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Stop by my blog, A Mama’s Rant and enter my Get your toddler to sleep with a little help from Johnson’s contest. I’m giving away $50 worth of Johnson’s baby products!

While setting up the contest, I learned that a leading sleep expert, Dr. Jodi A. Mindell, recommends that you use Johnson’s bedtime products (bath wash and lotion) followed by quiet activities like reading books is the best way get your child to go to sleep. You may also want to try some sleep-inducing snacks.

Here are some sleepy time book recommendations from a few of my favorite publishers.

Kane/Miller Book Publishers

Sophie’s Big Bed by Tina Burke. Even though she’s been sleeping in a big girl bed for years, my daughter really enjoyed this book. If you’re trying to transition your child from crib to bed, this is a wonderful book to read together. Also available in Spanish. (Baby/Preschool)

I Don’t Want to Go to Bed by Tony Ross. Why do I have to go to bed when I’m not tired and get up when I am? asked the Little Princess. Why indeed? Because the King and Queen know best, that’s why. Never mind about spiders and monsters, never mind another glass of water, it’s time to go to bed! But when the Little Princess finally goes and the King comes in to kiss her goodnight…she’s gone! Baby/Preschool.

Marc Just Couldn’t Sleep by Gabriela Keselman and illustrated by Noemi Villamuza. It’s bedtime, but Marc just can’t sleep. He’s scared. He’s worried. Mom to the rescue! One of the first things you learn as a parent is you can’t force anyone, particularly your own child, to fall asleep. If they just can’t sleep, they just can’t sleep. Marc’s resourceful and resilient mom know this, but, like the rest of us, tries anyway. Ages 4 to 8.

The Nights Of The World by Corinne Albaut and illustrated by Arno. Everyone closes their eyes the same way, but then what? An original way in which to discover other places and people and to learn about similarities and differences. Read about five children from five different regions of the world and learn how each child sleeps. Ages 4 to 8.

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Congratulations to Tasha at the Life of the Riley’s blog. She won the holiday gift basket of children’s books. As a mother of two handsome young boys, I’m sure she’ll put them to good use.

Also, I want to thank everyone for entering and participating in my contest. I had over 70 entries, which makes it my most successful contest ever! I’m sure the publisher, Little, Brown and Company, will be thrilled.

They’ll be offering me more goodies to give away in the spring. So stay in touch!

I got this recipe from Tears’n'Tantrums and I had to share. I’ll be using this for the holiday bake sale at my children’s school. The nice thing about fudge is that it’s hard to screw up, though I’ve managed to do so with the pumpkin pie fudge I made at Thanksgiving. This recipe is much better - lots more detail about how long to boil it, etc.

The nice thing about fudge is that it keeps and travels well. And if you leave the nuts out of it, almost anyone can eat it.

Eggnog Fudge

Ingredients:

1. 1/8 cup butter, chilled
2. 3 cups sugar
3. 1 cup eggnog
4. 6 ounces white chocolate chips
5. 1 1/2 cup mini-marshmallows
6. 1 cup almonds, chopped (or other nut)
7. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
8. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Line a 9 x 9-inch cake pan with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Spray the sides of a large saucepan with butter-flavor non-stick spray.
3. Add the eggnog and sugar, and bring to a rolling boil over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for two full minutes.
4. Fold in the marshmallows, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring back to a rolling boil for another 6 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. The mixture will start to turn brown, which is normal, but if you see brown flakes in the mixture then turn down the heat a little.
6. Remove from heat and add the butter, chips, and nuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed or until the mixture starts to lose its glossy appearance. Pour into prepared pan.
7. Cool at room temperature. Remove from pan, remove foil, cut into 1-inch squares.

While you’re waiting for the fudge to cool, stop by my Win a Holiday Gift Basket of Children’s Books contest. You have until December 12 at midnight to enter!

Little, Brown and Company have given me a basket of books to give away to one of my lucky readers. This would make an amazing holiday gift for a young child or you could break it up to give to several children. Or maybe you’d like to give the books to your favorite elementary and preschool teachers for their classroom libraries. Or you could donate some to your local or school library, too.

Here’s what you could win

We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families by Todd Parr (ages 3-6)
A book about adoption that I reviewed previously. If you don’t know any families that have adopted children or are planning to adopt, you may want to give this to your school’s counselor or maybe a preschool teacher.

Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell (ages 3-6)
Jules the kitten knows that hugs can make the world a better place. So he makes a “Hug To-Do List”—with the endangered species at the top—and travels the globe to show all of the animals that someone cares. From Africa to the North Pole to his own back yard, Jules proves a hug is the simplest—but kindest—gift we can give. With its gently environmental theme, this joyous story about sharing love is an ideal gift year-round.

Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! By Ed Emberley (ages 3-6)
Here comes Big Bad Bullybug! He’s big, mean, and scary–and loves to pick on little itty bitty bugs! With the turn of each page, Bullybug grows bigger, meaner, and scarier! But it’s the itty bitty bugs who get the last laugh in this exciting, new, frighteningly-fun adventure!
This book helps children face, and then chase away, their fears.

The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder by Peter Brown (ages 3-6)
When Chowder goes off to the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp, as usual he just doesn’t fit in. Chowder tries his best, but his attempts to make himself more fabulous all fall flat. When the First Annual Fabu Pooch Pageant is announced, Chowder anxiously tries to think of a way to stand out. After all, the prize is a one-year supply of Snarf Snacks! Some pups practice their pearly grins, other hounds get massages to relax. One pooch even gets permed! But Chowder finds his calling when he discovers a trampoline. He leaps, he flips, he bounces, and he wows the crowd!

Look-Alikes Around the World by Joan Steiner (all ages)
Take an eye-opening trip around the world! Using everyday objects in ingenious ways, artist Joan Steiner has created three-dimensional scenes of more than 40 famous landmarks and familiar vacation locales — from the shores of Cape Cod and chateaux across Europe to the Egyptian pyramids and the magestic Taj Mahal. Complete with photographs of the actual sites, fascinating facts, and more than 500 look-alikes to search for, this unique postcard album will challenge and captivate puzzlers of all ages.

Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow by Holly Hobbie (ages 3-6)
How do you find the best Christmas present ever for your best friend in the whole wide world? That’s what Toot is trying to find out, and Puddle is having just as much trouble. With a nod to previous books in the Toot & Puddle series Holly Hobbie, shows readers that the best kind of present for the best kind of friend is one that shows just how much you care.

Little Red Riding Hood by Jerry Pinkney (ages 3-6)
Dating back to 17th century France, the story of the big bad wolf who impersonates Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother has delighted kids through the years all over the world. Now, award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney revives the classic tale with the unique multicultural sensibility that is a trademark of his art. The happy ending and cozy illustrations will warm the hearts of children and parents who read this charming new version of a timeless tale by one of the most acclaimed and beloved children’s illustrators for two generations.

The Cranium Ultimate Book of Fantastic Fun & Games: Share the Fun with Family and Friends (ages 6 & up)
It’s time to gather your family and friends together for some seriously fantastic fun! You’ll act, sculpt, guess, draw, and laugh your way through every page of this rewritable book that’s packed with games and activities you can play again and again. Turn your dining room into a game show with Wheel of Words! Move and groove around the house as you throw your own Dance Party! Sculpt a new ‘do (or two!) with Hairdo Hilarity! With dozens of fun activities, the fantastic fun time is endless!

Love Bug (Snuggle-Me Stories) and Butterfly Kisses (Snuggle-Me Stories) by Sandra Magsamen (ages 0-3)
Snuggle-Me Stories is an irresistable new board book series from Sandra Magsamen, featuring an adorable plush finger puppet. In Love Bug, babies and loved ones will read and play along with the sweet rhyming story, which delivers heartfelt sentiments of love. In Butterfly Kisses, babies and loved ones will read and play along with the sweet rhyming story, which delivers heartfelt sentiments of love. The colorful butterfly finger puppets are securely attached to the board book, and sure to provide hours of giggly fun.

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The folks at Special Ops Media sent me a copy of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales - Follow Your Dreams to give away to my readers!

I’m holding the contest at my mommy blog, A Mama’s Rant. You can read my family’s review here.

It’s easy to win - all you need to do is blog about my contest or leave your name and email address over at A Mama’s Rant. Click here to see the contest rules.