June Jive – Day 11 FREE Whoozit Baby Toy

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**Comments Closted**

Winner is: #9 – maddiesmom

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In June, I live with an impending feeling of dread! My reason is really rather trivial … it’s Birthday Season @ our house! Three of our four children have June birthdays (14th, 17th, and 27th). To top it all off, our oldest (Hayley) also turns 18 (whoohoo 1 down, three to go) and then graduates from high school the next day. Add Father’s Day to the mix, and well, I feel like I’m loosing my mind.

I know birthdays are celebrations, but they stress me out. It has crossed my mind more than once, that maybe, the mom’s should get to celebrate the birthday’s not the kids! I mean, we did all the work getting them here, we could stay in bed and do nothing, if anyone complained we could force them to sit and listen to our labor and delivery stories! It’s a great idea, I might even look forward to June if we did it that way!

In all seriousness though, kids birthdays seem to have gotten out of hand, don’t you think? What happened to the days when 3 or 4 of your friends came home with you after school, you ate a hotdog and pototo chips, drank some kool-aid, wolfed down a slice home-made cake (with no theme, but a scoop of ice cream), played a couple rounds of mother-may-I and hot-potato, opened your presents and party over –> your mom sent all the kids home empty handed and happy!

Today it’s 20 kids, theme parks, jumpy castles, petting zoos, movies, pottery parties, pinatas and to-die-for loot-bags. Here I am, complaining about it all, and yet, I buy in to it too. I hate it, but who wants to be the mom of the kid who has the crap parties and lousy loot-bags?! NOT ME sisters (and Richard), not me …

This definitely, is a symptom of POP (parenting for other parents) – read more about it @ DaddyUnderground! Leave him a comment, he writes these really funny and witty posts and he deserves some feedback.

Maybe, we could all band together and start a “Give a CRAP Party Campaign“? Start spreading the word, no more than 4 kids, no themes, no fancy food or store bought cakes, no bounceroos, no clowns, no ponies and for sure no loot bags!

In the mean time, please forgive me if my posts are short this week, I have 24 children coming to my home on Saturday to celebrate Sam turning 7 and Georgia making 2. I have a pinata to buy, balloons to order (they like the helium kind), the yard to clean (it’s a horror), the food to buy and prepare, the cakes to bake (or order), loot to buy, bags to stuff and the house to scrub (I don’t want anyone to know think we’re piglets). In my spare time (hahaha), I will be down on my knees praying to the creator to give me some good weather, because I can’t, can’t, can’t have all those kids in the house, can I?

To kick off the party season, we attended one today. Georgia wasn’t too thrilled about being prepped for the party :(

Leave my fricken hair alone!

She was no fashion victim today and she wasn’t happy about it (she’s wearing Deux par Deux)! I love the 3 pony-tail “do”! I must give credit for the cute hair to Kerflop and her sweetie who often sports this same cute style.

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Today I’m giving away an award-winning Whoozit Baby Toy (6″ size). Whoozit is probably our number one seller for baby gifts. If you don’t have a baby that will love this Whoozit you’ll want to comment and win it anyway, because this great toy makes a really cool baby shower gift.

Whoozit

Whoozit has bright colors and high-contrast patterns offer visual stimulation; hidden noise makers, including rattles, squeakers, and crinkle paper perk up little ears; and a variety of textured fabrics keep busy hands occupied.

To win you just need to leave a comment AND let me know if you love the birthday hype or NOT!

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Note: The Whoozit has been added to the MayMadness / June Jive coupon promo so if you don’t win’em you can buy’em … cheap like!

I’m giving away a FREE product every day until the end of June. Read more here: Contest Details

Visit www.thebabymarketplace.com for a great selection of baby shoes and baby clothes, cloth diapers too, and don’t forget the baby toys!

Categories: General

39 Comments

Deanne S. · June 10, 2007 at 11:41 pm

I don’t think #1 has ever won….here goes a try!

I really laughed at your b-day party plan – I TOTALLY agree with your views, and my kids aren’t even in school yet – can’t wait to see the competion when we get there as it’s already fierce amongst pre-schoolers!!! I sure enjoy reading your posts! Last little laugh before bed…..

Chriscar1 · June 11, 2007 at 12:08 am

That made me laugh too. I agree with you. Being my kids are only 3 and not quite 2 we haven’t had to do the big parties yet. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it. That baby toy is great. We had a similair one that was slobbered to its death. I will have to get another before baby #3 arrives in November. :)
Have fun at the party!

tanyetta · June 11, 2007 at 12:15 am

please enter my name :)
fruit salad and cake
no b.day hype until he turns 5! :)

Richard · June 11, 2007 at 12:16 am

First of all, good luck with your birthday plans! Secondly, I want to think that all the hype and so forth you alluded to may just be an American thing. As far as I know, there isn’t as great a holla-balloo about the whole thing where I’m from (the Caribbean). I mean, it’s celebrated, but I don’t think we go to the extent that you good folks do.

Thirdly, that toy is SCARY. My God.

Penny · June 11, 2007 at 12:16 am

Yup, add me to the list of birthday hype s! However, I do have one little bit of saving grace on my side, my kids don’t like that whole scene either!! Luckily too, all our birthdays are spread fairly evenly throughout the year (1 in feb (daddy), 1 in may (3yo), 1 in july (6yo), 2 in sept (mama & 4yo), 2 in nov (6mo & 10yo) and 1 in dec (8yo). Each child chooses a meal for dinner on the night of their b-day, they also choose a ‘themed’ cake. They don’t usually have any other children(we already have an instant party at our house!!LOL), but sometimes Grandma or Auntie will come and they typically bring the ‘favors’. They get one present from all of us and a present from Nana and Papa, and one from Grandma and Great Grandma. The other children make a present for the birthday kid. The birthday kid also get’s the day off from their ‘household’ chores. That’s about it. I’m lucky though too, my Mom is a professional clown and sometimes dresses up for a birthday celebration at our house, the kids like that as well.

That Whoozit toy is super cool, my 6mo LOVES toys that have that crinkle sound in them and has a love of textile objects, especially things he can ‘scratch’ his fingernails on!!LOL
Have a blessed Monday!!!
~Penny

Carey · June 11, 2007 at 4:18 am

Where Can i sign up for your party campaign? Thats the way to go, I too agree that birthday parties get out of hand. We dont do the loot bags, because its all junk and no one needs it, and i don’t have the extra money to spend on it. What we have done year was i bought a stack of colored plastic bowls, and the girls made ice cream sundaes(instead of cake, since no one eats it anyway), and the girls got to bring the bowl home..that was their”loot”, and they were quite content with that. Im all for celebrating moms on birthdays, we did do all the work.
Your daughter looks cute! Happy birthday to all your kids.
Count me in for the prize today, its so cute, it would make the perfect shower gift that im going to in two weeks.

Kait · June 11, 2007 at 6:05 am

Cute little toy- my son loved crinkly noises.
I HATE the birthday stuff. My son is 3 and would kind of like to invite some daycare friends to his party, but then you have to invite ALL and their parents so you don’t get stuck babysitting 20 kids. I feel for you.

Susanne · June 11, 2007 at 6:42 am

I love your birthday plan! I did buy a cake this year (I’d made the previous 4 myself) because I just wanted to see what it would be like. I have to say I enjoyed having a little more free time the morning of the party, and Wal-Mart makes a pretty good (and pretty) princess cake. We also got a bounce house for the first time because I loved the idea of having the kids outside for most of the party. But seeing as how it was 88 degrees outside, the kids were inside a lot anyway! So much for that idea. I had little purses/wallets that I’d bought from Oriental Trading, and I let the kids decorate them with fabric markers. I put a little lipgloss ring inside the purses and some tattoos in the boys’ wallets. I decided that would be great because it would be a craft as well as their treat bags to take home. So I was shocked/horrified when a little 4-year-old walked up to me before she left and said, “Can I have my treat bag now?” I said as sweetly as I could, “The purse/lipgloss is your treat bag, sweety.” I, like you, wish we could get back to doing parties like we did when we were kids. We had a lot more fun than kids do now. We parents think we’re giving our kids and their friends the most fun parties, but they don’t seem to me like they’re having nearly the fun that we had. Playing water gun or red rover in the back yard with your closest friends is so much more fun than playing at a bounce house warehouse with 20 kids you hardly know. I think if we all band together and join with you on giving a “crap party,” it wouldn’t be crappy at all. I think the kids would love it!!! We shouldn’t worry about the parents. So for my next kid’s party, count me in!

maddiesmom · June 11, 2007 at 7:46 am

That is soo funny! I had my first baby 5 months ago, so I haven’t experienced the b’day party pressure yet…although I am starting to think about her 1st birthday and what fabulous outfit she will wear and what cake to get!I remember when I was a kid, it was a backyard party with a homemade cake.

I am excited about the whoozit..I’ve heard kids love that toy. Great blog!

Julie · June 11, 2007 at 8:04 am

I hear ya about the birthdays. For us, June and July are insanity! My daughter’s first birthday is coming soon and I feel like I haven’t done enough (anything) to prepare. I must admit, I’m starting to feel a little stressed out…

glittersmama · June 11, 2007 at 8:15 am

I’m not a fan of having a wild party every year. Maybe every other year or even just on big years. On the off years, a family celebration works.

artsweet · June 11, 2007 at 8:21 am

Whoozit! Whoozit? I hope I’m it!

leslie · June 11, 2007 at 8:27 am

whatever happened to the age = guests rule…7 years old, 7 guests…?

Susy-Q · June 11, 2007 at 8:46 am

My little man will be 1 this August and we were just talking about we plan on doing for his birthday. I am thinking a good old friends and family get together-lunch BBQ so that I can have everyone out of here by later afternoon. he doesn’t really have any “friends” yet so I don’t have to worry about loot-bags just yet. I remember my birthday parties involved a bucket of KFC and a few games for the kids. Looks like those days are long gone…

lacey · June 11, 2007 at 9:20 am

I have been to many big parties. I think it is crazy. When I was younger, I got to invite 2 friends over for a sleepover. pizza, cake, a few presents, and whatever fun we could come up with on our own.

Mr.Mommyknows · June 11, 2007 at 9:44 am

I think the motion to supress those huge parties with 15+ kids has been passed. Who ever did come up with the idea of treat bags anyway? I will bring it up at the next national assembly of “Dad’s against spending any money” haha.

P.S. Since we already have 1 or 3 of the whoozit’s I would like to opt out of the contest (Mrs. mommyknows always tries out the really great toys on our children).

Diane · June 11, 2007 at 9:47 am

I have just had my first child three months ago and already the pressure is on for a big 1 year old birthday bash… I am not going to let them win though especially when the child is not even old enough to remember. Good luck to you!

katie bowen · June 11, 2007 at 10:12 am

ahhh party plans…i hear ya! i have the summer off from family bdays and then as the leaves turn bday season is in HIGH gear…what to do for a two year olds birthday…good luck! i do think us moms put a lotta pressure on ourselves to have huge parties. just keep that in mind as you’re hiring a pony, storteller, caterer, and puppeteer!

Marlo · June 11, 2007 at 10:39 am

Boo hoo on birthday partys. Growing up in a family of 10 kids, we just had a party with the family. You got to sit in the birthday chair (decorated with lovely crepe paper) and ate a cake designed and made by mom. But now friends and nothing crazy. AND we went out to eat, so my mom only had to make a cake and nothing else. What bliss. So I say, no way jose to the parties and bring on the Whoozit baby toy.

Aimee · June 11, 2007 at 11:20 am

We don’t do the huge elaborate party thing. Ever. If kids or parents don’t like it, they can get their free cake somewhere else.

My 10yo birthday is Nov 24, always awkwardly close to Thanksgiving when most are out of town. There have been years when only one guest showed up. This past year was the only year we reached our goal of the age=guests rule. We took everybody to the skating rink and provided food, that’s it. I was amazed how many kids didn’t want to roller skate, they kept asking me for money for the arcade. I said no-go skate!

Crazy. Like that toy.

Jen the Mom · June 11, 2007 at 12:01 pm

I have a girlfriend that does a family party one year and a fried party the next. At first I thought she was crazy but these birthday parties are getting so big that I can’t stomach the idea of monitoring all the commotion of a party with 12 princesses attending.

Alexia · June 11, 2007 at 12:13 pm

I have a 1-year-old and his first party was pretty simple….family…and he really could have cared less what I did so I could go easy. I am sooo NOT looking forward to future birthday parties! What to do? I will definetly be having awesome parties bc of the parents LOL

The Whoozit looks awesome! I’m sure my baby would love it!!!

Stephanie · June 11, 2007 at 1:14 pm

We do the June B-day thing too, plus our wedding anniversary is thrown in the mix. I completely agree that birthdays should be awarded to the b-day person’s mother…WAIT. That means I would have to celebrate my mother-in-law on my husbands B-Day??? NOWAY! Nix that idea; let’s keep it to spoiling the brats and secretly purchasing ourselves our own push-presents.

Mrs. Pear · June 11, 2007 at 1:17 pm

Oh my! This is great! I need at least 3 baby gifts this summer, so this would be great!

For our daughter’s birthdays (two so far) we have just had over one or two other families with children her age for a BBQ – but I did buy the cake both times because I suck at decorating cakes, but am determined to learn!

Oh – and there was a theme made up with stuff we had around the house or less than $10 purchased. We focused more on having a fun play time!

No goodie bags either. Although, a birthday party we just went to that had the same low key approach had one small thing for each FAMILY – a battery powered bubble blower (little fan blows for little ones) that are available for about $3 each.

Kathryn · June 11, 2007 at 1:56 pm

Oh, I know, I buy into and hate all that birthday party hype too… ::sigh:: My 9 year old hasn’t had his party yet because we’re doing a backyard campout party for him this summer.. yeah, his birthday was the end of April!.. Obviously, i’m caving to party hype….

Naomi · June 11, 2007 at 2:14 pm

We’ve managed to avoid the overboard birthday hype for three years but I still get stressed out about cake baking and invitations and way too many presents… it is kind of a nightmare. We had some favors at Roo’s third but it was a bowl of candy necklaces and bottles of bubbles. No big deal. I am sure it will get worse since she’s started preschool and will likely have more little friends come next March.

Montserrat · June 11, 2007 at 2:48 pm

My husband calls his Mom on the morning of his birthday to wish her a happy birth day and to say thank you.

I don’t buy into the party hype at all. My kids only get a birthday party at ages 8, 12 and 16. With seven kiddos whose birthdays are every two weeks starting the end of September, there’s no way I’m gonna do that to myself, or them.

We do, however, love decorating cakes and make some pretty fabulous ones for each birthday whether it’s just family there or not.

MonaB · June 11, 2007 at 3:05 pm

I guess I don’t have much experience yet on the birthday planning thing but I am really excited about planning my daughter’s 1st birthday next year. I guess being the first birthday it seems like a big deal, down to the cake, decorations and all the jazz. However I can see have it can get out of hand as the birthdays come and go. The best thing to me is to have family and close friends to come visit and celebrate on her special day.

alison · June 11, 2007 at 3:33 pm

We’ve been to our share of first-birthday parties lately and they were really quite sad. The poor kids are getting so much stuff that they are forced to stop playing with whatever cool thing they just opened so they can see the next cool thing that some grandparent bought only to have it once again yanked from their eager hands to have another wrapped present thrust into their lap. All the while they wish that everyone would go away so that they could play with the paper and bows. I’m all for a homemade cake and a scoop of ice cream with a small group of family/friends.

Laura · June 11, 2007 at 4:17 pm

I know what you mean..ridiculous..but Annslee did love riding the pony at her friend’s party. September is my busy bday month!

Keara · June 11, 2007 at 7:49 pm

Oh! Me! Me! I have a new baby!

But yeah, I can see your point. I have not had to deal with birthday parties yet but I am sure we will go nuts! We already over buy presents.

Nikki · June 11, 2007 at 7:52 pm

wow, that makes for an expensive month!! good luck with all the planning and partying! perhaps in the coming days you could ask us all what we buy our spouses for father’s day…i’m looking for some creative ideas!

Jamie · June 11, 2007 at 8:18 pm

We just spent what felt like forever (and was really only a few days) celebrating my daughter’s 5th birthday with cake at pre-K, a family cookout, and then a pizza parlor party on Saturday. Whew….I try to tone down the birthday party madness!!! Thank God I have six months to rest up for Santa Claus! ;)

Kami · June 11, 2007 at 9:27 pm

Wow, 3 in June… I bow to you! Both our boys are in June and 2 is enough!

We did mini golf for the six year old and rented a Dino Bouncer for the 3 year old. Best money we ever spent. Happy kids for 2 hours = happy adults.

But I hear ya, we sure didn’t have the fanfare of kids today.

MommyKnows · June 11, 2007 at 9:45 pm

I don’t care about the prize but I absolutely adore the picture of Georgia. My second really good laugh today! Her hair is awesome! I’m glad I’m not you this month. Auntie Gayle

Pam · June 11, 2007 at 10:25 pm

Wow, three birthdays at once…atleast they aren’t all in December, that would be a nightmare I would think!
As for birthday hypes for kids, I can officially say that so far my husband and I haven’t given into it. Seeing how our daughter is only nine months old (what a perfect age for that Whoozit toy BTW, *hint hint*) but in a few months I imagine we’ll have some sort of party. Seeming how she won’t remember it, it will probably be more for me….mostly an excuse for me to pig out on cake! Seriously though I don’t plan on overdoing it….I am so far from organized to plan anything so the likelihood of more than a few people being over that day is pretty slim. And the fewer people, the more cake left over for me. Hmm, I’m beginning to like the idea of a really small birthday party for her!

Damselfly · June 11, 2007 at 10:40 pm

Yeah, it’s like that at my house in December. Ker-azy!

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