Mamanista's Back to School Guide

For the little ones who are all set to head back to the land of learning, whether their classroom is at school or at home, the ladies at Mamanista have assembled some great finds in their Back To School Guide. Stop by, check out their picks, and throw your name in the hat for some of their fab contests!

Seeking large, lifelike pooch (or pooches) ASAP for my dog-deprived daughter. Pooch(es) must be prepared for overwhelming, somewhat obsessive demonstrations of love and devotion from a toddler who has a fascination with all creatures canine. Pooches must have unending patience as will be pets to first-time diminutive dog owner. Also, pooches should be prepared to share living space with fat, grumpy cat who has strong aversion to sharing same space with other four-legged creatures. (Note: Grumpy cat agrees to tolerate pooches so long as they are lifelike, and so long as they agree to bear full brunt of toddler's mad love.) Lifelike pooches must be content to live sedentary lifestyle in one bedroom shoebox apartment with no desire to roam large garden or home. (Cat has adjusted well .) Please help us procure lifelike playmates for our lonely dog-lover.

Note from Mom of canine-obsessed toddler:
This ad is in response to a post from 5 Minutes For Mom, they're looking for a good home for not one, but three lifelike pooches from their store A Rocking Horse To Love. We'd like them to know they've found it . . .

Back to School with Mommies United

Time for some Back to School celebrations! From August 18th to August 25th, Mommies United is dedicating a whole week to Back to School and there will be an assortment of yummy prizes up for grabs! Be sure you don't miss out on this, it's going to be fun!

5MFM Back to School Giveaway Event

5 Minutes For Mom is holding a Back to School Giveaway Event from August 4 to August 10. They're offering product reviews and giveaways to make back-to-school season easier - and there will also be goodies for the preschoolers! Click over and join in the fun!

This one will help teach your little one to love learning!

Here's another really neat giveaway going on at Momdot.com. Click over to Momdot before August 9th, and enter to win a Wiggle Giggle Learn Starter Package with CD and a Back to Basics toy. The starter package CD from Wiggle Giggle Learn will be individualized to the child’s age and includes weekly activity plans for a year, family field trip cards, nursery rhymes, finger plays and more. The value of the starter package is $139.95. The winner also receives a CD of songs and a special learning toy from Back to Basic Toys!

A table top piano from Tick-A-Too

I've found it. The most beautiful play kitchen ever. Aren't you in love with this Prairie Kitchen from Kidcraft? Don't you adore the heart shaped artwork?! I can just see my daughter spending hour after happy hour in her kitchen . . .

I found it on the Tick-A-Too website and I have a mission now: I have to find a way to persuade my husband to fork out the cash for this thing of beauty.

Anyway, the reason I was trawling through Tick-A-Too was

because I was entering

yet another giveaway from Momdot.com, and this time the prize is an adorable Schoenhut 18 key children’s table top piano. My daughter would love this! Visit Momdot.com and enter for a chance at this beautiful piano, and enjoy yourself as you trawl through the Tick-A-Too site, it's full of I-want-it-right-now stuff! Giveaway ends August 7th.

I heart her

My Pudding Pie is growing so fast and, while it makes me so proud to watch her clocking up her milestones, it also saddens me that my little girl is hurtling so quickly away from babyhood.

I know this sounds cliched, but it's true: nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming love I have for this perfect little creature. She truly is the sweetest, smartest, funniest person I've ever met.

For now, we get to spend all day, every day together and there's nothing I'd rather be doing. With Pudding Pie, each day is a new adventure; I'm reminded of how the world appears through the eyes of a child.

Perhaps the best thing about being mom to Pudding Pie is that she thinks I totally rock. She doesn't think I'm fat or frumpy, she doesn't mind when I spend half the day in my pyjamas, she doesn't care when I forget to put on make up, she looks at me and she sees one thing: Mommy.

Awsome stroller giveaway!

Chic Shopper Chick has joined forces with Micralite for a fantastic giveaway! Up for grabs is this awesome Micralite FastFold! This too cool stroller retails for $329. Visit Chic Shopper Chick and throw your name in the hat - several times if you want! Contest closes August 29th.

The Original Country Bob's Cookbook

I received a lovely surprise in the mail this week: The Original Country Bob's Cookbook. This is the first cookbook from Country Bob's, and it is a beautiful hardcover just packed with recipes featuring Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce, and filled with inspiring scriptures. I can't wait to try some of these recipes, there's even one for fudge that uses Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and I have to tell you, it sounds tasty!

I see pretty, oh so pretty

Feast your eyes on this piece of loveliness, don't you want to get your hands on it? It's a Soho Multi Print Hobo from Coach, and Laurie at La Vie de Laurie is giving it away! And all you have to do to get in on the action is race over to her blog and sign up before August 2nd, that's tomorrow so hurry, hurry!