GIVEAWAY// Win a Back to School Book Pocket Mommy by Aila Malik

We start back to school this week, and making that transition is often a difficult one for my son. Since he is home with me most of the time, it is challenging for him to be away from his mama and from his home for long periods of time without feeling anxious. He got some practice of being away from home this summer when he attended a 4 week day camp  (he was gone every day from 8:00 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday for a month!). How I wish I had had Aila Malik's book  Pocket Mommy earlier in the summer to help him through that transition, but I am so grateful to have received a copy recently to help us with our next transition of back to school.

In the book Pocket Mommy Zayan is preparing for his first day of kindergarten. He is anxious about the new experience and not sure what to expect. Most of all he feels sad that he is going to be away from his mom. Zayan is a lucky boy because his mom is one smart lady. She crafts a small paper doll of herself and gives it to Zayan to tuck into his pocket and take to school with him. Zayan is able to pull out his pocket mommy whenever he needs encouragements, to ease his anxiety, or to feel a little connection to his mom when he is feeling homesick.

My son loved the story. We are working on our own little pocket mommy for him to take with him on his first day of school. And, you know what dear readers? Aila Malik sent me a copy to give away to one of you! All you have to do is follow these simple steps:

To enter just use the entry form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
This giveaway will run through August 29 2014 and is open to GoatNotes readers and Fans of CutOut Studio worldwide.  The winner will be randomly chosen and announced here shortly after. 

Thanks again to Aila and Zayan for giving GoatNotes readers the chance to win this amazing book!  Good luck!

You can purchase your own copy of Aila's book from Amazon. Just follow the link below. Please note I am an Amazon affiliate and will make a small commission off of your purchase.

Camping with Kids & Book Giveaway

It's been almost two years since I have been camping...and I love camping, so why the absence of a good camp excursion in my life? Well, it all has to do with the addition of a certain little fellow who came into my life two years ago.

Ever since my son was born my husband and I just could not fathom giving up a single night of sleep that had the potential of being almost solid (it took our son forever to sleep through the night...wait he still doesn't!). So, the idea of trying to get our child to sleep outdoors for any extended period of time, and thus losing more sleep in the process, just didn't appeal to us. So, we opted for long day hikes instead of overnight trips.

OK, so fast forward to right now. It's May, and almost Memorial Day Weekend, which in my book is the  unofficial official start to summer, and that hint of summer has made my mind all bonkers thinking about the good'ol days when the stars were my night lights and a camp fire was all I needed to make my morning cup of tea.

Fortunately, just as I was biting my nails to nubs trying to decide whether or not to schedule a camping trip for this summer, a book arrived in the mail that put all my parental worries at ease. Shambahla Publications sent me Helen Olsson's The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids.

 I read Olsson's book, and it was like she was reading my mind! The book's design  is clean with a retro-hip flair. Olsson breaks down the whole process of camping from start to finish. Including information and checklists to consider before scheduling, in preparation for and while on the camping trip. She even has a quick reference "park ranger" character who intervenes throughout the book with useful tips and tricks to consider. My favorite feature of the book are the checklists. Olsson includes checklists for what to pack, gear to bring, and the most useful of all a complete first aid kit checklist. I appreciate the wit she delivers along with her wisdom of how to successfully and easily  travel to the woods with kids. She put my worries at ease, and I am now in the process of planning that long awaited camping trip.

In celebration of my taking the first steps to get back into the groove of camping I have two copies of Helen Olsson's book, The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids to giveaway to two lucky readers! You ave until Friday June 1st to enter. Please leave a comment in the comments section of this post, sharing one thing  you love to do outdoors in the summer.


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