Hello and Happy Holidays to you all! I hope you've been enjoying lots of great family time, collecting stories for your blogs. I can't wait to read it all!
And speaking of reading, I'm giving away a book at my blog carp(e) libris. Hop on over there and sign up.
Well, the names are in and random.org has been summoned. The winner of the green tea giveaway is Lusciousnis! Interesting, when I went to her Blogger profile, I see she has a Japanese tea set collection. So I guess this cute little tin of tea is going to a good home. Congrats, Lusciousnis!
Check out her blog, Nissa's Niceties, and say hello when you get a chance.
I was looking back through The Mommy Spot archives when I realized this blog had its one-year anniversary back in October. And I missed it! I cannot stand by and let it go unnoticed any longer. Something must be done about it, but what could that be? Yes, I must give something away...
Alright, I'll stop messing with you. I already bought a nice giveaway item that is not only tasty, it's good for you - just so we keep it in line with my 14 months of blog topics so far. I've got a cute little tin of Ineeka organic green tea. I've never tried this brand before, but it has some very interesting tea bags, and I think I may have to go back to the store and get my own tin. And like I said, green tea is very healthy. If there's one thing I want to do to celebrate, it's contribute to your health!
So leave a comment here to be entered, and don't forget to add a valid email address in this format: themommyspot (at) gmail (dot) com, so the spammers don't get you! I'll draw a winner on Friday, December 7th, sometime after 12:00 noon EST. Good luck and thanks for reading!
Here it is - the results of the book giveaway for "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?" by Sharon Duke Estroff, M.A.T. The winners of the two copies are The Angel Forever and Diane (not me, silly!). Congratulations to you both. I hope you enjoy your books!
Check back very soon for another drawing. This time, something a little different...
Don't forget, everyone! Last chance to sign up for the book giveaway, "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?" Entries will be taken until 12:00 noon EST today, and I'll do the drawing sometime in the afternoon. (I'm hoping not to be swept away into Black Friday!)
I am so excited! (Can you hear my voice shake?) It's time for my second book giveaway. That's right, I have two copies of "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah? The Essential Scoop on Raising Modern Jewish Kids" by Sharon Duke Estroff, M.A.T. Now, if you're a Jewish mom, you're probably already skimming through the text here to find out how you can win. But if you're a Christian mom like myself or a mom of any other distinction, read on. Believe me, you'll like this book too.
Insightful and humorous, "Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?" covers many of the parenting issues us mommy bloggers banter about every day, such as choosing a kindergarten to teaching your children the value of a dollar. Estroff writes in a fun and catchy rhythm that makes her down-to-earth advice a joy to read, including text peppered with Jewish references that add flavor and voice. In fact, I may just start referring to my own son as "my little bubbelah"!
Most of this book is totally relatable, no matter what your religion. But if you're a Jewish mom who wants to know, "What do we do about the whole Santa thing?" that's covered too, as well as a section on Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The bottom line is, if you want to know how to raise your children to be well-rounded, moral people in an ever-more materialistic world, this book will help you along. I'm certainly keeping my copy for a re-read when my son enters the school years! So no, you can't have that one.
But as I said, I have two others to give away! Simply leave a comment on this post, along with your email address in a format like this: themommyspot (at) gmail (dot) com. ( I'm told spammers can't use it then.) I'll hold the drawing next Friday, November 23rd, and the winners will be announced that afternoon.
NOTE: Contest will close at 12:00 noon EST on Nov. 23rd.
My best friend is always on the lookout for interesting news articles to pass on to me for my blog. This one from CNN News is no exception! It covers things we discuss here a lot, like cradle cap and baby acne, and a few things I've not discussed like (gasp) baby boobs! So if you're expecting soon, hop on over and read the article. It could save you some unnecessary concern. Heaven knows a new mom doesn't need any added worry!
Oh, and I haven't forgotten the orzo recipe I promised yesterday. Although Little Guy didn't scale the walls yesterday as anticipated, he has started a horrible bout of teething. I'm not exagerrating when I tell you he has about six teeth coming in! He hasn't had a new tooth in about six months, so I guess he's playing catchup. But the orzo recipe is coming so check back. (Thanks to my best friend for that too!)
Also, don't forget to check out that vacation contest at Mike's Travel Tips. It's a relatively new blog, and it's their first contest. So if you enter, your chances are darned good for winning a free trip for two, with a nice choice of over 60 locations.
I wanted to plop down a quick post here to pass on some good stuff. First off, my friends over at Mike's Travel Tips are giving away a 3-day, 2-night vacation. They're having the giveaway to help launch their new business, so drop in and enter! I'm jealous because I can't enter myself, but I hope the best to my readers. (P.S. If you win, you have to send me a postcard! Ha!)
Secondly, I'd like to send you over to The Not So Crunchy Parent, who I love for her dedication to sharing info with us on all of the toy recall stuff. She's been writing very helpful articles, and with Christmas around the corner, I think it's so important for us as parents to stay up to date on the recalls and the toy alternatives available. This blog takes a lot of the confusion out of the mix. I'm a big fan, so I just gotta keep passing you over to her! (Check out this article in particular!)
Lastly, I hope to post a recipe later today that my best friend sent me from Prevention magazine. I'm totally hooked on this Orzo Salad, so check back! Hopefully, Little Guy will remain calm and composed and will NOT climb the bookshelves, stick his fingers up the dogs' noses, or decorate the living room in potholders. If this is the case, we will all be reading tasty salad recipes come evening.
How exciting! The contest is officially closed, and names have been drawn for the 5 free books and the bonus giveaway. So without further ado, here are the winners of the books:
Vivian from Mama Need Java
Michelle from Scribbit
Karen from pdx Mounts and Green Girls Guide
Melissa Markham from Yesterday's Hopes: The Blog
...and Liz. Liz, you know who you are! If you have a blog, let me know and I'll post it here.
The winner of the bonus giveaway, for posting about my contest, goes to Doreen at Doreen's Place. Doreen, you will be receiving a suprise by mail! Since this contest was about ScreamFree Parenting, you'll be getting a little something to help you relax after a tough mom day!
Oh, and just when you thought the giving was over, I have one more thing. Renee at When 2 Became 3 gave me an award! 
Thank you so much, Renee! Very thoughtful to include me. Now it's my turn to choose some bloggers I wish to bestow this upon. (My, don't I sound official!) This was tough to narrow down, but here they are:
Laura at MadCity Mounts (Our kids are the same age)
Vivian from Mama Need Java (Yeah, yeah. She wins two things today! Lucky girl! Her blog is a great read.)
Dana from Southern Gal Goes North (I'm a sucker for her poetry.)
...and The Not Quite Crunchy Parent. I'm new to her blog, but she passes on fantastic info. I just don't miss a post!
So check out the winners' blogs if you're looking for some new blog reading material. There's some great stuff here! And thanks again to everyone for participating in the contest! The comments were great fun. I thoroughly enjoyed having a book giveaway, so maybe someday soon I'll do another.
