IMG: TLC

The divorce papers were signed yesterday and Jon was even banned from making any money on television. Curious as to how he will make the child support payments if he can’t be on tv…maybe he’ll sell his face.

The big question however should be how are the kids coping with this new adjustment, their entire world has been flipped upside down and right side up. Truth is they probably hated the cameras in their face all the time, but  to them these people would’ve been like their family. These are faces they saw every day and suddenly they went away. According to an interview Kate recently did she finally came clean with them and told them their show had been canceled and that the kids cried the entire way home from school. I think this would’ve been the hardest part, they never even got to say goodbye, these kids have known these crew members since they were babies. Hopefully they’ll adjust quickly to all this.

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

 They look at the colorful pictures and oooh and ahh as each page is turned, some will be handed a book to grab and turn the pages, others will simply stare. There is one thing each little one has in common with one another, they are all under the age of 2 years old.

What? Babies in story hour? Yes, more and more libraries are recognizing that babies love to be read to and it also teaches them more about handling books, so they are starting programs for little babies. Now not all libaries will have it but many around the country do, all you have to do is ask. Who knows they could be meeting once a week and you’ve been missing out.

Here is some information on the baby program, “Library S.T.A.R“:

Library S.T.A.R. (Sure They Are Ready) is a training program designed for library professionals, but equally valuable for any organization whose work involves children 0-5, and their parents/caregivers.

For those that don’t know what to ask, call down and just ask if there is a “Baby Storytime.”  My local library has one for babies 9-18 months old they read short stories, sing nursery rhymes and finger puppets to delight the children. Others open their doors to babies as young as newborn to 24 months old and include music and smells. Either way this is a great experience for mom and babies, babies because it is teaching them young and moms because it gets mom to interact with others like herself.

Post from: Babylune

Vicky you won won the Gosig Bulldog:  the kids and I loved the mouse. She was to cute. 

Susan Ledet you won the Krokodil: I like the cute Gosig Spaniel and love Barnslig Krokodil. They all look so hugable.

Congratulations!!  I’ll be contacting the winners this afternoon, unless they contact me first at homemom3@gmail.com their mailing address.

Post from: Babylune

I don’t know about you but my girls have yet to wear high heels and they are 6 and 9. I know as an adult that it is easy to lose your balance and to have heels on can make it that much easier to trip. Why allow my kids to do it until they can wear regular shots with a flat that has just a soft heel to it. No way would I ever allow them to have the type of heels that Suri has been seen in.

A NY Podiatrist recently told FoxNews that Katie and Tom were hurting Suri by allowing her to wear these dangerous shoes. Here’s the statement:

“A common side effect of adults wearing heels too often is the tightening or shortening of the Achilles tendon,” Zong told FoxNews.com “At Suri’s age, children are growing quickly, and you want everything growing at the same rate. If the tendon is not growing at the same rate as everything else, it could become a problem.”

What do you think? I think the risk would be her taking a stumble and hurting herself that way, or maybe hurting the arches in her feet. Not sure if that can happen though.

Here’s Katie Holmes’ Response:

“They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids,” she said. “I found them for her and she loves them.  She, like every little girl – she loves my high heels,” she said.

Yes, every little girl loves dressing up, but they normally do this indoors and not running all around town.

IMG: Amazon.com

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Sxc.hu

Toys R Us:
You didn’t think Toys R Us would leave you out on this special sale day now did you? Of course they wouldn’t, in fact there are a ton of toys you can grab today to place under your tree. If the link does not work, go to www.toysrus.com click on 60% off Cyber Monday Sale and then the toy section you are looking for.
-  60% off a ton of stuff baby toys, stuffed animal and play houses.

Amazon:- Playskool has a coupon deal for you, when you spend $50 you’ll get $10 off: PLAYSAVE
- Fisher-Price has a coupon code for you, spend $100 (toys) save $20 off: FPSAVE20
- LeapFrog toys get 25% off read more here: Leapfrog deal

BabyUniverse:
- Buy 4 wipes, get 1 FREE
- 70% toddler furniture (toddler beds, chests, etc)
- 50% baby furniture (cribs, diaper changing tables, etc)
- 70% off toys
- 75% off slings
-  60% off infant swings

Babies R Us:
-  50% off name brand carriers, slings, diaper bags,  stroller, booster seats, high chairs, etc
-  Free infant swing with Gear collection purchase.
-  $5 off a variety of baby items, plus you can always match up diaper coupons with these that you already have. Woo hoo!!
-  $4.99 Fisher-Price Happy Days 50 count diaper size 1

Hope these help someone out there, I’m off to blow out some candles.

Post from: Babylune

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It doesn’t matter how hard it has been up to this point, it matters that you are still here and so is that little one sitting next to you.

Tonight, I can’t help but smile at that sleeping 2-year-old that is in my arms right now as I type. The wisp of hair that has went into his eyes to even the chapped lip he grabbed earlier today. It’s cold here and even though he wore chapstick he still managed to get it chapped. I’m even thankful to the way he acts, it proves that he has personality, even though the “no” and defiance can drive me up the wall. I am thankful to have him as well as his other three siblings in this home. Each one has a special place in my heart, at one point I wondered (during each pregnancy) if I’d have room in my heart to love another, sure enough I do.

I’m thankful to each one, for the love they share with me and give me every day and to you my dear readers here at Babylune. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Eliza Ferree

which was extremely soft but looks so incredibly sad.  Little A hasn’t put the dog down and even takes him to the store, thankfully he doesn’t have to bring him in the store. He ran up to me earlier to tell me, “Awww mom, puppy sad. Look.” He showed me the sad face but then went on playing with him. Later I took the puppy and felt how soft he was, I guess he was really soft as I fell asleep on the couch with him.

Little A also got a tiny little elephant teething toy that would be great for babies, especially since it is so soft.  Check out all the other types of soft stuffed animals they have.

IMG: IKEA

Last year the IKEA Soft Toy program rose over $7 million with these colorful animals that donate 1 euro ($1.47) to UNICEF and Save the Children with every toy purchased November 1 through December 24. This year by visiting www.IKEA.com/SoftToysAid,kids and adults can interactively play with their favorite soft toy character (each has their own name and homeland!) and teach them to sing and even give their favorite character some dance moves. IKEA wants you to help create the world’s largest choir, by recording songs with your own character. Visit the Soft Toys Aid website to view the music video and join in on the fun!
 
Ranging in price from $1.49 to $19.99, these lovable creatures make a great stocking stuffer or featured present for kids of all ages.

Head on over to IKEA/Softoysaid and sign up and pick a character. It does take a bit to load but once it does you and your child will have some fun.  Once it loads up and begins singing you can watch them, but we had more fun joining the choir (it is free). You can choose to sing with it or just do the dancing, since we didn’t have a microphone we picked dance. Here’s my oldest daughters:  http://www.ikea.com/softtoysaid//?id=2067587279 

Now, I want to tell you IKEA has donated two VERY cute stuffed animals to two lucky winners. Want to win one?

                                                                                      GIVEAWAY:

Prize: IKEA Soft Stuffed animal (BARNSLIG KROKODIL and the GOSIG BULLDOG) There will be 2 winners, one will get the dog and the other gets the crocodile.

RULES: Head on over to www.IKEA.com/softtoysaid and join the choir. Then come back here and tell me out of all the characters which one you chose. If you can’t recall the name you can say dog for Gosig bulldog, etc.

Extra Entries:

1.  blog about Babylune’s IKEA Toy giveaway with a link in the comment section.
2. tweet this giveaway ”IKEA is giving away toys at Babylune”
3. Follow me on twitter (www.twitter.com/homemom3) and leave me your name in comments.
4.  Subscribe to Babylune’s RSS feed.

Deadline: December 5, 2009 and I’ll announce the winner Dec 6. The winner has 24 hours to respond to my email (homemom3@gmail.com).  US only please.

(Due to the FTC I wanted to state that we were sent two soft toys to review and keep. IKEA will be sending two toys out for this giveway.)

Post from: Babylune

IMG: Walmart

This is the one holiday you know everyone is going to try giving her/him stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, pie, etc so you might as well prepare for the mess. Start them off in a cute outfit, but top it off with an adorable Thanksgiving bib.

The Personalized Thanksgiving Bib you can find at Walmart. This one has a soft, velvet touch that won’t iritate baby and everyone will love thumbing at. You can have your child’s name put on it and right below that will be a very colorful Turkey that reads, “Happy Thanksgiving.”  $11.94

IMG: Amazon

Amazon has a ton of Thanksgiving baby bibs for you to choose from. Some of my favorites are: Luvable Friends drooler bib because these are your basic bibs with cute thanksgiving pictures on them, Gobble Gobble, and of course the reversible bibs. Each run around $10.

At the mall you can always get personalized bibs, for $12.95 you can get a printed Thanksgiving picture with your child’s name above it, wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Don’t forget the talented ladies and gentleman at CafePress and Etsy, there is always something homemade being created that you would love to show off on your baby. Happy Thanksgiving and may it be a little less of a mess.

Post from: Babylune

Under Construction Cuddly Minky Blanket
$85

It’s a handmade blanket with a color patchwork-type look and heavy-equipment for little guys (or girls) theme. It’s made of minky and chenille, measure 30.5″ x 38″ in diameter, and it’s personalized with the name of your choice. Convo the seller for other customization and color choice ideas.

On the Farm Cuddly Minky Blanket

$85

Another cute blanket with a farm theme. It has the same dimensions as the blanket above. The blanket designer uses a combination of material textures to make the blanket a “tactilely stimulating” experience.

Tea For Two Cuddly Minky Blanket

$85

Everybody loves a tea party. Cute, little animals enjoy tea-time treats on this blanket made of minky and chenille. It has the same dimensions as the blankets seen above.

**This was a guest post written by Michelle Smith. You can find Michelle at Splendicity.com in Fragrance or Pretty By Nature. She also writes for the Beauty and Fashion section at Gadabout Media.com**

Image credit: TLC Blankets and Things at Etsy

Sources:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=26354709&ref=sc_4, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31989263, http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=24829148

Post from: Babylune

IMG: sxc/straymuse

Or maybe Suzzie down the street got chicken pox and her mom asked if you’d babysit for her since she heard yours haven’t got sick yet. Yeah, that didn’t fly with me either. But what happens when you are the one that gets sick?

While moms like to think they have supermommy powers and all that goes with it sometimes we end up getting “the germ.”  Sometimes keeping the baby away from mommy just isn’t an option, especially for those moms that are stay at homes moms and stay with their babies all day. Are they always going to get their baby’s sick?

Not necessarily, in fact if you practice what you preach to your children chances are your baby will have a less chance coming down with it. Always make sure to clean the sheets, especially if your baby is sharing the same room as you, air out the house, wash everything down and never, ever sneeze on your baby…or cough. This should definitely help all worried moms out.

Now if you have a second set of hands, say a dad nearby or family or friend, maybe they can help care for the little one off and one just to make sure. Hope this helps and hopefully your baby stays germ free this season.

Post from: Babylune