A Finkelstein's Center Giveaway.

She'll knock your socks off, then make a doll out of 'em.  She's a gem, Michelle Jewell, of Finkelstein's Center. 

Lucky for us, she's sponsoring a giveaway.  Choose your favorite Finkelstein friend, and she'll make it for you.  (Value up to $50)

Want a Bunny in Braces, a Kitty in Bikinis, or a Merman to boot?  How 'bout a Stick, an Acorn, or a Man in a Suit?  Welcome to her world of magic, wool, and whimsy, where plush creatures take shape, and the whole gang's in stitches.  Literally.

But really, Michelle makes each doll by hand.  They're stitched with love and are totally one of a kind!  Enter now to win your own...

Rules for submission below.

So you know, my son, Aksel, has his own hand stitched creature.  He loves him, too!  Read a past post about Tank here.

[DISCLAIMER]  Since all Finkelstein's Center toys are hand cut/ hand stitched no two are identical.  Also, certain fabrics and buttons are vintage and can not be duplicated either.

TO ENTER (MANDATORY):

1. "FOLLOW" Baby Talk without the Babble via Google Friend Connect by clicking on the icon at the top of my sidebar.

    2.   "LIKE" Finkelstein's Center on Facebook and tell us which doll's
          your favorite.  * Search through her catalogue of creatures here and here. 

    3.   THEN LEAVE A COMMENT AND EMAIL ADDRESS.


FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:

* Up to ten ways to enter (leave a comment for each entry):

1. "VOTE" for Baby Talk without the Babble by clicking on the TopBabyBlogs icon below:

          * You can "VOTE" one time in 24 hours. Just leave a comment for each day/entry.

    2.   "LIKE" Baby Talk without the Babble by clicking on the
          Facebook icon below:

    3.   "JOIN" Baby Talk without the Babble's Facebook fan page

          by clicking below:

Baby Talk without the Babble 

    4.   "FOLLOW" Baby Talk without the Babble on Twitter.

    5.   "FOLLOW" Baby Talk without the Babble via Bloglovin'.

    6.   "SUBSCRIBE" to get Baby Talk without the Babble by email. 

          * You MUST confirm your subscription!

    7.   "GRAB MY BUTTON" and post it on your blog. 

          * Leave a URL for me to confirm.

    8.   "WRITE A POST" about this giveaway.

          * Leave a URL for me to confirm.

    9.   "TWEET" this post by clicking on the appropriate icon below.

   10.   "SHARE" this post by clicking on the appropriate icon below.

           Remember: You MUST leave a comment for each entry!

• Contest will be open until 11:59 PM EDT on July 18, 2011.
• Contest winner must have a US or Canadian mailing address.
• Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery upon results drawing.
• The winner will be randomly selected (from random.org) and announced online. Please check back to see if you won, or leave your email address with comment. The winner will then need to provide their name and shipping address by contacting: babytalknobabble@gmail.com 

In Charleston?  Finkelstein's Center will be on display, and available for purchase, at the Lowcountry Artist Market from 10 am - 3 pm on Saturday, June 25th.  Come meet Michelle, and her gaggle of dolls!

A (Lil') Man's Best Friend.

Seeing as I'm of the following clans:  the Mulligans, the O'Briens, the Colwells, the O'Rourkes (you get the paddy point), it's only fitting I recommend (on this most sacred of Irish days) a GREEN product.

So, here it is...

Me wee lad, Aksel Kieran, loves his GREEN LeapFrog pooch, Scout.  And, I'm not exaggerating on Patrick's behalf, either!  Saint, that is.

Reminiscent of the 80's Teddy Ruxpin, this talking pup (he can learn your name) is my little man's best friend! 

And while I'm on the subject, he doesn't cost too much GREEN!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

LeapFrog My Pal Scout

Finkelstein's Center.

My little one loves his hand-stitched toy from Finkelstein's Center.  In fact, TANK (as we call him) is a part of the family!

Really though, these dolls are great (and quirky, too)! 

If you're looking for a memorable baby gift, I recommend purchasing your own plush Finkelstein pal.  It's a sock monkey x 10...

 

Please vote!

Tunnel of Baby Love.

Aksel loves daddy's latest multi-color present.  See for yourself... 

Pacific Play Tunnel

Havin' a Ball.

Hands down, Aksel's favorite Xmas gift was this:

Edushape 4" Sensory Balls

Bright-colored, soft-ish balls with texture.  Need I say more?  Aksel loves chasing after them!  He's havin' a ball...

** 9 out of 10

Hands down, my least favorite Xmas toy was this:



Playskool Musical Activity Ball and Gear Center

My low opinion of this toy had nothing to do with its engaging qualities.  In fact, Aksel loved the music and gears, but from a safety standpoint, I was unimpressed.  The toy kept falling back, and on a number of occasions when my child tried to stabilize it, he was smacked in the face.  The Notre Dame in Paris needed buttresses, who's to think a child's toy is any different?         

 ** 2 out of 10

In our home, this toy is a hands-on holiday hit:

Infantino Activity Triangle 

All around this toy is great!  And I mean, literally, all around.  Little fingers love the numerous dimensions this nifty triangle offers, and I know firsthand.  My boy won't put his down.

** 7 out of 10

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GNOME-ing at the Mouth

Valentine's Day is fast-approaching, and I'm GNOME-ing at the mouth for the following Etsy finger puppet finds:

Little Gnome Finger Puppet with Red Hat - $5.00

Love Ewe Finger Puppet - $5.00

Brown Owl Finger Puppet - $5.00

That's not all, more unique gift suggestions to come... OWL be back!

Kindly, vote!

(And I won't write about gnomes anymore!)

We Had a Piano.

Growing up, we had a piano.  An antique, upright grand piano.  It's a shame I never learned to play.  It looked a little something like this...

My mother bought the piece on a whim, having convinced my father she'd learn to play.  Between you and me however, I think she mastered On Top of Old Smokey, and then threw the music towel in.

But that's not the point I wish to make.  Regardless of whether or not my mother played the piano well, there was music in our home.  And I'm actively carrying the tradition on...

In fact, Aksel loves listening to music.  In particular, he gets quite a thrill playing with his LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table.  To take it a step further, I believe he crawled over the other afternoon and in a very rudimentary way (obviously) babbled the ABC melody. 

I love being Aksel's music teacher!  I'm having fun, and so is he.  

We love ours!  What are your thoughts?

LeapFrog Learn & Groove Musical Table

Please vote!

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Hutch the Howdy Cow!

Don't have a cow.  Buy a cow.  Trumpette Howdy Cows are cool!

In fact, Aksel LOVES his, and it's proven to be a great balancing tool for my lil' wobbler.  Not to mention, he's darn cute bouncing his silly boy bottom off.  Moo... Moo... Moo!

FYI:  Howdy Cows come in a variety of colors.  So adorable!

While I'm at it, Aksel would like to thank darling Tennie (below) for his Howdy Cow.  We've aptly named him Hutch.

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The Importance of Giving.

There's so much going on, and I've neglected the blog yet again!  Here though are some brief mommy high points to fill you in:

I went to FAO Schwarz as I mentioned weeks ago.  Go figure, I was disappointed!  I know I romanticize everything (toy stores included), but really the experience was lackluster.  True to my promise though, I did buy a few interesting goodies for my boy.

During my checkout however, I was reenergized by making a small donation to Toys for Tots.  It's an organization I believe strongly in, which leads me to my next thought.

Don't get me wrong, I want to give my child all that he wants (and more) in life, but really, I want to teach him to give to others.  My husband and I, for years past, have foregone the elaborate process of buying each other gifts, preferring instead to purchase gifts for children that have little to nothing.

Last year for example, we loaded our carts with simple gifts (so we could buy as much as possible, for as many kids as possible).  I was ready to pop - to give birth at any minute, and for me, in my hormonal mommy-state, it was so exciting to think of all the sweet boys and girls that would wake to find gifts under their tree.  I've always wanted to help people, and barely nothing fulfills me more than knowing a child will be happy!

Myself, I couldn't have imagined waking on Christmas morning without a little something under the tree.  In our time, in the state of our economy, I know more now than ever, little ones are going without.  If you have just a small something to spare, make a donation to Toys for Tots.

For example, there are a huge assortment of classic toys available at Wal-Mart for $5 and under.  Take your little ones today, and teach them the importance of giving to those that have less.

Happy Holidays!