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Lobster Press is holding a snack contest to promote their book, YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition. This would be a great summer project to do indoors when it’s too hot outside to play. To enter just click here to email them your ultimate healthy “YUM SUMMER SNACK” idea for the chance to win a free copy of YUM and four other Lobster Press books of your choice!

You’ll need to include your name, age, and mailing address along with the description of your healthy snack. Include any special ingredients and preparation instructions, too. Also, you’ll need to tell the folks at Lobster Press why your snack rules!

The winning “YUM SUMMER SNACK” idea will be posted on the Lobster Press website and on the Lobster Press Blog.

Also, children will need their parents’ permission before submitting their entry! Contest is open to Canadian and U.S. residents up to age 18. No purchase required. One grand prize winner will be drawn at random from all entries received and contacted by email to chose the books in their prize pack. Limit one entry per person.

Please email Lobster Press if you have any questions.

More from Lobster Press

• Click here for some sample recipes from the book. (It’s a PDF file, so you’ll need Adobe Reader to view.)
• Read a review of YUM: Your Ultimate Manual for Good Nutrition on the Lobster Press blog - Feature: Delicious Summers with Healthy Meals.
• Summer Reading Suggestions from Lobster Press

Recently I posted a product review of Horizon Organic’s new DHA Omega-3 milk. Docosahexaenoic Acid, or DHA, is a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that has been studied for its role in heart, brain and eye health. In kids, DHA helps support development of the brain, nervous system and the retina of the eye.

As part of Brain Awareness Week/Month I’m giving away 3 Horizon Organic coupons good for any ONE FREE Horizon’s product up to $4.99 (excluding gallon milk and 16 oz. butter) in value.

To Enter:

1. Leave your name, email address, and blog address (if you have one) in the comments below.
2. You must be willing to send me your full name and address so I can mail you the coupon. I will not share your personal info with the public. However, if you do have a blog, I will link back to it when I announce the winners.
3. You have until midnight MT on March 27, 2008 to enter.
4. This contest is limited to the continental U.S.
5. I’m also offering having this contest at This Mama Cooks! On a Diet. Feel free to enter there as well. One entry on each of my blogs is allowed.
6. The coupon cannot be used in CO, MA, MO or ND, so don’t enter if you live in those states.
7. I will announce the winners on March 28, 2008 and mail out the coupons via USPS by the following week.

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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!

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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