Giveaway Winner

I can't believe the 

My Favorite Books Giveaway is officially over.

A huge thank you to all the bloggers & shop owners who participated.

A Whimsicle Life | Sunshine Whispers

The Adventures Of Nobel & Pond | Joyful Family Life

One Hoolie Mama | Ready Set Parenthood 

Sweet Sammi Photography | Shine Bright Little Mama

The Curried Nut | Sweet Shoppe Mom | 

Mosswood Connections | The CSI Project

I absolutely loved getting to learn a little more 

about each and every one of you,

and even more so loved reading the story behind 

why the children's book you donated was one of your favorites!

I can't wait to do this again next year!

I also want to thank everyone that entered, 

and only wish I was able to enter myself!

And now, a big congrats to the winner

of the 1st My Favorite Books Giveaway... 

Thanks again to all that entered,

I hope you found some great new books

that you will want to add to your little one's book collection! 

My Favorite Books Giveaway | Feature #05

Here it is! 

The last and final feature for the My Favorite Books Giveaway!

I wanted to save these for last, with the Christmas holiday 

right around the corner

they will be the perfect addition to your little one's collection.

(And lets face it, getting in the Christmas spirit, even this early,

is hard to avoid since the Christmas commercials are in full swing, 

the stores are all decorated, and the red cups are out!)

The first blogger I want to introduce you to is

Nicci from (Live A) Joyful Family Life.

Nicci loves cheesecake, gardening, and zumba. 

And she loves her family of course!

When she's not at home with her kids, she helps people

work towards a more fulfilling and joyful life. 

Not only is she  a counselor, but a wife and mom too!

Nicci chose to donate 

Merry Christmas Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood.

This is one of Nicci's favorite children's books because

"it was the first book that our 2 year old learned to "read." 

He loved it so much he had it memorized, our voice inflections and all. 

It was so sweet hearing him "read" to us

and that is wht this will always be one of our favorite books."

An added bonus to this book, 

the super cute and festive illustrations!

The last feature for this great giveaway goes to

Kristen of Ready Set Parenthood.

Kristen is a 30 something wife, mother and educator living and loving life in Cleveland, Ohio! 

"I love to blog about our parenting experiences and tips I have learned along the way, 

as well as the fun things our family gets into. 

We love life in Cleveland, so I post about all the fun things we like to do in the area."

Kristen donated 

That's Not My Snowman by Usborne.

When I asked Kristen why this was one of her favorite books, she shared

"We love the entire "That's Not My" series from Usborne. 

They have been my son's favorites since he was 2 months old. 

We were excited to learn they had some winter and holiday themed books 

in the series too. 

My son (now 18 months) has loved feeling all the textures along with the story, 

and the bright colors catch his eye! 

"That's Not My Snowman" quickly became one of his favorites!"

Kristen was also sweet enough to share some pictures of her little one

enjoying this book! 

Just how cute is he?!

Okay, and I saved this next book for last, because I didn't want to waste time

hightlighting myself on the blog features, 

However I did want to share this book with you all. 

I also wanted to share why this book is so special to me.

Good Night, I Love You by Caroline Jayne Church

was the very first book we started reading to our little man while he was still

and itty bitty little thing growing in my belly. 

We would read it to him every night,

and continued that tradition from the very first day he was born, 

(We even brought it to the hospital with us!)

There has not been a single night where we don't open this book, 

and read this story to our baby who is now 22 months old, 

so it is absolutely one of my favorites,

and it's the book that inspired me to do this giveaway!

I hope you've all had a great time getting to "meet" some new bloggers,

and for reading about some of the great books that are out there for your little ones!

The My Favorite Books giveaway ends today at midnight,

and I don't want you to miss out!

To enter, click HERE. 

Stay tuned... The winner will be announced tomorrow morning!

My Favorite Books Giveaway | Feature #04

Okay, here it is.

The last day of the My Favorite Books Giveaway.

I'm gonna kick it off with part one of today's featured bloggers.

First, I am excited to share Shelah from Mosswood Connections.

"The contributors of Mosswood Connections are parents and therapists 

specializing in autism services. 

They believe in maximizing a child's potential through positive reinforcement,  

play based interventions and skill building activities."

"The creators of Mosswood Connections, Shelah and Sarah, 

have been working with children who have special needs for many years.  

Over the years they have acquired a variety of therapy tools and 

parenting techniques to enhance the educational and developmental programs 

of the children with whom they work. 

As parents they bring the same energy and approach to parenting their own kids. 

Their success in working with children is based on their using a creative, 

collaborative approach to connect with children 

in order to enhance their development 

by tapping into each child’s interests and strengths."

Shelah chose to donate 

Don't Turn The Page by Rachelle Park.

When I asked Shelah why this was one of her favorite

children's books, she shared

"I have too many "favorite" picture books to list but my latest favorite is
Don't Turn the Page by Rachelle Burk, illustrated by Julie Downing. 

This clever story has a book within a book and centers around a scene that all
parents know well: the child who doesn't want to do go sleep quite yet.
The prose and the pictures are captivating and engaging. I can see this
book becoming a favorite bedtime book in many homes."

One of the great things about Mosswood Connections 

is that their website has coordinating activities.

You can click on the following link to take you to the

coordinating activity for Don't Turn The Page.

Next, I am sharing Megan who blogs over at

The Adventures Of Nobel & Pond. 

The Adventures of Noble & Pond was started as a means 

to marketing Megan's Etsy business, Nobel & Pond. 

As she shares, her love of writing soon took over, 

and her blog became a place for her to share her various passions. 

She is an avid animal lover, and tea enthusiast. does not sow, but does sew. 

On her blog you will find a little bit of everything, 

but she likes to keep her readers informed on her exploits as a pet mom 

and novice sewist.

Megan chose to donate a set of books by the Smithsonian Institute the

Smithsonian's Backyard Series.

Megan chose these books because when she was little 

she was obsessed with wildlife. 

"I loved camping and I always enjoyed going to the demonstrations 

that were hosted by the park rangers. After one of these demonstrations,  

we went to the park gift shop and my parent's bought me a book about chipmunks. 

I read that book to death.  I wish I still had it, 

but it was extremely well loved and one day it made it's way to the recycling bin. 

When I found The Smithsonian Series at my local book store, 

I was filled with nostaglia for my long lost chipmunk book.

 I know that any little one who loves animals will love to learn from this 

brilliantly illustrated series."

Here is a quick look at the four books you will receive!

Seriously...

How beautiful are those illustrations?!

Later today I will be posting part #02

to finish up this great giveaway,

and the winner will be announced tomorrow!

If you haven't entered yet, click HERE

to view the original post...

I'm in love with each and every one of these books, 

and don't want you to miss out! 

My Favorite Books Giveaway | Feature #03

Okay loves,

just two more days until the winner of the 

My Favorite Books Giveaway is announced. 

I'm seriously so excited,

and I'm ready to ship these amazing books off to their new home!

But first.

A few more bloggers to feature today! 

Today I want to start off with

Dana from Sweet Shoppe Mom.

Dana traded her career in biotechnology 

to open Simply Sweets Cake Studio in Scottsdale, AZ

(ummm... totally going to have to check that one out!) 

Dana fell in love with blogging and social media as she worked to market her business. 

& In 2012 she decided to launch Sweet Shoppe Mom 

so she could blog about her own interests.

Dana donated 

Chicka Chica Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

and what a fun book this is!

I don't have it for my little man yet, 

but it's on his Christmas List!

It's bright colors and fun rhymes 

are sure to make this a favorite for your little one!

Next, I have Suzanna from One Hoolie Mama. 

Suzanna is "a mama to a bunch of hooligans (aka “hoolies”) both furry and non-furry.   

I am a wife to my wonderful, long-suffering husband, 

boy mom (#BabyD and #BabyD2), 

fur mom (5 dogs and a cat at the moment), 

runner (who may or may not be slower than a turtle running through peanut butter) and 

fitness enthusiast, blogger, volunteer, who also happens to work full time."

What. Even with being a stay at home mom

I'm not sure how she wears so many hats,

but she inspires me, that's for sure! 

Suzanna donated 

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

and who doesn't love this book!

It's a must have for everyone's book collection

big or small, 

and it definitely takes on a whole new meaning once you become a mama yourself!

Our next book comes courtesy of Dee from The CSI Project.

Okay. Seriously. How much fun is she?!

"My name is Dee and I am the CSI crafty girl! 

I am a diet coke with lime drinkin’, modge podge lovin’, 

anything that glitters and sparkles makes me happy, 

party throwin’, church goin’, pj lovin’ crafty girl! 

Did I mention spray paintin’ crafty girl’? 

My favorite color is glitter and I am obsessed with leopard print!"

Favorite color- Glitter. Check. 

I'm pretty sure we could be besties in the real world. :)

For this giveaway, Dee donated

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by the one and only Dr. Seuss. 

We have this as well as a million other Dr. Seuss books

for my little man and although I tend to get tongue tied, 

they are all so much fun to read!

When I asked Dee why this was one of her favorite children's books

she replied,

"I have always loved the words of Dr. Seuss 

and becoming a step mom meant I could share this love with my step daughter. 

Mr. Brown Can Moo, is a favorite of my step daughter's. 

So, in honor of her and the incredible gift she is to me, 

I hope the winner of this giveaway can make wonderful memories too!"

Oh my goodness, so many great books to share, 

later today I will be sharing two more books

that are perfect for the holidays right around the corner! 

My Favorite Books Giveaway | Features #02

I hope you have all had fun reading about the My Favorite Books Giveaway, 

which goes until Wednesday (midnight).

Today I'd like to share a few more great bloggers 

and the books they donated!

The first blogger I'd like to introduce to you today is 

Sara from Sunshine Whispers.

Sara is "a Mom who loves God, loves her family and friends, and loves to have fun! 

Seeking the ever elusive work-life balance and 

having a blast keeping up with a beautifully spirited little girl!"

Sara chose to donate 

It's Time To Sleep My Love by Nancy Tilman. 

Sara had such great things to say about this book and why

it is one of her favorites.

"It's Time To Sleep My Love" is such a beautiful book. 

The illustrations by Nancy Tillman are magical... 

the kind of artwork you want to frame and hang in your child's room. 

The words of the book are lyrical-lilting and as I read the book, I often find myself 

trying to imagine Garrison Keillor reading it with his slow, musical voice. 

When our daughter was younger we could actually read the book in such a way 

that by the end of it she was literally nodding off. It is still one of her favorites."

Next we have JoAnn & Megan from A Whimsical Life.

And just how fun are these two!

JoAnn & Megan blog specifically to those living in the Phoenix area.  

(Which I'm loving since I live in the Phoenix area!) 

Each weekday they publish creative ideas for kid’s activities, places to go in the Phoenix area, 
funny parenting stories, recipes, book reviews, and more.

JoAnn & Megan are the women behind Whimsicle.  

Moms themselves, they like to conquer each day with humor and humility, 

offering insight and inspiration along the way.

JoAnn & Megan chose to donate

If You Give A Dog A Donut by Laura Numeroff.

When asked why this was one of their favorite children's books,

JoAnn shared, 

"If You Give A Dog a Donut" 

was one of the first books that my daughter figured out how to read herself.  

Since it has a predictable text structure, 

she was able to easily figure out what the words say by using the pictures 

and knowing the structure of the story.  

She was so happy reading it and it gave her such a big sense of pride. 

All of these Laura Numeroff books are favorites in my house.   

We also love "If You Give A Mouse a Cookie" and "If You Give A Pig A Pancake."

These next books were donated by one of my 

sweet friends Jacquie.

Jacquie works with 4th-5th graders at a before-after school program

and this fall will be an assistant teacher for the little ones in Pre-K.

I can't even imagine all the fun children's books she will be reading in her future! 

Jacquie chose to donate two sets of Sesame Street books. 

Jacquie chose to donate these two sets 

because she grew up watching and loving Sesame Street. 

She shared that, "It is a great learning show, and has so many lovable characters. 

I thought it would be a perfect set for another little boy or girl to learn with and love." 

She also donated 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (not pictured, sorry!)

"It is a fun counting song, one of the most memorable from my childhood. 

The book is cute, and I couldn't resist since it came with a CD full of songs!"

The last blogger I have to share with you today, is another dear friend.

Samantha of Sweet Sammi Photography.

I have known Samantha for over half my life, and she is like a sister to me,

so I was beyond excited when she wanted to participate!

Samantha just started her photography business, 

so definitely check her out when you get the chance!

Here photos are beautiful, especially the ones of her two handsome little boys!

Samantha chose to donate

Good Morning, Good Night by Melanie Mitchell.

 This book was chosen because it is was her oldest son's favorite books as a baby. 

"Now he likes to take the book and will try to read it to himself or to his brother. 

I especially love the touch and feel part of the book with the different textures."

Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be featuring four more amazing bloggers, 
with four more amazing books!

And again,
if you haven't entered the My Favorite Books Giveaway yet,
you have a few more days to do so.
Just click HERE to take you to the official entry form!