Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now!

CONGRATS TO JULIE L., BABEECRAFT'S FIRST GIVEAWAY WINNER!

I suppose this dates me a bit, but every time I learn of a new giveaway, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' song bumps around my brain for hours afterward. I can only imagine the number of times I will be stuttering "give it away now" while standing in line for groceries this week, the week of my first giveaway.

You can win this cute "For the Birds" set of 10 blank note cards and 5 matching gift tags by leaving a comment below (click on the "comments" link below this post). Be sure to include your name in the post and tell me which item in the Babee Crafts shop you like most.

Increase your chances with 2 additional entries.

• "Like" the Babee Crafts Facebook page (all fans automatic earn one entry in the giveaway)
• Follow @BabeeCrafts on Twitter and send out a tweet about this giveaway. Make sure to tag your tweet with @babeecrafts. (Tweeting earns one entry. You do not earn more entries each time you tweet.)

This giveaway will end on Friday, January 28th at 5:00pm EST and a winner will be selected through random.org and announced the evening of the 28th on this blog, on the Babee Crafts Facebook page, and through Twitter.

Good luck!

^{perched bird images used on the cards and tags created by Blackleaf Studios}

52 Questions: Why?

Where did January go? We're already spilling into the fourth week of January, and I'm just now able to set aside some time to start to think about 52 questions, my pet project to take on one question about parenting each week. Looks like I have some catching up to do.

Why 52 questions on parenting? Well, first let me say that I am by no means an expert on parenting. I do not hail from a large family with siblings numbering in the double digits. I have not written any books on parenting. I am not an early education researcher with an alphabet of university degrees. I don't spend my days wiping away boogies and drool from a room full of toddlers...well, not usually. Instead, I am a mom interested in connecting with and learning from other moms.

My eldest son is nearly two and a half while my youngest son is five months old. I know that I cannot even begin to imagine all the peculiar situations that I will certainly find myself in raising these two gregarious boys nor imagine the millions of questions that will arise from these moments. After having to explain to my two year old in the middle of the grocery store why he shouldn't "honk" mommy's boobies while he sits in the cart, I know to expect the unexpected. But, what I found is that when I share my experiences, when I spend some quiet time reflecting and writing on both the proud moments and my parenting pitfalls, I'm better able to be a parent. My hope is that as I respond to these weekly questions, it will encourage me to be more present, to spend more time reflecting on not only the parent that I want to be but the parent that I am. And, in doing so, I hope to connect with others who are traveling this same road.

Front Page...Sort of

So logging into Etsy this morning I noticed that I had a number of new people favorite items in my shop. Strangely enough, many of them hail from Europe. After a quick search using CraftCult's Etsy tools, I figured out that my Baby Washcloth Sushi Rolls were featured in a treasury that made it to Etsy's front page around 4am this morning. Okay, my item was in the original list, but my rolls didn't actually make it on the front page. Still, I was within reach!