The Buzz on the Valentine's Style "Hugs Fur You" Monkey from Build-A-Bear

The Winner!
These random numbers were brought to you by Random.org (aka Blame Them, Not Me):
Commenter#3 Dee has won the Build-A-Bear certificate!

Please email me your snail mail address to cagey333(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Confession: I do not like stuffed toy animals that are not in their "natural" color. Yes, I freely admit I am a snob about this. And then? I gave birth to a daughter who loves animals - period. She would rather have an animal than a doll and she does not care if it is stuffed or plastic. She does not care if it is pink, brown, purple, or black. Therefore, when I was asked to review the Valentine's Style Hugs Fur You Monkey I was quite happy to do so - I suspected that Anjali would agree.

She was taking her nap when it arrived at our house. I set the half-opened Monkey Condo and went about my business. When she woke up from her nap, she almost immediately discovered the pink fur peeking out and helped herself to digging it out of the box. I have to say, I was a bit smitten myself. This pink monkey is totally and unbearably Rub Your Face In It soft.

Quality? I had my way with it - pulling, poking and prodding - it is a well-made animal and I suspect we will get many years use out of it (speaking of quality - a Build-A-Bear frog that I bought my nephew 4 years ago is still in rotation at my sister's house.)

So, in conclusion - Build-A-Bear was a resounding success in our house and I suspect we will be making a trip there for Anjali's 2nd birthday this summer. I am thinking Hello Kitty may catch her eye. If not, I may disown her or just buy it for myself. Or both.

I am giving away a $25 gift certificate to Build-A-Bear! Please comment on this post by Midnight, February 14th and I will draw someone at random.

The Buzz on "The Rookie Moms Handbook" by Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss

The Winner!
These random numbers were brought to you by Random.org (aka Blame Them, Not Me):

Commenter #2 MB has won the Rookie Mom's Handbook!

Please email me your snail mail address to cagey333(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Last summer at BlogHer, I had the great fortune to meet Heather Flett, one of the author's of the Rookie Moms Handbook. I requested a copy of the book to review and Heather got right on it. I, however, did not get right on it. In fact, I did not even near it. I am terribly ashamed at myself for neglecting to review this lovely book sooner. It really was enjoyable and thought-provoking - I wish I could have had a copy of this before I had a baby myself

The subtitle of the book is "250 Activities to do with (and without!) your baby". A few of the ideas are pretty inspired: #242 Get More Out of Goodnight Moon (i.e. noticing the changing position of the bunny in bed, the mouse in the room, the changing patterns of grays, the advancement of the clock, etc.) or #169 Take Your Tot to a Grown Up Restaurant (Hint: Arrive early with the old folks and avoid ruining someone's date night) or #139 Sharpen Your Brain (i.e. doing word jumbles, Sudoku or just reading the newspaper. With both of my babies, I would make a point of reading one local news website and CNN every day just so I would have something to talk about with my husband!) A few are just plain common sense: #42 Curl Up and Dye (i.e. get a hair cut, an eyebrow wax, etc.) or #185 Host a TV Night With Your Pals (I hosted a Survivor finale party when my son was fairly little - it was great having everyone come over!) or #159 Introduce the Tupperware (i.e. get out the Tupperware for you baby to play with)

I can definitely recommend this read for both mothers staying home full-time or those going back to work. There are many fun ideas presented here and it would definitely help a new mom keep perspective of her non-mothering side.

I am giving away my review copy of this! Please comment on this post by Midnight, February 14th and I will draw someone at random.