This giveaway is now closed. View the winner here! Thank you all so much for entering!

I'm sorry to suspend this giveaway, but it's come to my attention that Simplisse might be affiliated with a company I cannot support due to violations of the World Health Organization's code with respect to advertising breast milk substitutes and feeding instruments.

I have tried to be professional and courteous and have been in contact with the company over this, but it has now been over a week since Simplisse last responded to my inquiries. I will post more when I find out further information. Till then, I'm closing the comments.

So that this has not been a waste of my lovely entrants' time, if the giveaway ends early, I will select a winner from among those of you who have already entered. If any of you who have entered wish to opt out of the contest in light of this new information, please contact me: mail {at} HoboMama.com. Please note that the issue is not with the quality of the products reviewed in this giveaway but with the advertising practices of a second (bottle) company that may or may not be related to Simplisse.

I apologize for the inconvenience and confusion, and I'll let you know when I find out more.

This giveaway is now closed. View the winner here! Thank you all so much for entering!


Our newest treasure is a Melissa & Doug wooden ABC puzzle from Gummy Lump Toys! And the best news? You can win your own choice of wood puzzle from GummyLump.com!

Read on!

Gummy Lump Toys is one of those wonderful online toy companies that carries only toys you'd be proud to have your children own. The toys are creative and educational and multi-purpose to spark kids' imaginations. They tend to be made from natural and durable materials, mostly wood, and they're the type of toys that win awards for excellence.

So when Gummy Lump wrote me and offered me a Melissa & Doug wooden puzzle to review, I jumped at the chance. I have other Melissa & Doug puzzles so knew it was just a matter of choosing the right one to keep Mikko amused.

Boy howdy, did I choose right!


Witness the ABC Peg Puzzle!

Intended for ages 2 years and up, this sturdily built wooden puzzle features nice little pegs that little fingers can grab. The images on the pieces are the letters of the alphabet, and underneath — surprise! — there's a corresponding picture that starts with each letter.

The puzzle builds matching, reading, memory, and manual dexterity skills. That's just from my observations alone!

But don't take my word for it. Here's a video to see my alphabet whiz in action:

You get to hear him want to eat all the food pictures in the puzzle. It seems all virtuous until he clarifies that he wants a Schokolade (chocolate) egg, not one of those regular nutritious ones. You also get to hear him exclaim with unfeigned delight over a W that's actually an M, but who can correct him when he's being such an adora-toddler?

Mikko loves this puzzle. He asks for it by saying he wants to "play letters!" Within a few days, he memorized what picture was under which letter, even though some of them were unfamiliar to him: "insect" for I, "nest" for N, and "yarn" for Y. (Clearly I need to get out my knitting more…)

This is one of those puzzles where the parent feels good because it seems all educational and stuff, and the child feels good because he has no idea he's Learning Something Useful.

Is there anything I would change about the puzzle? Well, there's nothing I can't live with. Some of the letters fit a little loosely, so sometimes Mikko thinks a piece is in the wrong space or turned the wrong way when it's not. Some of the images they chose are a little obscure, but that's actually turned out fine, since it's taught Mikko new vocabulary ("jump rope," for instance). The images have to fit within the confines of the letter shape, so some letters were probably easier to match words to than others.

As far as my experience with Gummy Lump Toys, I have nothing but good to say about their fabulous response and shipping times and the great shape the puzzle came in. I even appreciate their story of why they're called Gummy Lump.

We've really been enjoying playing with this puzzle at home and on the go. It's the kind of activity that can entertain a toddler while adults have some conversation time. (No, really! Actual conversation!) The only downside is that the pieces of course end up in a big pile in your bag. Does anyone have a solution to this? One of my favorite Melissa & Doug items is actually their travel puzzle sets for easy transport reasons. And, there are some puzzle storage solutions for keeping puzzles organized at home or school, but what do you do when you travel with puzzles? Seriously, if you leave a good solution, I'll give you an extra entry!


Gummy Lump Toys wants to offer you the chance to win your very own wood puzzle, up to $12. You can choose based on the age and interest of your own kidlet(s).

For instance:

• For babies, there are jumbo knob puzzles that are perfect for palm grasping.
• For toddlers, there are chunky puzzles where the pieces can actually stand up and be played with as little figures!
• For sensory fun, I've gotta say I love the idea of these touch-and-feel puzzles.
• For preschoolers figuring out emotions and storytelling, there are dress-up puzzles.
• For kids like Mikko who love surprises hidden under pieces, there are hide-and-seek puzzles.
• Kids who like making silly pictures would enjoy these mix-and-match peg puzzles.
• For older kids (3 years old on up), there are wooden jigsaw puzzles with 12, 24, or 48 pieces.
• And, not even joking, they have puzzles that play a matching sound when the piece is fit into the right slot.

That's right: The hard part is picking your favorite!

BUY IT!

You can find ours and similar wood puzzles at GummyLump.com for very reasonable prices or on Amazon! For instance, the Melissa & Doug ABC Peg Puzzle I received is currently on sale for only $6.39, and there's a whole (jam-packed!) category of toys under $10.

Besides puzzles, Gummy Lump Toys carries all sorts of quality creative and educational toys from respected companies like Melissa & Doug, Guidecraft, Haba, KidKraft, Citiblocs, and more! You can shop by age, category, or brand. The fact that they've subdivided their site into so many helpful categories makes it really easy to find something that suits your kids or a gift recipient.

Gummy Lump offers free U.S. shipping on orders over $75.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a wood puzzle from Gummy Lump Toys, up to $12 in current price, enter in the comments below! Contest is open to U.S. only (sorry, my dear international friends — you know I would mail to you if I were doing the mailing).


MAIN ENTRY: Head on over to GummyLump.com and tell me what glorious wooden puzzle (up to $12) you would choose!

Leave an email address in at least one of your comments if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so I can contact you if you win. (You can write it like this to foil spambots: mail (at) hobomama (dot) com or similar.)

BONUS ENTRIES, to increase your chance of winning (leave a separate comment for each so I can count them all):

• Tell me what lovely little one(s) will enjoy this puzzle if you win!
• Tell me what kind of puzzle your little puzzler(s) would prefer (you can see my list above for types such as jumbo knob, chunky, peg, jigsaw, etc.).

• Poke around GummyLump.com and tell me what other toy catches your eye!
• Follow or subscribe to the Gummy Lump blog.
• Follow www.HoboMamaReviews.com publicly through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama Reviews RSS feed in a reader or by email.
• Follow www.HoboMama.com through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama RSS feed in a reader or by email.
• Follow @GummyLump on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Follow @Hobo_Mama on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily for still more entries. Leave the direct URL, which can be found by clicking the time stamp under your Tweet. You can create your own text or copy/paste this: Win your choice of an adorable Melissa & Doug wood puzzle from @GummyLump and @Hobo_Mama! http://bit.ly/9rQ7Yv {5.12}
It is entirely possible to wear a kicky hat while completing your puzzle.
• Become a fan of Gummy Lump on Facebook.
• Become a fan of Hobo Mama on Facebook.
• Follow Hobo Mama on Networked Blogs on Facebook.
• Enter another of my current giveaways (1 extra entry per giveaway).
• Do something lovely for this post, a post on the Gummy Lump blog, or a post on Hobo Mama (StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc.) and let me know what it was and which post in your comment. There is a Share button below each post on Hobo Mama. You can gain 1 extra entry per share, up to 3 extra entries total.
• Fave me on Technorati and leave your user name.
• Put my Carnival of Natural Parenting button on your website for 2 extra entries. The HTML code is in the sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.
• Include this giveaway in a post on your own blog for 3 extra entries. Leave the direct link in your comment. Feel free to use this code or craft your own (and here's a tutorial on pasting html code into a Blogger post and one for WordPress):
  <!-- BEGIN CODE --> <center><a href="http://www.gummylump.com/f_product.php?id=1980" target="_blank"><img src="http://images.hobomama.com/a_1980peg-puzzle-see-inside-alphabe.jpg" border="0" alt="Gummy Lump Melissa & Doug alphabet wooden puzzle for toddler -- see inside ABC letters" width="350" height="262"></a></center><p><img src="http://images.hobomama.com/gummy-lump-puzzle-pictures.jpg" border="0" alt="Gummy Lump Melissa &amp;amp; Doug wooden puzzle for toddler ABC letters" align="right" width="250" height="375"><a href="http://www.hobomamareviews.com/2010/04/giveaway-melissa-doug-wooden-puzzle.html" target="_blank"><strong>Hobo Mama Reviews</strong></a> is giving away a <strong>wooden puzzle of your choice</strong> (up to $12) from <a href="http://www.gummylump.com/f_category.php?id=278" target="_blank"><strong>Gummy Lump Toys</strong></a>.</p> <p>Choose <strong>based on your child's age and interests</strong> — jumbo knob puzzles for the littlest tots, chunky puzzles that are sure to delight the terrific twos, or wooden jigsaws for preschoolers on up — in <strong>a variety of themes</strong>, from adorable farm animals to realistic dinosaurs to twirling ballerinas to flashy trucks.</p> <p><strong>Melissa & Doug puzzles</strong> are well-made, colorful, educational, and imaginative, and <strong>GummyLump.com</strong> is an online toy store selling only the best in creative, high-quality toys.</p> <p><strong>Enter at <a href="http://www.hobomamareviews.com/2010/04/giveaway-melissa-doug-wooden-puzzle.html" target="_blank">Hobo Mama Reviews</a> by May 12</strong> for your chance to win!</p> <p><em>Open to U.S. addresses only.</em></p><!-- END CODE -->

RULES:

• Contest open to U.S. ADDRESSES ONLY. (Sorry, everyone else!) Shipping is by UPS, so a street address is required (no P.O. Boxes).
• Leave each entry as a separate comment so I can count them all.
• For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let me know in your comment.
• For tasks that garner you multiple entries, say something like "I blogged [link here] #1," "I blogged [link here] #2," etc.
• You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
• I will pick the winner through random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave an email address in your comment if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so I can contact you if you win. If I can't reach a winner or don't hear back within a couple days, I'll draw a new name.
• Any questions, let me know: mail {at} HoboMama.com

A big congratulations to the winner of The Mini Mei Tai doll sling — #72!

G at lin3arossa

"My daughter would use this for Ella Poupella. It's a Waldorf doll I made for my daughter."

Are you intrigued by someone who made a Waldorf doll for her daughter and gave it such an enchanting name? You should be!

Hop on over to lin3arossa's blog and see all the amazing sewing she's done — all modeled on her or her über-adorable daughter. You're going to love this kid's expressions. lin3arossa has made such fabulous clothing as:

• Flower pants with built-in suspension (that sounds like engineering, doesn't it?)
• Almost-UFO skirt (intriguing name, adorable look)
• Kasia high-waisted skirt (she thinks people were complimenting her more on her blouse than her fabulous skirt — go disabuse her of that notion)

(Wait, should I be scared about sending something I made to someone so creative and talented? Perhaps!)

If you entered and didn't win — now that you've met lin3arossa, aren't you glad her daughter won? I bet you feel better, don't you, knowing that the Pink Swirly fabric is going to someone so deserving of babywearing cuteness?

And don't worry, because you can still make your own Mini Mei Tai — it's easy as getting out scissors and scrap fleece. Check out my full (and I do mean "full") tutorial here.

Speaking of which, I really need to find my sewing machine's power cord. lin3arossa suggested looking in the washing machine or the toy box, because that's where her daughter would have put it. Will do!

Thank you to everyone for entering! Be sure to check my giveaway page for current giveaways when next it's updated. I've got a couple fun ones on the horizon!

Last May, I started writing a review of the two books that have helped me the most in growing a vegetable garden in the Pacific Northwest. But I put off publishing it, because it did seem rather, you know — specific.

But I'm back into gardening this year, and they still stand as the most influential in my planning, so — they deserve a shout-out.

If you're also in Seattle or similar and are planning out your vegetable garden for this year, grab these books and get going. Spring is on the way — hurrah!

Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades

This book by Steve Solomon is written with confidence and thoroughness. You can tell Solomon is a master gardener who knows his stuff — and who knows this climate, and what works here.

He advocates organic methods, which I really appreciated, but isn't afraid to suggest optional chemical methods when appropriate and safe. He explains gardening down to the composition of the dirt and explains why just piling on compost isn't necessarily going to be helpful. In general, he tells you why gardening methods that work well out East don't automatically translate to the Northwest Coast. For instance, he explained why my melon dream didn't pan out: just not enough sun strength, alas.

What was most interesting to me about reading this and the other Northwest gardening books was realizing that you can garden year-round in the Pacific Northwest climate. Solomon gives details of what crops grow well, which ones will help your pantry and the soil through overwintering, and what sort of crop rotation will keep the soil at its healthiest.

Solomon generally doesn't recommend raised beds because of his theories on crop rotation, but keep in mind that he's dealing with quite a large garden — really more of a small farm. In my last garden, I had about four square feet to work with, so crowding all my crops together was really my only option! That said, if you have the space to play with, Solomon's ideas seem sound and tested.

I took extensive notes on which plants to start when, and when to harden the seedlings and transfer them outside. I also resolved to look for the particular seed varieties Solomon recommends. This is a very detailed book that you will reference again and again!

Maritime Northwest Garden Guide

The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide is produced by the Seattle Tilth, an organic gardening advocacy and educational organization, and written by Carl Elliott and Rob Peterson.

This book is tailored to the area and how to garden organically and effectively in the Northwest coastal climate.

It talks climate zones, bugs and diseases, and various set-ups to help warm your soil and shield your plants to lengthen your growing season.

One of the most useful features is the month-by-month planner suggesting what to do for each period.

There are also suggestions for gardening with kids. I hope to do most all my gardening this year with a certain little tyke in tow, so I love that aspect!

It looks like it's cheaper right now to buy the most current copy of the book through the Seattle Tilth ($14.95 + tax and shipping). You can view the Amazon page for reviews and more information.

By the way, the Seattle Tilth is sponsoring an Early Spring Edible Plant Sale on March 20, so check it out if you're in the area! And say "hi" to me — I'm sure I'll be shopping for hours.

Choose from an amazing selection of edible plant varieties proven to perform well in the Pacific NW during the cool season, starring rare and heirloom organic vegetables. We will also be selling perennial edibles such as favorite cane fruits, unusual fruiting shrubs and trees from One Green World in Oregon, culinary herbs and edible flowers. Celebrate the first day of spring by getting the healthiest plants for your garden this year and starting with the best selection of edible veggies, fruits and herbs in the region!

A big congratulations to the winner of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding — #3, an early-bird entrant!

Krista at Heavenly Savings

Here's what Krista learned from reading MamaKnowsBreast.com, Andi Silverman's blog:

"I did not know that that using antidepressants can delay breast milk coming in just after birth. It makes sense but I never had heard of that before!"

If you're not the lucky Krista, you can buy your own copy of Mama Knows Breast for (currently) $11.21 on Amazon, and it's eligible for Super-Saver Shipping. It makes for a wonderful baby-shower gift! Read my full review here.

Thank you to everyone for entering! Be sure to check my giveaway page for current giveaways. Right now there's a Mini Mei Tai for your child to wear his or her "baby" doll.

This giveaway is now closed. View the winner here!

Do you have a child who wants a baby carrier just like you have, but for a favorite doll?

Have you (or someone you know) just had a second child and the firstborn wants to wear a doll just the way the new baby is being carried?

Have I got a deal for you!

Check out Hobo Mama's lovingly hand-crafted (in the USA! of upcycled materials! with no sweatshop labor and very little sweat!) Mini Mei Tai, the answer to all your doll-carrying needs!™

A mei tai, pronounced MAY-TIE, is an Asian-inspired soft baby carrier that can be worn on the front or back. The baby — or, in this case, the baby doll — is supported by a soft apron of fabric. Waist straps tie around the waist, and shoulder straps cross over the shoulders and around to support the baby(doll)'s back. It's very easy to tie on once you get the hang of it!

Having a doll sling is wonderful for passing babywearing on to the next generation, and for letting kids imitate what they've seen their parents do.

My two-year-old, Mikko, loves bringing his babies places and giving them constantly changing names — recently it has been Baby One and Baby Five — and he's picked out every one of his dolls from the store himself. He also chooses their outfits, as you can see from the picture.

Children try on the roles of adults as they navigate their world, and giving them a simple, handmade tool like this encourages them in their role playing.

Plus, they get some of the adult benefits of babywearing: having their favorite "babies" snuggled close, and having their hands free to keep on playing!

This special Mini Mei Tai is made out of a cushy polyester fleece fabric that is (a) machine washable (hooray!) and (b) soft and snuggly (hooray again!). Those are important characteristics for a child's product, aren't they? The fleece has a lot of give to it, so you can pull on the straps as tightly as is comfortable for your child.

The Mini Mei Tai is in fact ingeniously made from scraps left over from making the no-sew adult version of a fleece mei tai (thanks to a suggestion from Missy). The Mini Mei Tai is crafted much the same way but does require a teensy bit of sewing, which you can see here in the special tutorial on HoboMama.com.

I estimate that this Mini Mei Tai will fit very small children and dolls (a year or so old) up through elementary school (maybe twelve years old with an American Girl doll). For small children, you can roll the waistband to make the apron shorter, and even cut down the size as needed: Fleece doesn't unravel, so there's no need to hem. If you believe your child or doll will be bigger than the size range listed, please let me know if you win and we'll see what we can do!

I'll be hand-stitching the winner's Mini Mei Tai after the contest closes, so allow a little time for the sewing to take place. If you have a special request, you can let me know then. I'm making the Mini Mei Tai for the winner a little bit smaller than in the photos here and more like my pattern on my Hobo Mama tutorial. If you'd like to give me exact measurements if you win, feel free!

Winner chooses from one of these four luscious fleece fabrics (click on picture to see them bigger): Seashore Blue, Stripey Delight, Polka Dot Pleasure, and Pink Swirls! Yes, I made up those fabric names.

Please note that the waistband for Pink Swirls might be a little shorter than the pattern in my tutorial because of the low amount of fabric I have for it; if you win and want it and think that might be a problem, let me know.

IMPORTANT Safety Notes: Please be clear that this giveaway is for a DOLL version of a mei tai carrier! It is not meant for human babies. It is not designed to support an infant's weight, only a doll's. Supervise your child while the carrier is in use, because the long straps may get tangled. Don't let a young child use this carrier alone, and don't let anyone use it to carry an infant. Clear?

To get your child started with a front carry, here are some easy instructions for tying a mei tai on your child:

• Tie the waist strap around your child's waist. You can use a knot or a bow. Let the apron of fabric hang down toward her legs.
• Have your kid hold her doll against her chest while you pull the apron up over the doll's back and smooth the shoulder straps over your child's shoulders.
• Cross the shoulder straps over her back.
• Bring the shoulder straps around front and tie behind the doll's back or under the doll's bum. Again, you can do a knot or a bow.

That's it! Easy as pie.

You can also check out my instructions here for an adult front carry and the linked video. Here are some alternate carries from a reputable mei tai site.

I also have up a giveaway of Mama Knows Breast: A Beginner's Guide to Breastfeeding, by Andi Silverman. I was thinking what a great gift combination this would be for a new sibling gift: a Mini Mei Tai for the older sib, and the breastfeeding book for the mama!

So I'm offering an extra entry into this Mini Mei Tai giveaway by entering the Mama Knows Breast giveaway, and I'm willing to do vice versa as well — get an extra entry into the Mama Knows Breast giveaway by entering here. But hurry — the Mama Knows Breast giveaway ends this Thursday, Feb. 25!

BUY IT!

You can't purchase a Hobo Mama Original Mini Mei Tai, because you can't put a price on the adorableness. Or something like that.

[FYI: My favorite mei tai-like carrier for adults and real babies is the ERGO Baby Carrier (affiliate link but I joined because I love it so much!). It has buckles so is even more user-friendly, and it's very supportive. You can read my review of the ERGO here. ERGO Baby does sell a super-cute Doll Carrier version of its mei tai under Shop --> Lifestyle.]

MAKE IT!

Make your own Mini Mei Tai or No-Sew Adult Mei Tai following each easy how-to on HoboMama.com! If you make the adult version, remember to save the scraps to make doll versions afterward! All you need for the adult version are heavy fleece, a measuring tape, and scissors, so give it a try.

WIN IT!

For your chance to win a genuine Hobo Mama handmade Mini Mei Tai, enter in the comments below! Contest is open worldwide because you know I love you all dearly.

MAIN ENTRY: Tell me which child would use this Mini Mei Tai if you won.

Leave an email address in your comment if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so I can contact you if you win.

BONUS ENTRIES, to increase your chance of winning:

• Tell me which doll would use this Mini Mei Tai if you won.
• Enter my giveaway for Mama Knows Breast, a wonderful breastfeeding guide by Andi Silverman — but hurry, because that contest ends Feb. 25!
• Follow www.HoboMamaReviews.com publicly through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama Reviews RSS feed in a reader or by email.
• Follow www.HoboMama.com through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama RSS feed in a reader or by email.
• Follow @Hobo_Mama on Twitter and leave your Twitter name in the comment.
• Tweet this giveaway. This may be done once daily for still more entries. Leave the direct URL, which can be found by clicking the time stamp under your Tweet. You can create your own text or copy/paste this: Win a hand-sewn Mini Mei Tai baby-doll sling from @Hobo_Mama for #babywearing a child's favorite doll! http://bit.ly/9lYjWH {3.18}
• Become a fan of Hobo Mama on Facebook.
• Follow Hobo Mama on Networked Blogs on Facebook.
• Do something lovely for this post or a post on Hobo Mama (StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Technorati, etc.) and let me know what it was and which post in your comment. There is a Share button below each post to make things easier. You can gain up to 3 entries this way.
• Put my Carnival of Natural Parenting button on your website for 2 extra entries. The HTML code is in the sidebar. Leave your site URL in the comment.
• Include this giveaway in a post on your own blog for 3 extra entries. Leave the direct link in your comment.

RULES:

• Contest open WORLDWIDE, because I don't mind shipping something this light and this fabulous anywhere on the planet. (My apologies to my Venutian readers.)
• Leave each entry as a separate comment so I can count them all.
• For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, just let me know in your comment.
• For tasks that garner you multiple entries, say something like "I blogged [link here] #1," "I blogged [link here] #2," etc.
• You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, but you do have to complete the first mandatory one.
• I will pick the winner through random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave an email address in your comment if it's not clearly visible on your profile or linked web page so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't reach any particular winner or don't hear back within a couple days, I'll draw a new name.
• Any questions, let me know: mail {at} HoboMama.com