Coquette Maman

Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration! Week 3 Giveaway

Welcome to week 3 of the Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration! Here are the winners from last week's Ivy and Bean Week 2 giveaway. Congratulations to Rachel from New York for winning Ivy and Bean: And the Ghost that Had to Go (Book 2) as well as a set of mini notes. Meganne from Marshfield, MA and Vanessa from Ontario, Canada have also each won a set of the Ivy and Bean Mini Notes.

The Ivy and Bean series of children's books by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall (published by Chronicle Books) cover the enduring and hilarious friendship between two seemingily opposite personalities. Ivy and Bean are very different and it's because of their differences, they become best friends.

This October 13th, we will celebrate the 1st Annual Ivy and Bean Day along with the launch of the 9th Ivy and Bean book in this NY Times bestselling series: Ivy and Bean Make the Rules.

Coquette Maman is so happy to be a part of the select group of bloggers here to help celebrate everything Ivy and Bean! Every week until October 13th, I'll be giving away 1 book in the series as well as 3 Ivy and Bean Mini Notes.

Grand Prize

For Week 9, a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from all of the previous winners and will receive:

• A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows
• 1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls
• 1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory
• 1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows
• Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz
• Set of Ivy and Bean stickers
• AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!)

Let's get going with the Ivy and Bean Week 3 Giveaway on Coquette Maman!

Ivy and Bean Giveaway: Week 3
1 winner will receive Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record (Book 3) + Ivy and Bean Mini Notes
2 winners will each recieve an Ivy and Bean Mini Notes

Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record (Book 3)
World record fever grips the second grade, and soon Ivy and Bean are trying to set their own record by becoming the youngest people to have ever discovered a dinosaur. But how hard is it to find one.

To enter the Ivy and Bean Week 3 Giveaway, just leave a comment to this post below. All entries will close on Friday, August 31st at Noon PST.

Note 8/31: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Here are the other participating blogs in the Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration:

Media Darlings
There's A Book
Kid Lit Frenzy
In the Pages
The O.W.L.
Ruth Ayres Writes
Watch. Connect. Read.
One Page to the Next
Van Meter Library Voice
The Family That Reads Together
Roundtable Reviews for Kids
Sharpread
The Children's Book Review

Honey Maid Grahamfuls - Perfect Snack on the Go

I'm not one to blog about food products but having a little one who's particularly picky with snacks makes me love these new Honey Maid Grahamfuls even more. Graham crackers are already a favorite of Chloe's and don't get me started on peanut butter. The little girl is obsessed. I used to actually carry little peanut butter containers with me and crackers for long car trips or day trips. Now it's easier than ever for me to carry a quick snack for Chloe with these individually wrapped crackers that are packaged with a little cardboard too so they don't break. Another plus is that they fit easily into my handbag too.

There are three flavors of Honey Maid Grahamfuls to choose from: peanut butter and chocolate, peanut butter, and banana vanilla. I like that it's made from 100% whole grain with no high fructose corn syrup and no artificial flavors.

I am excited I've found the perfect snack for her to eat in the car on the drive back home from school. One less thing for me to worry about when school starts next week!

Note: Grahamfuls product samples were provided by Kraft Foods for this review.

Bernat Baby Month: Modern Knitting & Crochet Patterns for the Stylish Baby

When I first started knitting around 12 years ago, one of the things I loved to knit was baby projects. I thought of them as great gifts but that they were very small and fast projects I could use to practice knitting, learn new stitches, and try out different kinds of yarn. It's fun to think back on all the baby gifts I knit for my friend's babies. These were the days way before Ravelry so I never thought to take pictures of all my completed projects. It has been even more special these last few years to knit projects for my little girl and show her now the things I've made for her when she was just a baby.

Bernat yarns celebrates all things baby this month with some new stylish knit fashions for babies and toddlers. From knit leg warmer to crochet cardigans, little ones will be oh so cute, while you get to practice your knit and purl stitches or double crochet.

One tip: if you are just starting out, don't try and tackle a large baby blanket. As easy as it is with it's simple garter stitch, it will be tedious. I have seen many a newbie knitter get discouraged because it shows uneven knitting more clearly and they aren't sure how to fix mistakes and have gotten to far down the road to "start over". Baby blankets are fun to knit but wait until you have at least a few knitting projects under your belt first.

Personally, I like starting small with socks or a hat because they are instant gratification pieces and will allow you no pressure time to finish. These knit socks pictured above are fun to knit with the added touch false intarsia. This yarn does the color change for you and will make you look like a knitting pro when you give these bagy socks as gifts. The pattern features Bernat Baby Jacquards Yarn (acrylic, machine wash and dry).

For this month only, shop online and buy 4 balls of yarn and get 1 free with the promo code: BERNATBABY. (Promo expires August 31, 2012)

Here are more of my favorite knitting and crochet patterns for Bernat Baby Month that super stylish and are fast to make. Sign up on the Bernat site for access to all of these free patterns.

Baby Jacquards Baby Legwarmers (knit)
Yarn: Baby Jacquard

Kitty Hat (coming soon)
Yarn: Cottontots

Helmet Hat (coming soon)
Yarn: Softee Baby

Softee Baby Top Down Cardigan (knit)
Yarn: Softee Baby

Giggles Flutter Sleeve Vest (crochet)
Yarn: Giggles

View more Bernat baby patterns online at Bernat.com and visit the Bernat Blog.

Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration! Week 2 Giveaway

Welcome to week 2 of the Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration! First off, the winners from last week's Ivy and Bean Week 1 giveaway are in. Congratulations to Bee from Somerville, MA for winning the first book in the Ivy and Bean series as well as a set of mini notes. Jamilee from Coralville, IA and Heidi from Logan, UT have also each won a set of the Ivy and Bean Mini Notes.

The Ivy and Bean series of children's books by Annie Barrows and illustrated by Sophie Blackall (published by Chronicle Books) cover the enduring and hilarious friendship between two seemingily opposite personalities. Ivy and Bean are very different and it's because of their differences, they become best friends.

This October 13th, we will celebrate the 1st Annual Ivy and Bean Day along with the launch of the 9th Ivy and Bean book in this NY Times bestselling series: Ivy and Bean Make the Rules.

Coquette Maman is so happy to be a part of the select group of bloggers here to help celebrate everything Ivy and Bean! Every week until October 13th, I'll be giving away 1 book in the series as well as 3 Ivy and Bean Mini Notes.

Grand Prize

For Week 9, a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from all of the previous winners and will receive:

• A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows
• 1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls
• 1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory
• 1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows
• Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz
• Set of Ivy and Bean stickers
• AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!)

Let's get going with the Ivy and Bean Week 2 Giveaway on Coquette Maman!

Ivy and Bean Giveaway: Week 2
1 winner will receive Ivy and Bean: And the Ghost that Had to Go (Book 2) + Ivy and Bean Mini Notes
2 winners will each recieve an Ivy and Bean Mini Notes

Ivy and Bean and the Ghost that Had to Go (Book 2)
Now that Ivy and Bean are friends, they do gymnastics club together, sit together in Ms. Aruba-Tate's second grade, and tell each other their darkest secrets. And when Ivy discovers a ghost in the school bathroom, it will take both girls' courage and imagination to make it go away. Another entertaining installment in this series about two mischievous, funny, clever girls.

To enter the Ivy and Bean Week 2 Giveaway, just leave a comment below to this post. All entries will close on Friday, August 24th at Noon PST.

Note 8/24: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered!

Here are the other participating blogs in the Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration:

Media Darlings
There's A Book
Kid Lit Frenzy
In the Pages
The O.W.L.
Ruth Ayres Writes
Watch. Connect. Read.
One Page to the Next
Van Meter Library Voice
The Family That Reads Together
Roundtable Reviews for Kids
Sharpread
The Children's Book Review

Ivy and Bean Blog-A-Bration! Week 1: Book 1 Giveaway + Grand Prize Giveaway Info

The Ivy and Bean series of children's books by Annie Barrows (published by Chronicle Books) cover the enduring and hilarious friendship between two seemingily opposite personalities. Ivy and Bean are very different and it's because of their differences, they become best friends.

From author Annie Barrows' site:

Bean is loud and wild and goofy. She loves to be involved in games and poke her nose in other people’s business. Ivy is quiet and full of ideas. She spends most of her time learning how to be a witch. Each girl thinks the other one is weird. Each girl thinks she could never be friends with the other.

Barrows, along with illustrator Sophie Blackall have continued the girls' friendship over a span of 9 books over the last 6 years. This October 13th, we will celebrate the 1st Annual Ivy and Bean Day along with the launch of the 9th Ivy and Bean book in this NY Times bestselling series: Ivy and Bean Make the Rules.

Coquette Maman is so happy to be a part of the select group of bloggers here to help celebrate everything Ivy and Bean! Every week for the next 9 weeks, I'll be giving away 1 book in the series as well as 3 Ivy and Bean Mini Notes.

Grand Prize

For Week 9, a Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from all of the previous winners and will receive:

• A complete set of Ivy and Bean hardcover books signed by Annie Barrows


• 1 set of Ivy and Bean Paper Dolls


• 1 Ivy and Bean Button Factory


• 1 Ivy and Bean READ Poster signed by Annie Barrows


• Set of Ivy and Bean Silly Bandz


• Set of Ivy and Bean stickers


• AND – a super-secret really cool prize we’re working on (stay tuned!)

Let's get going with the Week 1 Giveaway on Coquette Maman!

Ivy and Bean Giveaway: Week 1
1 winner will receive Ivy and Bean Book 1 + Ivy and Bean Mini Notes
2 winners will each recieve an Ivy and Bean Mini Notes

Book 1: Ivy and Bean
Both girls were sure they would never like each other, but when Bean finds herself in a pickle, Ivy helps out with a magical spell. The results are glorious: Bean’s sister Nancy loses her mind, and Ivy and Bean become forever friends.

To enter the Ivy and Bean Week 1 Giveaway, just leave a comment to this post. All entries will close on Friday, August 17th at Noon PST.

Note 8/17/2012: This giveaway is now closed. Please come back on Monday for the winners as well as a chance to enter the Ivy and Bean Week 2 giveaway!

Book Review: Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack

Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack ($12.98 on Amazon), published by Chronicle Books is probably one of the easiest stories to read to your child. The fun lies in the "acting" you can do while your child engages in the adorable visual imagery. I always get Chloe laughing uncontrollably when I get to the part where the mouse freaks out and yells "Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad News!" Then I imitate the crying bunny.

I love that the message of the book is about friendship and in the end, the little mouse and bunny BFFs enjoy their picnic after all. You can watch the trailer to experience the book below.

Download the Good News, Bad News Activity PDF which includes this matching game.

Maternity Style: Stephanie from All about Ami

My crafter friend Stephanie from All About Ami is pregnant and shares her clever maternity fashion style on her blog. I love how she matches separates and uses layers, color, and crochet sweaters to bring in a fabulous touch. She does all of this in budget with finds from H&M, Old Navy, and more. I love that she continues to accessorize with belts, a skinny one in some of her outfits and does a great job accessorizing with jewelry.

See more of Stephanie's maternity fashions on All About Ami!