canteen' to organize the present opening. Loot bags were a camo balloon tied to a box of Smarties (rations). Just some ideas for those of us who would be killed for organizing a 'perfect polka dot party'"!

Thanks, Trina...and what an amazing job you did on that cake! I think you should continue to be my mom-of-boys reporter!

CSN $60 Giveaway!

Giveaway open to Canada and US.

I have such an original giveaway today! I was contacted by the terrific online company CSN Stores (I'm pretty sure I was the only blogger they contacted - very exclusive!) with the possibility of doing a gift card giveaway for This Mom Love readers. I know, you've never heard of them before, or seen them on any other blog, but trust me...they're big!

No, I am not delusional, and yes, I read other blogs...but I drew you in with my sarcasm, didn't I?

CSN is indeed on a big promotional blitz, but I wasn't going to let that keep you from a terrific prize opportunity! Plus, since you have chances to win their gift cards elsewhere, just think of the shopping you could do with multiple wins!

In case you haven't seen their wide variety of products featured on other blogs, CSN sells everything from big ticket items like dining room furniture and appliances to everyday family items like diaper bags and toys. Their site boasts over 200 different online stores...that's a lot of selection!

What would I choose? Well, if I were shopping for the girls, I'd buy them something educational of course...or my $60 could get each of them a Barbie Sing n' Style Head (which is what they'd really want).

But I'd be more tempted to shop for myself, and put the money towards a new comforter set for the bed: (I know, I know...although I love this one, the light stripes just aren't practical for at least a few more years...)

Here's the best part: no jumping through hoops in order to enter! If you'd like to be eligible to win a $60 gift card for CSN Stores, to be spent on anything you wish, just leave a comment below asking to be entered! That's it!

For bonus entries leave an additional comment letting me know that:

• you follow This Mom Loves publicly through Google Friend Connect, and/or
• you subscribe to This Mom Loves through email (make sure your subscription is activated) and/or
• you follow @thismomloves on Twitter, and tweet about this giveaway

This contest is open to residents of Canada and the US, and will end at midnight on Monday, July 26th.  Please note that there may be shipping charges or international fees on some products.

Good luck, and happy browsing!

Disclaimer: CSN is providing a $60 gift card for the winner of this giveaway. I was not compensated for this post. Opinions are, as always, my own.

Perfect Parties Theme One: The Polka Dot Party!

I told you I would twist my friend Krista's arm into sharing her kids' party-planning expertise!

To start with, she let me look through her daughters' birthday books: each girl has a beautiful photo album with memories starting with the first birthday and progressing onward. Her big girl has celebrated six times, while her baby will be four this fall. There are lines for writing notes beside each photo, and that's where Krista records special details: the decorations, the gifts, the games, the loot bags. A special memento for her girls, and a handy resource for her blogger friend!

Though Krista has done a few licensed-character-style parties, several of her themes are her own creative inventions, and today I am starting with one that I love: the polka dot party.

First of all, scour the stores and find any polka dot items you can to incorporate into your party. "It's the silly details that make it fun for the kids," says Krista. Her problem is that she often comes up with a brilliant brainwave, and then has trouble finding merchandise. My suggestion? Tour the stores first, and choose a theme that will be easy to coordinate. Is that cheating?

If your heart is set on this fun polka dot idea, here's how to follow Krista:

The invitations: purchase if you can, make if you want to, but ensure they are spotted (you can even have some round confetti fall out when opened!) and instruct your guests to come in polka dots. I even made a contribution here - Krista's little girl borrowed a polka dot dress from Frannie in order to match her older sister!

The decorations: Balloons work well for this one, and coloured dots cut out and hung/mounted wherever possible. Krista used small, medium and large bristol board circles stuck to the wall with easy-to-remove painter's tape (another of her little secrets). She also cut square napkins into circles so they would match the theme. (Coworkers who overheard her divulging this tidbit were quite amused!)

The activities: Twister, of course, with the theme song from "The Polka Dot Door" playing in the background. Also, hula hoops, and a game involving tossing bean bags in to the hoops. Orange, red and yellow balls spotting the yard for kids to play with (because, oh yeah, each of Krista's themes is also colour-coordinated!), and connect-the-dots pictures. (I was thinking checkers or Connect 4 might also be good, but then I realized red and black don't fit with the colour selection! For a Kate party, that would be a ok. Not for a Krista party!)

The food: M and M's for game prizes, Yogos, orange and red mini rice cakes, and  "spotted"  (pepperoni) pizza

The cake: homemade rainbow dots minicakes, iced and decorated with more polka dots. And yes, she even found spotted cupcake wrappers.

Picture from polkadotbirthday.com - not Krista's cake

The loot bags: These, of course, must also match the theme. For this party, Krista started with reusable containers covered in dots, and filled them with Smarties, Yogos, a CD, a polka-dot toothbrush, a pot of lip gloss and bubbles.

Impressed? I was! For more polka dot party ideas visit:

Martha Stewart
Polka-Dot Birthday
Kids Birthday Party Guide

If you've ever thrown or been to a polka dot party, I'd love if you could add your own ideas below in the comments. Thanks again, Krista, and stay tuned next week for another great party theme!

A Winner and A Reminder!

Congratulations to the winner of the $25 Bugalug Baby gift certificate.....

Helpful Housewife, Leslie B. of Missouri!

She was # 27 of  123 valid entries, and her number was chosen through random number generation. Have fun shopping!

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left to enter to win a $50 gift certificate for Angelface Prints. There are low entries for this amazing giveaway, which could get you custom-designed greeting cards (birthday, invitation, thank you, announcement) or personalized name art for your child's room. If you haven't already, click on over and enter that one!

http://thismomloves.blogspot.com/2010/06/angelface-prints-review-and-50-giveaway.html

Have a great day, everyone!

No More Water Bottles...Check Out Otterbottles!

I'm officially a convert. My plastic water bottles are out, and my stainless steel Otterbottle is in.

I was pregnant with Maggie when the whole BPA panic started. Reluctant to throw out Frannie's tried-and-true plastic baby bottles, I did a lot of research to see what all the fuss was about, and found enough data to make me cough up the cost of a whole new set of BPA-free bottles and sippy cups. So, check, the kids were taken care of. How about the adults?

Lately I've been toting around reusable plastic water bottles, which are BPA-free. I've also been feeling proud of myself for filling them with tap water and therefore doing my part to save the environment. However, they're not exactly...attractive.

Enter the Otterbottle, brainwave of a Canadian mom just like me. I was sent a 750 ml bottle (they also come in 900 and 500 ml) in the Cherry Blossoms design shown below:

This bottle came to school with me every day after I received it. I got many compliments, and was impressed by the quality: no leaks or spills, and no funny taste. I also like the confidence of knowing it's 100% stainless steel, and that it's Canadian. When purchasing an Otterbottle, you're also supporting the David Suzuki foundation, which receives 3 percent of the proceeds, and all materials used are recycled. Plus, the prices are also very reasonable, around $20 depending on which size you choose.

Why "Otterbottle"? Founder Shannon Andrukow was looking for a name that represented something pure, healthy and Canadian...the otter, of course! Plus, it's a name you won't forget.

As for the style, there are many designs to choose from, so you should check out the Otterbottle website to see what appeals to you. (They are also sold in more than 40 stores across Canada.) Reusable water bottles make a terrific gift, and are also a nice back-to-school idea, whether you have a little one starting school for the first time, or a big kid heading off to college or university. (I know I allow my students to keep water bottles on their desks to sip from as necessary. There's research out there to support that too - and Otterbottles look much cooler than the less-friendly-came-out-of-the-24-pack plastic ones.)

The website also offers Enviro Habits, and BPA and Water Bottle facts like this one:

"The UN estimates that it would cost about $30 billion to provide everyone in the world with clean drinking water. Last year, $100 billion was spent on bottled water worldwide." Hmm.

I have to admit that I have a long way to go in terms of making my environmental contribution, but when being eco-friendly looks this good, how can I refuse?

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free Otterbottle, as described above, for review purposes. Opinions are, as always, my own.

To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First

Here's what's next on my must-read list: To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First by David Code. The title alone sells me on the book, as this is a philosophy I firmly believe in.

Code was interviewed in the July issue of Today's Parent magazine, and asserted that he thinks parents today pay too much attention to our kids (really!) and that some try to 'escape' their marriage by focusing solely on the children instead. So true!

One area where I feel my husband and I are quite diligent is making time for "us". We think it's important to, as Code puts it, "feed and water that relationship on a regular basis". Who can argue with the fact that a stable marriage has a positive effect on the children? And it certainly doesn't always come easy; it takes a concerted effort to work on it.

I've met moms before who brag that they've never left their children (who may be a few years old!) with anyone else. I think they are expecting glory and praise, but I have to stifle my first reaction, which is always "I'm so sorry to hear that!"

I'm sure Frannie was only a few weeks old when we enjoyed our first quick dinner out, and only four months old when a teenager kept her so we could clean out my husband's new classroom for a couple of hours. (Not exactly romantic, but time together nonetheless!) We're fortunate that we can afford babysitters, and we go out at least once or twice a month without the kids. Sometimes it's some sort of social obligation, like a wedding or work party, but more often it's a date-standard like a movie. Either way, it's some time away from our responsibilities. While the girls were infants it was more difficult, especially when breastfeeding a lot and sleeping a little, but we managed to get through on the 'banked' time we had previously invested.

We only go away overnight a couple of times a year, but that's more than many parents, and of course only happens because we're lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa who are able to keep the girls. Next on our list is to take an actual week away for the first time since our honeymoon (I'd like someplace touristy, but my husband's insisting on rest and relaxation somewhere south) but that's just not in the budget this year.

Code stresses though that it's the little things that are the most important: everyone can't do the whirlwind trips to Paris, and it's the small, regular habits that make the biggest difference, like sitting on the deck and enjoying a glass of wine after the kids have gone to bed, or even while they watch a video or just play quietly in their rooms. Kids learn independence and problem-solving when they have to entertain themselves.

We often take advantage of afternoon nap time, and get a sitter or just enjoy a movie rental while the girls sleep. (Well, Maggie sleeps, and Frannie plays in her room.) That way we're not losing out on valuable family-time, because the alternative would be doing chores or schoolwork while the girls have their downtime...tasks which sometimes need to be firmly placed on the backburner. (This is very hard for me! If I haven't crossed five things off my list, I don't consider naptime productive. Maybe I need to write down couple-time, so I have the satisfaction of crossing it off!)

A goal that my husband I need to strive for is to talk less about work during our time together, which will be easier over the summer holidays, but is a challenge during the year. We are both in education, so when we're not talking about our own children, we're sharing stories about our staffs and students and catching up on each other's work lives.

Now, let's be clear: we love our kids, are thrilled to be parents, and enjoy spending time with our beautiful daughters. But not every waking minute of every single day. I truly believe it's healthier for our kids when we have some time together, and for that reason I'll be reading "To Raise Happy Kids, Put Your Marriage First" this summer.

Then there's alone time for mommy...a whole other topic, and fodder for a future post here at This Mom Loves!

How do you and your partner make time to be together? Do you get enough? Do you even see it as a priority when your children are young, or do you disagree with me (and the author) completely? Share your thoughts!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yes, it's true, I am another year older. I officially turn thirty (mumble) at 6 p.m. tonight. My doctor's wife was thrilled when I arrived, as it was a Saturday and they had dinner reservations. Believe it or not he's still my family doctor!

So what did you get me?

It's okay, don't worry, I'm not upset that you forgot. In fact, to make things easy for you, I've compiled a wish list, and granting one will take you only a few seconds...plus, they're all free!

It would truly make my day if you would:

• sign up to receive This Mom Loves through email
• follow This Mom Loves through Google Friend Connect
• send my link to someone else (or a few people) who might enjoy the blog
• enter one of the three great giveaways I have on right now
• leave me a comment, on this post or any other

Any of these gifts would honestly make me happy! Bloggers are an easy to please bunch!

Oh, and I'll fill you in on my birthday festivities later. I've managed to stretch things out from the 1st to the 4th - might as well make it last!

P.S. My email address gives my age away, as long as you can crack the code. No, I'm not 77.