BLOG contest

I sometimes think that the only person that reads my blog is my good friend Sarah. She's the only one that ever posts any comments at least! So, to encourage you to post your comments, I'm having a contest.

Here's the deal: Post a comment about anything you'd like-- What do you think about Crafty Babies? Are there any additional products that you would like to see us carry? Or, simply just introduce yourself... Feel free to comment on whatever you'd like. After you post your comment, send me an e-mail (jamie@craftybabies.com). You will be entered to win a pack of our all occassion greeting cards. Perfect for any busy mom, our collection of 12 hand-stamped greeting cards includes: 3 birthday, 3 thank you's, 2 baby (1-boy/ 1-girl), 2 wedding and 2 generic. No more running out to the store at the last minute!

View entire collection here. $25 value

Contest will run for 3 days only! Post your comment and send your e-mail by Saturday, June 2nd. I will announce the winner on Sunday. Come on, blogging is fun!

Teaching our children to be sexy?

In the May issue of Glamour magazine, there was an article about dolls (such as Barbie and Bratz) and how the sexy image of these dolls are teaching young girls that need to dress provocatively to be attractive. To quote the article, "Instead of doing creative, imaginative things like playing house or school, girls make like they're going on dates, going dancing at clubs or competing with each other to get the boys." The article also talked about companies like Abercrombie & Fitch and how they have, in the past, sold "preteen size thongs with messages like EYE CANDY and WINK, WINK."

As parents, we need to be good role models. Monitor what toys your children play with and what they watch on TV. Growing up is tough enough... We don't want to give our girls a negative idea of what it means to be pretty.

Celebrating Daddy!

With Mother's Day behind us, it's now time to start thinking about what to get for Daddy. I came accross a site that has some extravagent gifts that would certainly be a hit for any dad. Flying lessons, kayak tours and dirt bike riding school are among some of the many adventures you can gift dad with. My budget doesn't allow for something this exteme, but it was such a cool site that I wanted to pass it on. http://www.excitations.com/
If you have any great Father's Day gift suggesstions, please share with the rest of us!

New Products

We've added to our line of baby blankets, burp cloths and clothes! Our new products are made by a mom of two who has been making handmade gifts for years. Katie, mom to Kacey and Collin started out making stuff for her own children. People started taking note of her products and she began making special orders. She's just recently turned her passion into a business making and selling these adorable baby products!

Here's a glimpse of Katie's products:

Blankets, $35: Available in Mocha, Polka Mix, Tropical Blue, Tropical Pink, Tropical Red, Tough Guy, Uptown, Bubble Gum and Rockin

Burp Cloths, $15 for a set of 2: Available in Mocha, Polka Mix, Tropical Blue, Tropical Pink and Tropical Red

Tees, $15: Available for girls in: Princess and Guitar/ Available for boys in: Tough Guy, Guitar and Rockin

Easy Recipe

I've shared this easy recipe with many of my mommy friends and everyone seems to love it. I promise it is the easiest dish you will ever make and your hubby will be very impressed!

Tortilla Soup

1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 jar of salsa
raw chicken (frozen or defrosted)

Combine all above ingredients into a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips crumbled on top. Enjoy!

CPR Training

During our MOPS meeting last week, we were given training on Infant/ Child CPR and choking. Some things have changed since I was last certified. So, I thought I'd mention that you might want to look into taking a CPR course if it's been awhile since you've taken one. Go to the Red Cross website to find information on how to contact your local Red Cross chapter and find a class near you.

2 Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers and a Roomba

The title of my post is what I received for Mother's Day...
The chocolate covered graham crackers that you can buy at Starbucks are one of my favorite indulgences. My sweet husband gave me a pack as soon as I woke up yesterday morning. He then proceeded to tell me that he looked into buying me a whole box, but that the price per pack was pretty much the same, so he didn't see the value. Hello? The value is that I would have gotten an entire box! Anyway, it probably saved me from gaining a couple pounds, so I'm probably better off. Later that day, we went to go buy a Roomba. If you aren't familiar with a Roomba, you MUST look into getting one. It's a robotic vacuum that cleans the floor without you having to push the vacuum yourself. In fact, my floor is being cleaned as I'm typing! I'm all about multi-tasking, so I think this thing is going to be my new best friend. They are a little pricey, but I suggest that if you go to buy one, go to Bed, Bath and Beyond where you can use one of those 20% off coupons that we all have seem to have at least a dozen of!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mommies out there! If this is your 1st Mother's Day or your 20th, you deserve to be celebrated! We hope you get cold eggs and toast in bed and lots of crayon scribbled "I Love You's!"

New Collection of Mommy Necklaces

We've had such great feedback on our Mommy Necklace, that we decided to add more styles! You can check out our entire new collection here.... Mommy Necklaces.

We now have 8 styles to choose from: Classic, Large Classic (for longer names), Initial, Spell-A-Word, Birth Day, Star, Cross and Sports.

We are also offering FREE SHIPPING on all Mommy Necklaces!

We hope you like our new collection!

Play Date Fights

Ever since my boys were born, we've been getting together with a good friend and her 2 kids once a week for a play date. We always have such a great time...so, why would today be any different? We went over to our friends' house and immediately there was trouble. My friend's daughter, who is normally the sweetest thing, hit my son a couple of times. After a couple more times of my son being hit, we ended up having to leave. I felt horrible. As a friend, I wanted to say, "It's OK." But, as a parent, I needed to protect my baby! I know my friend felt terrible and she did everything she could to discipline, but things we're just not working out. How should situations like this be handled? I'd love your feedback!

Fun Website

I came across a website recently that I think any proud mommy is going to love! This website allows you to create a personalized baby website. No programming experience necessary. What a great way to share information about your little one(s) with friends and family. The website is www.babyjellybeans.com. I haven't tried it, but the site offers a free one month trial, so there's nothing to loose!

Blaker Girl

I just finished watching American Idol. All along, I've been a Chris fan, but tonight, I loved Blake's rendition of You Give Love A Bad Name! I thought it was too cool. Vote for Blake! 1-866-IDOLS-04!

:)