As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Mister Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• This weekend only, Care.com is offering free access, in honor of National Family Caregiver Month. All visitors to Care.com will get to experience the benefits of a premium membership to our service. Families can see full profiles for nearby care providers, contact them directly to set up interviews, check references, and request background checks for free!

CONTESTS & SWEEPSTAKES

• Win big this holiday season with a fabulous Leap Frog prize package given away by The Children’s Place. Every day from now until November 24th, a package will be given away. To be eligible to enter, just become a fan of The Children’s Place on Facebook. Random drawings will happen daily.
• Swim Couture wants to give you a designer swimsuit! Simply be the top commenter on their blog and you’ll get to choose a designer swimsuit from a 2010 collection. For full details, check out the blog.

BLOG GIVEAWAYS

For Everyone

• An Island Life $25 to Outback Steakhouse (11/13 US Only)
• An Island Life Michael Buble Crazy Love CD (11/13 US Only)
• From Val’s Kitchen Dean’s Dip (11/13 US Only)
• Here and There YoPlus Light Get Healthy Prize Pack (11/14 US Only)
• A Heart for Home I Spy Quilt Kit (11/14)
• From Val’s Kitchen Coffee-Mate (11/14 US Only)
• 3 Kids and Us $25 gift card to Sam’s Club (11/15 US Only)
• 3 Kids and Us Seventh Generation Cleaning Kit (11/15 US Only)
• Everything Up Close Kwikset SmartCode Deadbolt (11/16 US Only)
• Contest Corner 100 Personalized Fortune Cookies (11/16 Worldwide)
• Happy Little Homemaker Busy Body Book (11/18 US Only)
• Quiverfull Family $25 to Natural Pod (11/18 US & Canada)
• Contest Corner Today’s Farm Freeze Dried Fruit Gift Bag (11/19 US Only)
• Super Coupon Girl Coupon for free Fruit2Day 2-pack (11/22)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Two Gallon Popcorn Factory Tin (11/25 US Only)

For Women

• Everything Up Close LaLicious Trio Pack (11/11 US & Canada)
• Here and ThereAminoGenesis Dermascyne 2 Intense Serum (11/12 US Only)
• Mom Knows It All AminoGenesis Gone In Sixty Seconds (11/14 US Only)
• 3 Kids and Us Walmart Beauty Bag (11/15 US Only)
• Contest Corner Spa Day Tropical Traditions Package (11/16 US & Canada)
• Contest Corner Skin MD Shielding Lotion with SPF (11/19 US & Canada)

Baby Essentials

• An Island Life Snazzy Baby Travel Chair (11/12 US Only)
• An Island Life Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover (11/12 US & Canada)
• See Bess Run Fuzzi Bunz Cloth Diaper (11/14)
• 3 Kids and Us Gerber Feeding Prize Pack (11/15 US Only)
• My Organized Chaos Bumbleride Indie Twin (12/1 US & Canada)
• Busy Mommy Media Britax Advocate CS Carseat (12/3 US & Canada)

Just For Kids

• From Val’s Kitchen Horizon Little Blends Thermos (11/8 US Only)
• Healthy Moms Human Body Detectives Giveaway (11/9 US Only)
• Spoken For Set of hair Clips (11/9 US & Canada)
• Goodies For Mom Billbo Shell Toy (11/9 US Only)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Yo Gabba Gabba CD (11/12 US Only)
• SAHM Reviews Eating Right Kids Gift Basket (11/12 US Only)
• Did You See That? Personalized Kid’s CD (11/12)
• Busy Mommy Media Wikki Stix (11/12 US Only)
• Contest Corner The Shandle (11/15 US Only)
• All Because Two People Fell In LOVE Crayola Crayon Tower (11/16 US Only)

Books For Grown-Ups

• Here and There Encyclopedia of Haunted Places (11/13 US Only)
• Cake Walk Stuffed: An Insider’s Look At Who’s Really Making America Fat (11/13)
• Crazy Adventures in Parenting Robin Rescues Dinner Cookbook (11/13 US Only)
• Healthy Moms Hormone Harmony (11/23 US Only)

Books For Children

• Glimpse Personalized Kid’s Book (11/9 Canada Only)

Would you like to share a fun giveaway or a worth our while post? Please add it to the Mr. Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

If you would like to have a post on your blog featured in 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere, please send us an email with the actual link to your post at features5minutesformom at gmail dot com and we’ll see if it can be arranged.

You can find Marissa writing away at Mama Sparkles.

Intelligent First Aid

The Intelligent First Aid™ kits, designed by medical and educational experts, combine supplies, visual instruction cards and now audio guidance to manage the most common injuries, at home, at work, or at play.

By combining the necessary supplies with the new audio technology, Intelligent First Aid™ kits are a dependable tool to help you provide rapid and accurate first aid care even under the most stressful situations.

Comment Number 25 – aimee c., will receive a Talking First Aid kit!

Congratulations! You should have received an email about claiming your prize.

If you haven’t received an email, please send your FULL NAME, SHIPPING ADDRESS, and TELEPHONE NUMBER to contests5m4m(AT)gmail(DOT)com by Wednesday, November 11th in order to claim your prize. Any prizes unclaimed will be forfeited and new winners will be selected.

I Met a Moose in Maine One Day

I Met a Moose in Maine One Day tells the tale of a boy as he travels through Maine with his newly acquired house guest, a Moose! From shopping and dancing to planes and log-rolling, they take in all the sites of Maine. Of course having fun at every stop!

Comment Number 15 – Jessica Harwood, will receive a signed copy of I Met a Moose in Maine One Day!

Congratulations! You should have received an email about claiming your prize.

If you haven’t received an email, please send your FULL NAME, SHIPPING ADDRESS, and TELEPHONE NUMBER to contests5m4m(AT)gmail(DOT)com by Wednesday, November 11th in order to claim your prize. Any prizes unclaimed will be forfeited and new winners will be selected.

Positively Speaking
Building Assets in your Kids

by Kelly Curtis, M.S., author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things.

Can you identify what sparks interest in your child? Do you know what activity “lights him up?” In the teenage years, sparks are often related to creative arts, athletics and academics. As children, the interests may be simple, but the passion can last for years. My son started collecting agates at about age five, and his rockhound ways are still going strong.

Peter Benson’s inspiring book, Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers explains ways to nurture sparks in young people. A survey shared in the book described the percentage of kids who say their parents nurture their spark.

• 91% of 10-12 year olds
• 67% of 13-15-year olds
• 47% of 16-18 year olds

It seems we consistently nurture preteen sparks, but fade away as they get older. Some of this decline is probably due to the fact kids reach out to other sources of encouragement as they get older. But this is an alarming statistic, if we haven’t help our kids to cultivate other adult spark champions in their lives.

Search Institute has identified Other adult relationships and Sense of purpose as two of the 40 Developmental Assets. Research shows these are characteristics of healthy, caring, resilient kids. The more assets youth have, the more likely they’ll resist risky behaviors in the future.

HELP IDENTIFY THE SPARKS YOU SEE

Simple, open-ended questions in normal conversation encourage kids to recognize the things in life that inspire them. For my son, this was simply the act of listening to him while he showed us the ten incredible rocks he just found on the shoreline.

Try this:

• “Tell me more about that.”
• “I’ve never heard of that – how does it work?” or
• “Where did you learn about it? Where could we learn more?”

Paving the way for what sparks your child’s interest can lead to inspiring outcomes. That’s how Bookworm Wednesday was born, and promoting this project has become a significant and positive part of my daughter’s life. Last week, she spoke about this spark at the Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth conference in Cincinnati.

ESTABLISH OTHER ADULT SPARK CHAMPIONS

You can’t be the expert at everything that ignites your child’s interest, but you can help her find a person who is. Spark champions can be coaches, teachers, church youth group mentors, neighbors or extended family members. Simple comments tell your child you’re listening and get him thinking about other people what might be great resources to pursue a spark.

Try this:

• “Have you ever thought about taking guitar lessons?”
• “Basketball signup is due next week. Are you going to join this year?”
• “Uncle Eric has a rock cutter. Maybe we should go visit him!”

In an ideal world, while someone else is nurturing your child’s spark, you’re nurturing another’s.

OVERCOME SPARK ROADBLOCKS

When you know your child’s interests, and it seems like the “spark’s gone dark”, talk to her about it. You might be able to help her work around a small obstacle. My son loved serving as crossing guard and one day he told me he’d quit. When I asked him what happened, he wanted to “blow it off” at first. Finally he explained there were only two vests and the other guards were getting them first. In his non-confrontational nature, he just bowed out.

I mentioned it to the paraprofessional in charge of the crossing guards and she was glad I’d told her – she thought he just didn’t want to do it anymore. They found a third vest and he’s been on-duty ever since. (This woman has since become a significant “spark champion” for my son in all leadership pursuits in school.)

PURSUE YOUR OWN SPARKS

Whether your passion is knitting or writing or riding horses, it’s healthy for your kids to witness you pursuing what’s important to you. What I enjoy most at this time in my life is my kids and their passions, but I also love photography, so I make sure my kids see me making time for it as well.

THE CHALLENGE

Every child has a spark, but it’s not always easy to identify. My challenge to you is to start this conversation. My daughter’s sparks are reading, writing, public speaking and leadership. My son’s sparks are rocks, math, chess and service to others. You can even visit @15.com to use an online tool to help your teenager identify his or her sparks.

I will be giving away one copy of Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers to a reader here. Just answer this question in comments: What are your child’s sparks?

Thanks for joining in to build assets in your kids! I look forward to seeing you again next month for Positively Speaking.

Kelly Curtis is a Wisconsin school counselor and author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things. To read more about Kelly, please visit her Weblog, Pass the Torch or follow her on Twitter.

Say It Forward – Carnival of Loyal Commenters is a weekly carnival at 5 Minutes for Mom.com where bloggers feature their loyal commenters!

To read more about how to participate in Say It Forward and to get the button codes, click here.

And make sure you visit the links in the Mr. Linky here every Friday. These are the FUN blogging folk YOU want to be friends with. Go to THEIR sites. Read THEIR blogs. And of course, leave COMMENTS.

Oh, we can see the friendships forming already. It’s a beautiful thing!

Say It Forward – Week 40: This week’s loyal commenter is Melissa from Serendipity is Sweet.

A homeschooling mother to three young children, Melissa’s days are full. From field trips with her kids, to teaching them about the changing seasons, Melissa stays a busy woman.

She shares some great recipes, especially for those days when you’re feeling a little down. But mostly, Melissa reminds her readers that she’s just like us. A mom who wants nothing more than to give her children the best life possible.

Melissa describes herself this way: I am a homeschooling stay at home mom of 3 fabulous little people. My ds, 7 is an energetic, creative wild man who has bravely embarked on this homeschooling journey with me. Along for the ride are dd, 4, and ds 2. I have been married to a wonderfully supportive handsome guy for 8 years. He’s the one that makes all our adventures possible. Our newest addition, Bella, is a floppy-eared great dane pup. We are eclectic in our learning style. We are enjoying our journey together and look forward to new adventures and sharing them here.

Thank you, Melissa, for faithfully sharing your life as a mom with us, your readers.

And, of course, thank you for being such a loyal commenter here at 5 Minutes for Mom! Please display this Loyal Commenter badge with pride.

If you are selected as a Loyal Commenter either by our site or another blog, you can display this Loyal Commenter badge with pride. Also feel free to give the badge to the commenters that you select each week.

<br /> <a href="http://www.5minutesformom.com/category/feature-columns/say-it-forward/" target="_blank"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k210/5m4m/buttons/columns/sayitforwardlc125x125.png" border="0" title="Mom It Forward Award" alt="Mom It Forward Award"/></a>

Thank one of your loyal commenters on your blog and then add the link to your post below.

Together we will share what we are thankful for this holiday season. We will also share our favorite thanksgiving recipes, crafts and ways in which we can get our families involved in charitable outreaches.

We hope that you will join us as we focus on our blessings and ways in which we can help others.

Door Prizes for Everyone

To thank you for coming, every attendee will receive a product voucher for a Libby’s vegetable product. The voucher will be good for any sized Libby’s product from any of their lines. You can even use the Libby’s product as you try out some of the recipes shared at the party.

We also have two metro baskets from Picnic Time to give away.

Mark The Date

The Libby’s Thanksgiving Twitter party will take place on November 12th, 2009 from 8:00 – 9:30 ET. Please use the hashtag #LibbysThanks. Also be sure to follow @LibbysTable.

If you will be there, RSVP below with your twitter handler. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please also take a moment to learn about the virtual canned food drive that Libby’s Vegetables and Feeding America are hosting this holiday season.

It is such a great cause and we’d love for you to take part.

RSVP

Add your Twitter handle to the list below…

Tweet soon!

This post and Twitter party are part of a paid campaign with Libby’s.

Written by Erica, Editor at 5 Minutes for Mom
Have you signed up for our Newsletter yet?

Big Idea, Inc. is releasing their first VeggieTales Holiday DVD in seven years, and we couldn’t be more excited!  Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving is a wonderful DVD, packed with humor and fun, but also explaining the origins of Santa Claus, and how we give because Jesus gave to us.

Bonus features include an original new song by critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Matthew West, “Give This Christmas Away,” performed by West and Grammy Award-winning artist Amy Grant.

In this movie, Nicky the Pepper (the first new VeggieTales character in five years) starts out as a young child, seeing his parents give to those in need, but not understanding or appreciating it. 

Through a series of adventures, he learns that they didn’t give things away to make themselves happy, but they gave because they WERE happy.  He comes back to his village to find it taken over by a cruel and selfish man who outlaws giving, so Nicky and his cohort, played by the ever-lovable Mr. Lunt, make disguises for themselves so that they can give to the poor.

This DVD is a great tool in teaching kids the importance of the real meaning of Christmas, and that giving is more important than receiving.

And Big Idea certainly practices what they preach! They are involved in several giving opportunities this Christmas season.  Everyone who purchases the Saint Nicholas DVD will receive a FREE VeggieTales DVD to give to a friend in need! Through this offer inside the DVD, you can log into a special website and select the free VeggieTales DVD that you would like to send to a friend with only $2.99 shipping and handling. Big Idea has also teamed up with Operation Christmas Child to help collect gifts for needy children throughout the world.

And for you, Big Idea is giving away a DVD Collection of VeggieTales worth $529!!! It includes 30 DVDs and is the epitome of presents for all VeggieTales fans everywhere!!

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. See our Christmas Giveaway 2009 post to read more about
   participating in our Christmas Giveaway



2. Either link back to this post and include a Christmas Giveaway 2009 button in that post or on your sidebar, or link to the individual giveaways you choose to enter. We have a ton of different buttons and styles for you to choose from. Click here to get the button codes. (If you post and include the button, either in your post or on your sidebar, and link back here, you are good for all the giveaways. No more linking required.)
3. Please leave one comment below to enter this giveaway. You may earn additional entries for the following:
   1. Subscribe to our Feed
   2. Sign up for our Newsletter
   If you are already subscribed and are on our newsletter list, you qualify for these two additional entries. Go ahead and leave your additional comments below.
4. As always, non bloggers are welcome to participate! We understand you can’t link – but please spread the word to your friends via facebook, twitter, etc.
5. Entries are open from Thursday, November 5th through Monday, November 30th at 12pm EST.
6. Our winner will be drawn randomly and we will announce the winner Tuesday, December 1st. Please make sure to check our site and your email address to see if you have won a prize. We must receive your reply within 5 business days. (If you want your prize to arrive in time — the sooner we hear from you, the better!)
7. This contest is open to both US and Canadian shipping addresses. Due to legal restrictions, this promotion void where prohibited.

   Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our Contest and Giveaway Rules.

* We received one copy of Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving to review for this giveaway.

By 5 Minutes for Mom Contributor, Rachel

We’re kicking off our annual Christmas giveaway with a $150 gift certificate to either of our two stores — Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles and A Rocking Horse To Love.

With a $150 gift certificate to use at either store, you can pick one or two fabulous gifts for the children or adults in your life.

You can even split the $150 gift certificate across the two stores and pick one gift from Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles and another from A Rocking Horse To Love.

There’s an endless list of choices… but let me give you some ideas…

If you have a Baby or Toddler…

You may want to choose one of our popular toddler rockers. Here are a few of my personal favorites…

Or maybe your Baby or Toddler want to really get a move on with one of these Foot-to-Floor Ride on Toys.

Since all those baby/toddler gifts ONLY cost between $79 and $89 and the prize gift certificate is for $150, you can keep shopping and choose another item…

If you have a 2 or 3 year old…

One of my top gift suggestions for a 2 or 3 year old is…

A Strider Run Bike is the perfect gift for a 2 or 3 year old. If you’ve never seen a Strider Run Bike or any other type of Balance Bike, you’ve got to watch Julia show you how they work.

A Balance bike or Running bike is a small bicycle without pedals that kids can ride before they are able to ride a traditional two-wheel pedal bike. Kids learn amazing balance and have so much fun!

Watch Julia when she was 3 years old show off her balance bike.

Since a Strider Run Bike is only $94.99, you can keep shopping…

If you have a 3 to 6 year old…

Don’t all little boys and girls love to play pretend store. I know my girls love it and I still remember playing store when I was a little girl.

You can encourage hours of creative play with a beautiful classic, wooden Market Stall.

Okay, yes the Market Stall does sneak a little over the $150 gift certificate price, but if you’re our winner and it would thrill your child on Christmas morning, we’ll give it to you!!!

If your little artist doesn’t yet have a Kids Art Easel, I recommend this Deluxe Wood Kids Art Easel. Julia has this exact one and loves it.

For a child of any age…

Inspiring Kids Costumes and Dress Up Gear are perfect for imaginative play all year round.

A Unique Gift for Your Husband or Dad

Men can be so hard to shop for! Well, don’t despair… we have some unique gift ideas that will surprise the man in your life.

One of my top suggestions is a Lighted Wall Clock. We have tons of designs so you can pick the perfect one.

Or perhaps put a retro record player or a Coke Classic Picnic Cooler under the tree.

For Your Sister or Your Mother…

What about a retro phone or a beautiful music box?

Between our two stores Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles and A Rocking Horse To Love you’ll find there is something for everyone on your list!

But DON’T WAIT to see if you win… we always run out of stock on our most popular items long before Christmas. So use my suggestions as a gift guide and start shopping now. If YOU WIN, we’ll simply REFUND you $150.

This is the first of many, many giveaways in our Christmas Giveaway 2009.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. See our Christmas Giveaway 2009 post to read more about
   participating in our Christmas Giveaway



2. Either link back to this post and include a Christmas Giveaway 2009 button in that post or on your sidebar, or link to the individual giveaways you choose to enter. We have a ton of different buttons and styles for you to choose from. Click here to get the button codes. (If you post and include the button, either in your post or on your sidebar, and link back here, you are good for all the giveaways. No more linking required.)
3. Please leave one comment below to enter this giveaway. You may earn additional entries for the following:
   1. Subscribe to our Feed
   2. Sign up for our Newsletter
   If you are already subscribed and are on our newsletter list, you qualify for these two additional entries. Go ahead and leave your additional comments below.
4. As always, non bloggers are welcome to participate! We understand you can’t link – but please spread the word to your friends via facebook, twitter, etc.
5. Entries are open from Thursday, November 5th through Monday, November 30th at 12pm EST.
6. Our winner will be drawn randomly and we will announce the winner Tuesday, December 1st. Please make sure to check our site and your email address to see if you have won a prize. We must receive your reply within 5 business days. (If you want your prize to arrive in time — the sooner we hear from you, the better!)
7. This contest is open to US shipping addresses. Due to legal restrictions, this promotion void where prohibited.

   Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our Contest and Giveaway Rules.

And remember, DON’T WAIT to see if you win… we always run out of stock on our most popular items long before Christmas. So use my suggestions as a gift guide and start shopping now. If YOU WIN, we’ll simply REFUND you $150.

Merry Christmas!!!

It is happening! The Christmas Season is on its way.

Stores are lining their shelves with red, green and all things shiny and stocking up on all the latest toys and gifts.

You may be already anticipating the budget pinch and wondering how to make it through the shopping season. Well, as usual we are here to help with lots of prizes to win, our Under the Tree program for families in need, and tons of shopping ideas!

So whether you are an early planner or a last minute shopper, we can get you in the mood for Christmas with our Christmas Giveaway 2009 and Under the Tree 2009.

Our Christmas Giveaway 2009 is even more jam packed than last year! (Please scroll down to see our current list of prizes.)
Our first post will be going up shortly, be sure to check back later today.

We will have well over 30 giveaways in the next month to ensure you have lots of fun, lots of chances to win and lots of shopping ideas!

AND, since last year’s Under the Tree program went so well, we are doing it again this year!

Under the Tree 2009 is our chance to spread some Christmas love to families in need through the generosity of the companies contributing to our Christmas Giveaway. We are so grateful for their participation!

In addition to providing the fabulous prizes for our readers to win by commenting on the individual reviews, the wonderful companies participating in the Christmas Giveaway 2008 are providing presents to selected families who are in need this Christmas.

If you know a family who will not be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas, click over and read more about Under the Tree and how you can nominate a family in need.

And don’t forget to click over and comment to show your support and enthusiasm for Under the Tree and for the participating companies!

Now, it is time to get into the Christmas Giveaway fun! if you’re looking for some great ideas for your Christmas shopping list – and you would you like to win some fun prizes and maybe check off some people on that list, it is time to get started with our Christmas Giveaway 2009!

Post one of our Christmas 2009 buttons and then keep checking back for new contests and keep commenting to win.

Here is how it will work:

• Add a comment on the giveaway you want to enter. PLEASE note: You need to enter each giveaway individually so we know who wants to be entered in what giveaway. So, make sure you click over to each giveaway and leave your comment there.



• Either link back to this post and include a Christmas Giveaway 2009 button in that post or on your sidebar, or link to the individual giveaways you choose to enter. We have several buttons for you to choose from. Click here to get the button codes. (If you post and include the button, either in your post or on your sidebar, and link back here, you are good for all the giveaways. No more linking required.)
• You may earn additional entries on each giveaway for the following:
  1. Subscribe to our Feed
  2. Sign up for our Newsletter
  If you are already subscribed and are on our newsletter list, you qualify for these two additional entries. Please remember though to leave comments for these additional entries, as your comments are your entries. Comments such as, “I am subscribed” and “I am on the newsletter list” qualify for those entries.
• Comments that we deem in our opinion to be “spam” will be either deleted or disqualified. So please leave meaningful comments to show that you are indeed a real participant who has read the review.
• As always, non bloggers are welcome to participate! We understand you can’t link – but please spread the word to your friends.
• Some giveaways may be open to Canadian shipping addresses. Please check individual giveaways.
• Due to legal restrictions, these giveaways are void where prohibited.

We will begin posting giveaways Thursday, November 5th, 2009 and continue until Thursday, November 26th, 2009.

Entries for all giveaways will be closed Monday, November 30th at 12pm EST.

Winners will be drawn randomly and we will announce the winners Tuesday, December 1st. We will email winners at the address accompanying the winning comments.

Please make sure to check our site and your email address to see if you have won a prize. Winners will be contacted via our contest administrator, Cara, her email address is Contests5m4m(at)gmail(dot)com. Please whitelist that address, so your notification email doesn’t end up in your spam folder. We want to try to ensure that winners receive their prizes in time for the holiday, so we must receive your reply within 5 business days. (If you want your prize to arrive in time — the sooner we hear from you, the better!)

Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions of Use for a complete list of our Contest and Giveaway Rules.

We will add the giveaway links to this post as they are published during the course of the event. Please click on each of the links below and comment on the giveaways you wish to enter:

PLEASE REMEMBER: You need to click over and comment on each giveaway you want to enter. We will be linking to all of the giveaways in this post and we need to know who wants to be entered in WHAT giveaway. Remember you can enter in as many of the giveaways as you want.

We will CLOSE the comments on THIS post so that people do not get confused and comment here to win the prizes. Head over to each giveaway you are interested in and comment at THOSE posts.

Merry Christmas!!!

OUR 2009 CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY PRIZES
• $150 SHOPPING SPREE in our two stores, Pedal Cars and Retro Collectibles and A Rocking Horse to Love
  
• Veggie Tales Entire DVD Library

As we make our way through emails, assign reviews and design our Christmas Giveaway buttons, I start to feel the thrill of the Christmas Season.

It comes first in little sparks of excitement — picturing my kids squealing with Christmas morning delight, imagining feasting with family and friends till our stomachs are stuffed full, remembering closing my eyes and feeling the holiness of the Christmas music, and most of all, looking forward to a special season of thanking our Lord for all He has done.

Once again, we get the added thrill of helping send some extra love to families in need as we sprinkle some Christmas hope and joy out into the community with our second annual Under The Tree program here at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Under the Tree is about getting some of that Christmas magic (bloggy style!) right to some families who need it!

And here is how we do it — with your help of course.

We will choose several families to sponsor this Christmas.

The wonderful companies who are taking part in our Christmas Giveaway 2009 are donating items for our sponsored families.

So, in addition to providing prizes for our readers to win by commenting on the individual reviews, the companies participating in the Christmas Giveaway 2009 are providing presents to these selected families who are in need this Christmas.

We are so blessed to partner with such generous companies.

We know there is so much need out there, especially in these difficult economic times, but through Under the Tree, we hope we can share the spirit of Christmas and ease the burden from some families who just don’t know how they will be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas.

How you can help?

If you know a family who will not be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas, please nominate them in the comments below or send a private email to us at info(at)5minutesformom(dot)com. You can also nominate your own family.

Please leave personal information, such as last names, out of your nomination, but do include the number and ages of the children.

It’s going to be very tough narrowing the nominees down to just a few families. But due to the fact that we only have a limited number of gifts, we will have to make those hard decisions.

Since we do not want to disappoint anyone, please do not let the families know that you are nominating them. If we choose them, we will contact you to verify the details and then determine if the families want to accept the gifts.

Please note that we will also not post personal information about the families that we select. We’d like to keep it as private as possible.

We will do our best to match presents to children according to their age and gender, therefore the families we choose may be determined by the suitability of the gifts we have.

We will keep the nominations open until November 20th, 2009.

Please feel free to also post one of our Under The Tree buttons on your blog or site. Click here to get the button codes. We greatly appreciate you spreading the word and commenting here to show your support.

Your enthusiasm for Under the Tree and for the participating companies generosity helps pave the way for future projects!

THANK YOU for helping us transform these families’ holiday season into a time of blessing and excitement!

Thanks so much for being a part of the 5 Minutes for Mom community!

What a wonderful reminder it was to take the time to get silly with the children in our lives!

We are excited to announce our winners, based on your votes.

Receiving 394 votes, our First place winner of $1,000 to use towards classes and/or education material for the child(ren) is The Polhamus Family.

Receiving 339 votes, our second place winner of $300 to use towards classes and/or education material for the child(ren) is Shawna & Co.

Congratulations to our winners.

A HUGE Thank you to the Elefun & Friends collection from Hasbro for sponsoring the photo contest and giving us all a reason to embrace the silly side of life. If you enjoy having fun with the children in your life, then you’ll love two of their latest games, Giraffalaff Limbo and Scatterpillar Scramble. They are sure to bring smiles and laughter to you and your kids!

The Elefun & Friends collection, which also includes Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, and Gator Golf, provides a great way for parents and their kids to enjoy silly, active playtime together.

Here is that video again in case you missed it:

Last week, Ice Age III: The Dawn of the Dinosaurs arrived in the mail. (Thank you to 20th Century Fox for the review copy and for providing the prizes in our Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs giveaway we ran in September.)

My kids love Ice Age III just as much, if not more, than the first two.

Jackson hoots and hollers the whole way through and Olivia wakes up every morning asking for, “Dinosaurs.” (She also walks around all day saying, “Dinosaurs… roooar…”)

Yes, Ice Age III is a complete hit with my kids.

Today, I grabbed my video camera as Olivia and Jackson danced during the end credits of the movie to the song, “Walk the Dinosaur.”

Watching Olivia dancing, while also asking and signing for “more,” (she wanted me to start the movie again,) was just too cute. Well, that is until they crashed into each other…

Okay, so a bit of background first…

I nursed Julia for 25 months and Sophia for 20 months. Sophia has completely forgotten what nursing is and within a day of me weaning her, has never shown any sign of remembering that she used to feed from anything other than a bottle or sippy cup. Julia does not remember herself nursing, but now knows about breastfeeding from watching me nurse Sophia.

Last night, my 4 year old Julia and my 2 year old Sophia were having a bath.

Julia was nicely washing her little sister’s back and then put some soap on her hand and rubbed it on Sophia’s chest. She said in a sweet little sing-song voice to Sophia, “Here Sophia, I’ll put this lotion on your nipples to help them grow so you can nurse your babies when you’re a mommy.”

I smiled to myself at this adorable gesture.

Then Julia turned to me and said, “Mommy, I’m putting lotion on Sophia’s nipples to help them grow so she can nurse her babies when she’s a mommy. The lotion will make them grow… bigger than yours.”

I almost fell over laughing.

 
Written by Susan, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
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Sophia is wearing a Princess costume from one of our stores.

P.S. Smarties are a Canadian thing. They are like M&Ms.

Written by Janice, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
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And hey, did you know Susan and I own two online toy stores? Maybe your children would like a Pedal Car or a Large Stuffed Animal for Christmas?

Marie turned her teaching degree and experience as a Kindergarten teacher into a hugely popular crafting and parenting blog called Make and Takes.

Marie’s creativity is clear in each craft she shares, but she’s also got fantastic ideas for how to grow your own blog’s readership and community.

She shares some great blogging advice in this video interview…

Visit Make and Takes now and enjoy Marie’s creative “ideas and crafty tidbits for home family and fun”.

Also remember to follow Marie on Twitter @makeandtakes and Join Make and Takes on Facebook.

Thanks to our Sponsors

We were so thrilled to have Kmart Design as our sponsor for our BlogHer 09 video shoot.

Please help us thank Kmart Design for supporting the momosphere and helping us bring these video interviews to you.

Thanks Kmart Design!

Written by Susan, Mommy Blogger and Co-Founder of 5 Minutes for Mom
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