A glorious morning and a look at JuJu Beane Boutique

This morning was spent playing in the sandpit at the park, then partying in the splash area and on the swings, it was a glorious morning! It wasn't nearly as hot as it can be, there was even a slight breeze! When Pudding Pie came home (with sand in her britches, Animal Crackers smeared all over her cheeks and a funky hairstyle), she immediately gave herself over to the Sandman and passed out in her crib. And there she lies, sleeping in her quiet, cool room and dreaming sweet dreams.

I have been surfing around and I found JuJu Beane Boutique (such a tasty name!) via Pink Lemonade. What cute things they have here! I love the Noah's Ark quilt by Banian. They have all kinds of yummy kids stuff: designer clothing, bedding, toys, furniture and so on. Wish I could shop my heart out (sigh) . . .

Giveaways galore from Seven Dogs and a Baby

Seven Dogs and a Baby is a site you should bookmark, they constantly host cool giveaways and I love clicking over there and signing up for chances at some of the great goodies! Here are some of their current giveaways.

From AllyZabba, the deliciously soft looking AllyZabba2 (a satin-backed baby blanket on one side with a patterned plush on the other side). Enter to win one of these before June 5th.

From The Willow Tree, the plush hand-made Busyfingers Babybuddies dinosaur pictured in those post is up for grabs. Enter by June 3rd!

From ultra cool Boon, a Treat Ball - and I am really thinking positive thoughts about this one, the Treat Ball looks so neat! Enter by June 2nd.

From Thymes bath products, a bottle of Sweatleaf Baby massage oil, meant for babies but apparently pretty fab for moms too! Enter by May 31st. (Better hurry with this one!)

From HIT Entertainment, Barney- Hi! I'm Riff - A DVD about Riff - an energetic orange dinosaur buddy of Barney's. This one ends very soon: May 30th!

The final giveaway I want to post about is a big one . . . one lucky reader will win the True Fit convertible car seat by Learning Curve! Enter by June 19th and good luck to everyone!

GiftTree Gift Baskets

I just visited GiftTree Gift Baskets at gifttree.com, check them out! They have a great range of gourmet gift baskets and specialty wine gift baskets - and they're running a contest where you could win one of these fab baskets!

Quick little post on Babylegs giveaway

Another quick post for Wednesday! Mandi at threedoodles.blogspot.com is holding a Six Weeks of Giveaways contest and this week is a Babylegs giveaway! I've heard so much about these curious little things, I'm dying to try them out on Pudding Pie. Even if you don't think you need Babylegs, you can still visit Mandi's site and say 'aah!' over the cute little chublet modelling said items!

Lipstick to Crayons 1st Birthday Blog Bash

Lipstick to Crayons has turned one and the Lipstick to Crayons sisters are inviting you to join in the celebration. They love party crashers, so invite everyone you know! Avannabel Baby is the party sponsor and there are a heap of great prizes up for grabs, plus new blogs to read, and new people to meet. One of the fab prizes I have my eye on is this adorable cupcake assortment from Avannabel Baby. Hurry, hurry, the birthday bash ends on June 3rd.

It's Memorial Day today, please take time to remember the men and women who died serving this country.

Why is it soo hot already?! These days the pool or the water park is the only place to be when we're outside. Pudding Pie loves both these spots, so we're in luck. She has taken to sort of standing on her head and viewing the world from upside down these days, I guess it's just a phase, but it is a pretty funny sight:)

Pedipeds Contest

Pudding Pie is the proud owner of two pairs of Pedipeds. (Here she is in her favorite pair.) They're the most wonderful shoes, so comfy and so cute. Sadly, the way her feet are growing, it won't be much longer before they no longer fit. This is why I am so excited about the giveaway they're having at Kids Health Notes. They're giving away three pairs of Pedipeds - I am so in!

"The Kid In You"

Over at 5 Minutes For Mom, they're holding a contest where you get to enter a picture that you think demonstrates the spirit of childhood. This is my submission!

Here's the background: This is a photo of my husband soon after we began dating. He had just driven two hours to come and see me, and was immediately roped into playing dress-up with one of the little girls I was a nanny for. He was such a trooper and my little charge thought he was wonderful - so did I!

With that sense of fun, I knew he had to be the one . . .

Pudding Pie's favorite - and only - Elmo movie is dying. This is not good. She has developed a strong attachment to it and lately, this has been rather useful when Mommy needs an uninterrupted few minutes. I just ask if she wants to watch Elmo. She nods her head vigorously, races over to her pint-sized Elmo chair and waits all a quiver for said movie to play for the three hundredth time . Do you think this is why it's acting up? Don't get the wrong idea, she doesn't sit around watching Elmo all day, but she does get to watch it at least 4 or 5 times a week . . .
Anyway, that's our unfolding drama of the day and now I have to go because a certain young lady is getting irritable and doing her best to create a diversion. I think it's time for bed.

Boy was I ever a misery guts yesterday! Today, good friends came to visit and we had a great day! Pudding Pie received her very own Mrs Potato Head, too cute. She loves ripping off the eyes, ears, nose and lips as soon as I've assembled the face . . .

Bow holder contest at Bambina Ballerina

The cutest bow holders you ever saw are at Bambina Ballerina. Seriously, this is when the moms of little girls get to squeal with delight. They are adorable - and they're holding a contest where you can win a mini bowholder! I'm in! Check out the link listed on my site.

Fun and Free Give Aways: Let's Get this Party Rolling....

Fun and Free Give Aways: Let's Get this Party Rolling....

Last Saturday it was stinking hot and we took Pudding Pie swimming for the first time since last summer - she loved it! There were squeals of delight, and much kicking of legs and attempts at blowing bubbles. It was cute because last summer, she was more just a cutely-clad blob wallowing in the pool with mom and now she's a whole year older and getting much more out of it.

Today was Toddler Playtime with Miss Renee and it was also the first time she refused to share . . . She is usually so sweet and will willingly hand over her toy to the older kid who demands it. Today she tried to take a toy from a younger kid and then kicked up a tremendous fuss when she was thwarted. Mom was horrified, where did my sweet cherub pick up THIS behavior?! Of course the answer is self-evident - from the other kids! Fortunately the drama was short-lived. We're moving on from babydom and I'm learning about the challenges of raising of a toddler . . .

Kirtsy

Sk*rt is now kirtsy. Yup, to move on past some boring legal baloney, that pretty cool site has changed it's name, but otherwise it's still the same - check it out!

What I Know Now

Notes From My Nest is hosting a Mother's Day Blog Bash. (Click on this post's title to visit the site.) Not only do you get the chance to win some lovely prizes, but you also get the chance to share what you've learned as a mom. Now, it's late and I'm tired and my Pudding Pie will be doing the first of her many nightly wake-ups soon, but here are a few quick observations:
I know now that the line between sanity and insanity is a very thin one and sleep deprivation can put you right there on the edge . . .
I know now that life pre-motherhood was fine, but life as a mom is fantastic.
I know now what my mom meant when she said "you're my child, I'll love you no matter what".
I know now that there is nothing I wouldn't do to protect my cub!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! I made a deal with my husband - no flowers, no chocolates etc, what I wanted was a little Me Time. And I got it - one hour exactly! He took care of our almost 16-month-old Pudding Pie and I escaped to the bathroom. I had a long, leisurely soak in the tub, then I gave myself a facial and a pedicure. It was pure heaven! I was out of the tub, dressed, just settling down on the sofa and hoping to read a few pages of my novel when I heard the pitter patter of little feet - and big feet . . . In came hubby plus Pudding Pie. She gave me a "where the heck have you been?" look while clambering up into my lap and hubby mumbled something about needing to do a diaper change but not knowing where the wipes were . . . It was good while it lasted!

Summer fun

We have discovered this new park really close to where we live. It has a huge, wonderful, shaded sand pit. We love it! Pudding Pie potters around completely engrossed in finding sand treasures and Mommy is happy that we're both in the shade! After our sand adventures, we head over to the swings and the water park and we cool off/de-sand ourselves, swing and just enjoy life. When it's time to go, we dry off and I know someone is ready for a nice, long nap - yes!

Today on 5 Minutes For Mom, I read about Heather. She's a mom who is being induced today and will give birth to a baby boy who's heart has stopped beating. She is only 3 weeks from her delivery date. I can't imagine how tough this must be. Say a prayer for her and her family and don't forget to count your blessings.

We have become Gymboree addicts. I signed up for classes a couple of weeks ago and now we attend our classes, plus all the free gym times we can fit in. It's a great way to get some energy out, especially when being outdoors feels too hot and humid. Plus we're getting to meet some peers! I am on a mission to find some friends for Pudding Pie, I really want to expand her social circle! Her best buddy left for Missouri almost two months ago and, since then, we've been without any friends close to her age.

Favorite motherhood moment

This has been a better week, my little Pudding Pie is in much better health and she's back to her feisty ways. We spent a fabulous morning at the park; she played in the sand and got the stuff absolutely everywhere. Not to worry, we washed it off at the water park and I would have had to drag her away from there kicking and screaming if it wasn't for the fact that a man walking his dog crossed our path and diverted her - she is mesmerised by dogs and enthusiastically 'woowoowoos' whenever she sees one.

Over at 5 Minutes for Mom they're hosting a contest where you share a favorite motherhood moment. (Click on this post's title to link to their site.) I'm finding it hard to choose. For me, motherhood continues to be one giant, privileged, magical moment. I'll pick my fave moment from this last week.

Pudding Pie and I have introduced a new aspect to her bedtime routine. We close the bedroom door, turn off the light and snuggle together in the bed. Then, in a quiet voice, I recount the events of her day. The cutest part is that I can feel her beside me listening intently to my words and, every so often, I feel her head nodding vigorously, even occasionally blurting something out - I guess as she is reminded of a particularly fun part of the day. I love knowing that my 15-month-old daughter is lying beside me, not only understanding what I'm telling her, but giving me her input too. My baby girl is growing up.