Squeek WorryWoo give away result.

According to Random.org's random integer generator, the winning comment is #7, written by Jessica, who said,

"Looks fun! Our oldest -- 4 1/2 -- is all about monsters lately. He'd LOVE this! :)."

Congrats Jessica!  Be on the lookout for my email.  Thanks again to Andi Green, creator of the WorryWoo Monsters, for generously sponsoring the give away.  And thanks to everyone who entered!

  

Squeek WorryWoo and a give away.

**ETA:  Give away is closed.  Will post winner shortly**

A few weeks ago, I received a lovely surprise.  It was an email from the creator of the WorryWoo Monsters series, Andi Green.  Andi happened upon my previous post about Max and Leo receiving (and loving) Nola, the Monster of Loneliness, and Rue, the Monster of Insecurity.  She contacted me and offered to send us the newest little monster to review.  And even though I don't really do reviews on this blog, I happily said yes!

A few days later, Squeek, the Monster of Innocence, arrived.  His hangtag told us that Squeek "is a cotton candy pink little guy who is scared to leave his bubble.  As you can see by the look on his face he is very shy.  Will you be his teacher and introduce him to all the fun things that are special in your life?  Oh, and don't forget, he's the pip-"squeek" of the bunch so be gentle!" 

The older boys were instantly smitten with Squeek and decided they should care for him until Will was old enough to do so himself.  They even constructed a schedule of who got Squeek when.  This ploy has worked on other gifts that were technically for Will, so I didn't blame them for trying.  But Will had other plans for Squeek.  Perhaps he picked up on how much his older brothers coveted him.  Or maybe he just didn't want to stop touching his soft, plush fur.  Unclear--but whatever the reason, Will staked his claim to Squeek immediately and has snuggled up to him ever since.

As I previously mentioned, one of the reasons I love the WorryWoo Monsters series so much is that they make great gifts for boys who like stuffed animals--especially older boys.  There's really not much out there for that.  I suppose it's because most folks think that boys outgrow "dolls".  But my older boys still love stuffed animals.  They pile them onto their beds and dive into them at bedtime.  And when I peek into their room at night, I find stuffies tucked into every crook and cranny of their arms and legs. 

They also use their stuffed animals to put on elaborate shows, full of dialogue and props.  And I really love seeing them take care of their dolls--though that statement may be a tad misleading.  They are boys after all.  And so some stuffie tossing or dragging goes on.  And on and on.  But they really do take care of the little characters that they've attached to each stuffie.  Leo props up his lions onto couch pillows to make sure that they can see the books we are reading.  Max will make sure his beloved dogs have blankets to snuggle with while he's at school.  And If Will is fussing, the older boys rush to give (and by 'give' I mean hurl) various stuffies at him to make him feel better.  It is both amazing and endearing to see how their stuffed creatures bring out their nurturing side.    

And so Squeek could not be a better fit for our family.  He came with a well written and beautifully illustrated hard cover story book to tell his tale about exploring new things outside of his safe bubble.  My boys love the three WorryWoo stories we have--they are often the requested bedtime book.  The stories are simple enough to keep their attention but so imaginative, each with a unique "embrace your emotions" message. 

In addition to how great I think the products are, I was truly impressed by Andi when she approached me.  Why?  Because my blog is little and I don't do product reviews.  And Andi's products are receiving much praise, toy awards, and other national recognition--you can read more about it on the WorryWoo website.  And yet Andi was kind enough to send my little guy his very own WorryWoo to try out.  After a few emails with her, I was left with the impression of an artist who sincerely believes in her products and gets a kick out of kids enjoying them.  I suppose I should not be surprised by Andi's refreshing and personal approach to growing her business.  Because once you happen upon the charming monsters and their equally charming tales, you realize that a very special person must be behind them.  I wholeheartedly endorse the WorryWoo Monster products.

Now on to the give away!  Andi is generously offering a Squeek story book and plush doll to one of you.  To enter the give away, please leave a comment.  The give away will close in about a week, at noon, 12:00 pm (EST) on Thursday, March 25, with the random winner announced soon after.  Good luck! 

Craft along give away, no. 1.

As I mentioned in my initial post, one of the reasons I started this blog was to try to motivate myself to take on more of the wonderful tutorials out there and actually produce things.  But mostly, I'm still just staring.  I blame two of my personality traits for getting in the way.  One, my economies of scale mentality and two, I am as fickle as they come about crafts.  Let me explain.

When I see a project that I'd like to do, chances are it's something new to me.  And so, although my stash of craft supplies and unfinished objects is piled impossibly high, it sometimes falls short of an essential supply item.  Enter trouble--because when I research sourcing this latest must-have item, I usually find that I can get, let's say, 5 keychain fob hardware sets for $6.  BUT...and please tell me that you know what I'm going to say because you've been there too...I can get something crazy like 50 sets for $20. 

Do I need 50 sets?  Um, no.  Will I be enchanted with the project long enough to ever make 50 sets?  Well, pigs could fly I suppose.  And don't even get me started with my "oh, maybe someday I'll put some in my Etsy shop" rationale because I've tried that, too, and that little shop has sat empty since the birth of pumpkin little no. 3.  But just as certain as I am to check on the boys before I can fall asleep--recklessly risking waking them up by leaning in so close to their quiet little faces to hear them breath so that I know they are fine, just fine--I will buy the "better" deal or none at all.

This is where you are going to come in, so stay with me, okay?

There is nothing more motivating than having a partner to get you going.  So, on a regular basis (tbd--just thinking out loud here), I will pick a tutorial that I'd like to try and will gather the necessary supplies.  And since it's usually just as easy to gather up several sets of whatever key supplies I need handy as it is to do one, I'm going to give one (or more) away for a craft along!  And also--occasionally--I hope to do a co-op of sorts to make things a bit more economical when I cannot resist my supersizing ways (offering up shares of supplies to defray costs if anyone else is interested). 

For our first foray into this experiment, I give you The Small Object's and Chica and Joe's tutorials on how to make your own custom notepad.  Are these on your to-try list but you still haven't?  Perfect!  No padding compound you say?  No worries--I have some and I'd love to share.  I will give away three 2 oz. bottles of the compound (enough for many, many pads, you'll see) to three readers.  No co-op this time.  Baby steps.

To enter, please leave a comment by Friday, September 25, 2009, midnight, EST.  I will pick three random entries and post on Saturday and mail asap.  My blog is pretty new and comment light, so you should have a good shot if you enter. 

Above are the 'mom's got a latte do today' notepads I made, courtesy of the freebie download at Skip to my Lou.  I love them!