This series is brought to you by Levi's® Curve ID. Find your custom fit at Levi's® stores or Levi.com.

For all I talk about taking full advantage of my work-at-home status to dress like an utter slob every day, I must insist that there's great virtue in my commitment to always, always, always wear pants (or a skirt, although that's rarer) when I leave the house. On a typical weekday, the only place I show my face is daycare for a five-minute pickup and five-minute drop-off, and although I can't imagine any of the other parents snubbing me if I happened to wear yoga pants now and then, I know for sure that *I* have to maintain that one boundary for myself lest this train completely derail and I find myself one afternoon parading through downtown San Francisco in my bathrobe with no inkling that something may be amiss.

When we're getting ready in the morning, I joke to Wombat that I'm all ready to go when I'm still in my p.j.s and slippers. His verbatim assessment of my outfit usually starts, "Here's what's wrong with you, Mom..." and he details my transgressions from head to toe, always including any pants that aren't jeans. Because I wear jeans every day. EVERY DAY. For daycare drop-off I grab whatever pair is closest and throw on a jacket to cover up the T-shirt I slept in. If I need to run to the store later, all I have to do is pick out a more stylish top and some non-fuzzy footwear. On the weekends I wear jeans with a top half more thoughtfully put together--maybe layers, at least one piece of jewelry, definitely with my hair and makeup done--and even at night jeans are perfect for going out, since a top with some shine or sparkle plus heels or nice boots can dress up the same pair of pants I wore that day to the zoo or the grocery store or my home office (aka the kitchen table).

Here are the top three ways I wear my jeans, presented completely out of context in my backyard for no particular reason:

1. Working from home: T-shirt, sweater, comfy shoes, ponytail high enough that my bangs rooster-tail out the top, and jeans.

2. Going anywhere there might be strangers (shopping, the bank, my work-outside-the-home office, lunch with friends): shirt that requires ironing, shoes that require fastening, hair that requires doing, fun jewelry, and jeans.

3. Casual weekending (park, zoo, picnic, etc.): layers on top for iffy weather, cute shoes because when else am I going to wear them, 5-minute hair plus ponytail bands for bracelets, and jeans. (And a Clever Girls Collective reusable shopping bag!)

There is nothing in my wardrobe as important as everything, everywhere, everday jeans.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Remember when the tap of a magic wand made me an honorary AT&T Phone Fairy for the holidays? Well, apparently I looked good enough in the wings and tutu that they're letting me give away another touch-screen smartphone to one lucky reader. We're timing this for Valentine's Day because nothing says "I love you" like something shiny you get for free.

I was given my own Samsung Focus S plus a month of service to see how I like it. Here's what I think:

• It has two cameras. TWO CAMERAS. The front-facing one is a modest 1.3 megapixels, but the rear-facer is a smashing 8.0. For all I know, this is standard issue these days, but to me it's like living in the future. I just checked the driveway for my flying car.
• The earbuds work as an antenna so you can listen to the radio. I...how is that even possible? This is my favorite feature, in part because I haven't loaded music onto a phone or iPod in probably seven years.

• The Speech program lets you do things like text and search the web hands-free, using voice commands. You can have it read an incoming text and then dictate a reply. (Is the human race in danger of becoming overtaken by computers? I'm starting to worry, but worry has never been so fun.)
• This phone is a mighty-mighty featherweight; when I took it out of the box I couldn't believe how thin and light it was. When I realized it didn't have the battery in yet, I figured I'd been duped, but no, the battery weighs about as much as a quarter. The whole phone is under 4 oz.; my half-baked fetus weighs almost twice that.
• The Samsung Focus S is a top-of-the-line Windows phone, but...it's a Windows phone. I'm not crazy about the interface (is that what it's called? how the stuff on the screen works and is organized?), but that's such a personal thing it's hard to judge objectively. (For instance, I HAAAAATE Gmail and you probably love it. Different strokes.)
• The good news is that it comes standard with the 7.5 Mango OS, which is preloaded with essentials like Twitter and other cool stuff like photo tagging and smart maps and a to-do list app.
• It's a 4G, which as far as I understand means it's supah-fast (to use the technical term).

Does this sound like the phone for you? To win one (phone only; you have to buy your own service plan), leave a comment below at some point between right this second and Monday morning (February 13) at 9 a.m. Pacific. One entry per person, please. Random.org will help me choose the winner, and my AT&T Phone Fairy mentor Liz will send the prize out lickety-split.

For fun, here's a Valentine's Day comment prompt: If you won a Samsung Focus S, who's the first person you'd call (or text or @ or tag) to say "I love you"?

[Aaaaaaand of course comments are being screwy when I'm trying to hold a contest. Rest assured I'm getting your comments via email, even though they're not showing up here! Argh.]

(Like I said, AT&T gave me a phone and a month of free service but I have received no additional compensation or instructions about what to post and when and how and why. We just want to spread the love and give away some phones!)

Last year at BlogHer I was complaining aloud about how crappy it was to not be connected (I had an ancient (2007?) iPod Touch, but the convention center's wifi was always jammed), and when the ever lovely Jenny Lauck overheard me whinging, she said I should tweet with the hashtag #ATTPhoneFairy and the fairy herself would give me a new phone, poof, just like that. Rumor had it the Phone Fairy (whose real name is Liz) was there to help people with broken, lost, and pathetic phones, so I tweeted at her which brand of misérable I was, met up with her over a S'mores making station (as one does), and poof, I had a new phone, just like that.

I got the HP Veer in white, which, in addition to performing scores of impressive maneuvers, like CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET, it's also tiny and adorable. Look:

(Wallpaper is my feet in the BlogHer hotel bed.)

I've used it since August to surf and tweet and photograph and text, and oh, I love it so much I was honestly a little reluctant to trade up when the AT&T Phone Fairy contacted me last week and asked if I'd like to take the Impulse 4G (Android) for a spin and then give one away to a reader(!).

(Wallpaper is cream puffs, of course.)

Do you want one of those? Do you need one of those? If you're not sure, let me tell you a little bit about it:

--It runs the Android 2.2 platform (is it called a platform?), so it has tons and tons of apps. Words with Friends, GPS nav, built-in widgets for Twitter and YouTube, etc., etc., and even Instagram is coming soon.

--It has a nifty touch screen, which I didn't think was such a big deal until I actually used one on a regular basis.

--The camera shoots at 5.0 megapixels (that's nearly as good as the $1,800 digital SLR I shot with for six years), it has a flash (I didn't know any cell phones had camera flashes), and it records video on HD. Killer.

It does a million other cool tricks too, but I hardly know what's a super-amazing feature and what's just standard these days among smartphones becaus I'm kind of a cavewoman when it comes to this stuff. When I told the phone what my Gmail address was (this cavewoman only started using Gmail this year), for instance, it automatically imported all my contacts into the phone address book, and I...is that...normal? I thought it was a miracle of science and/or wizardry and almost worried that perhaps I was holding a demon in my hand.

Okay, so I'm easily impressed and don't have a lot of high-falutin' needs and standards when it comes to personal technology, but that doesn't mean this phone isn't teh awesome from a more sophisticated point of view. Either way, I love it and want to give you one. Of your own. Not mine. I'm sleeping with mine clutched to my chest like a beloved toy. Which it is. Miiiiiiine.

Let's not fuss around and draw this out any longer. If you'd like to win an Impulse 4G from me, your official Honorary AT&T Phone Fairy, leave a comment telling me why you'd like it (or why you need it), and next Monday, December 19, at midnight PST, Random.org will help me pick a winner.

I'm so excited I get to do this. Thanks, AT&T and Phone Fairy Liz! Good luck, friends!

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

***

Desserts are awesome and drinks are awesome, and desserts and drinks at the same time make for a party in my tummy whether I'm out at a fancy holiday soiree, at home hosting a casual get-together, or just sitting alone in my jammies watching Love Actually for the fiftieth time.

Simon and I keep a stocked bar and love trying new cocktail recipes, but this year we're trending a little simpler and more straight-forward with our beverages, not because either of us has lost the passion for mixing and drinking but mostly because I'm pregnant and can neither responsibly ingest a cocktail nor convincingly muster the energy needed to shake or stir one for anyone else.

Desserts? Same thing: I'm a huge fan of the box mix at any time of year and in any condition, and there's no shame in buying pre-made desserts, most especially when the entire month is hectic and you have better things to do because you are popular and super-important or maybe just tired. For real, if you're indulging yourself with drinks and desserts, why not also indulge your need to take a nap instead of roll from-scratch pie crust until your forearms cramp?

Today, for you, I have gathered my strength and done a little internet hostessing. Please to be enjoying one or more of these delicious dessert and drink pairings, carefully hand-selected for your festive holiday enjoyment. Warning: There's no art or science to this list the way there might be if we were planning what wines to have with each course of our formal feast up at the chateau (and/or if I knew what I was talking about besides wine tasting "sorta grapey"). This is just a simple list of things this simple girl thinks go well together, with a special emphasis on holiday/winter flavors and options for the non-drinkers, children, and pregnant ladies in your lives. We're people too!

Hot chocolate and jam thumbprint cookies.
Fun to make and fun to eat!

Hot toddies and gingersnaps.
Use a real cinnamon stick in the drink, and get the gingersnaps that have chunks of real ginger in them.

Port and fudge.
Oh fuuuuuuuuudge.

Mulled cider and shortbread cookies.
A quick dunk makes the cookies melt in your mouth.

Dark chocolate and voignier.
I like chocolate with chilis in it, so the spice contrasts with the sweet wine.

Peppermint tea and brownies.
Chocolate and mint. Can't go wrong.

Champagne and...more champagne.
See you in 2012, lover.

Milk and over-decorated sugar cookies for Santa.
The more frosting and sprinkles the better.

The one thing I haven't figured out yet is what to pair with Martinelli's sparkling apple cider, which, I don't care what anyone says, is NO SUBSTITUTE FOR CHAMPAGNE but is still delicious in its own right. (I may have had some with breakfast this morning.)

Growing up in Utah, Martinelli's was on hand at many a celebration (if you want a laugh, imagine me pounding it from a URC at a college party), and perhaps that explains why I come up short when I try to think of a good dessert pairing. I try to come up with something and the engine in my brain turns over once, twice, and then sputters out: Pillow mints? Supermarket éclairs? Jell-o?

We bought a case.

Help a girl out? What in the world pairs with Martinelli's that tastes good (besides cereal)?

***

Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Thanks to L'Oreal for sponsoring my post about my favorite beauty looks, tips and tricks! Check out Makeup.com for beauty advice from the experts.

When it comes to makeup, I'm a minimalist and a naturalist. I generally wear just enough to look put-together and awake, and I use a quick and light hand to apply the few products I love. But oh, I've always wanted to try a dark, dramatic, dangerous smoky eye.

Problem: I have squinty little peepers that practically disappear when I wear too much makeup. I also fail to "prep my canvas" properly (see: lazy), so whenever I do take the leap and go heavy on mascara or eyeliner or even eye shadow, by the end of the day it's all slid around and I come out the other end looking like a panda who's been up for seventy-two hours. I'm quite fond of pandas for various reasons, but I do not particularly want to look like one.

Due to these factors alone, the smoky eye is clearly not for me, but...but...I want it. So I have squinty little eyes! So does Taylor Swift, and she rocks eyeliner like she sprang forth fully formed the the forehead of its creator. The way I see it, if I can't look or perform or make gajillions of dollar like Taylor Swift does (and let's face it, it ain't gonna happen), at the very least I should be able muster up her confidence and not be afraid to spackle on the eyeliner and shadow and mascara and magical millionaire pixie dust, squinty little eyes and all.

We have three fancy-dress holiday parties coming up, and if this works I'll be a woman transformed.

Before:

During:

(I feel like it's probably bad for my crows feet to pull the skin like that, but as someone who wears eyeliner less frequently than most hippies bathe, I can only claim lack of practice.)

A moment of silence for Lisa Left Eye Lopes:

You guys, it took SO LONG. I got tired and cranky and would have taken a nap if I weren't also watching Wombat in the bath at the time.

In you've ever wondered, no, I'm not a person who opens her mouth while applying mascara. What IS that?

I'm also not a person who ever skips mascara. See how light my lashes are?

I don't usually apply makeup the same way I put on pants--one side at a time--but I did it special for you just this once.

Simon's take: It looked ridiculous and terrible when I'd only done one eye...

Yes, this is why normal people don't do that.

...but it was actually pretty smokin' all finished up and put together.

I pulled my hair up and put on a fancy shirt and pearls to make it look as though I'd be stepping out into the night instead of stepping out into the hall and then the living room to watch the ANTM finale under a Snuggie.

And that's it! Not much to say about details: I used a pretty conservative palette--dark gray liner, silver shadow with some plum accents swept on top, and black mascara--nothing too imaginative and out-there, and certainly not the most dramatic look ever (although it felt like a lot more in person than it does in the photos), but it was definitely enough of a change for me that it felt exciting and daring without being flat-out craaaazy.

Bette Davis eyes, INDEED.

I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. Click here to learn more about Makeup.com or become a Facebook fan by clicking here.

Calling all slackers! Calling all procrastinators, all lazybones(es), all head-in-the-sandies and revelers in bustle-season denial! I just ordered my holiday cards from Shutterfly last night, and I have three sets of 25 free cards to give away to three of you who maybe haven't even started thinking about holiday cards yet, or at least until right this second. (Time to get, cracking, folks.)

We used Shutterfly for last year's cards and love-love-loved them, so I was excited to be able to work with the company again this year, when the selection of holiday cards is just as great and the designs are, dare I say, even better.

I adore these retro styles to bits and pieces:

Why Hello

Big Cheers

Wishing You

I'm ever a fan of nondenominational cards that wish everyone peace and joy and love and all that sappy heal-the-world stuff:

Such Good Cheer

Joy in Lights

And then there's just good, solid modern design (at least to this non-designer's eye):

Wishing Love

(Am I the only one who falls a little bit in love with some of the families featured on the cards? Yes? No? Only creepimental persons such as myself?)

There's truly something for everyone, and probably multiples of somethings (don't forget Shutterfly is also a great source for photo calendars and other gifts), meaning you really do need to start narrowing down your choices now, even if you're shopping for New Years cards. (And if you are, please accept my hearty congratulations for being both wise and ahead of schedule.)

And now that I have your attention, do you want to win 25 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Leave me a comment with a link to [one of] your favorite design[s], and on Friday, December 9, I'll pick three winners.

Good luck and happy deciding!

This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night's sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.

When I sat down to write this post about holiday comforts, I realized that a lot of the things I love about this season aren't exactly comforting, per se. I like opening presents on Christmas Eve and morning, but oh, the mess. I like taking time off to see our out-of-state families, but holiday travel is, even at best, kind of an MGM technicolor nightmare. I enjoy skiing and sledding and ice skating and advanced snowman construction, but my frozen toe-cicles beg to differ after about half and hour.

So what are my true holiday comforts? A roaring fireplace. A pair of mittens that were made by my mother. [Major gold stars if you know where that's from.] Putting on flannel p.j.s and watching a Christmas movie for the twentieth time. Cookies.

COOOOOOOOKIES.

You know by now that I'm a "challenged" cook, but I'm not such a bad baker, and one of my holiday specialties is cookies--one particular type of cookie, to be precise. The joy of these cookies is not just in the consuming but in the making, and that's why they're one of my very favorite parts of the holiday season. They remind me of my mom, and they remind me of being on my own for the first time and realizing I could re-create a little bit of home by baking these cookies when the weather turned cold. They remind me of the time I made them for my first company holiday party and they sat untouched the whole night because, oh yeah, they're not the prettiest confections, and in fact might be as unattractive as they are wonderful (Riddle: "How are pumpkin cookies like my favorite pair of p.j. pants?") but that even though I was a little embarrassed by the outcome, it also meant I got to take the cookies home and eat them all myself.

These cookies are special. Very special. They're extra special because I only make them during the holidays, and they're extra extra special because they're 100 percent easy-peasy and 100 percent not at all stressful. They're a little bit messy, but the mess is part of the fun, and even if you get the raw batter all over your fingers and face and kitchen, it's perfectly safe to lick clean--even if you're pregnant--without garnering the Salmonella Stare of Death from your sweet but overprotective husband.

Kids can make them. I can make them. They're not too fattening (depending on how many choco chips you use) and, above all, they're SCRUMPTIOUS.

Get on with it already, right? Okay!

I posted the recipe on Style Lush a hundred years ago, but here it is again, for posterity and your holiday comfort:

1 large can (29 oz.) of pumpkin filling
2 boxes of Spice Cake mix
2 cups of chocolate chips (milk, semisweet, or dark)
nuts optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together ingredients until well blended. Drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets by the spoonful. Baking time will depend on how big your "spoonfuls" are: 8-10 minutes for bite-sized cookies;15-20 minutes for cookies the size of your hand.

(The commenters at Style Lush offered up a ton of variations too, so be sure to check those out, especially if you need an excuse to scarf a bunch of butterscotch chips. Yuuuuuuum.)

Okay, so this isn't Martha, people. One of the steps is "open a box." I know. I KNOW. But remember, the goal here is comfort and the only one you're trying to impress with these is your tummy; trust me when I tell you that it won't be disappointed.

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

I'm thirty-two (and a half!) years old, and I like playing beauty parlor in my own home. I like lining up my toenail polish and choosing the perfect color. I like tying my hair back and caking on a hideous face mask. I like buying an out-of-my-comfort-zone shade of eye shadow and spending way too long attempting the perfect smoky eye, which I will then show off to my husband and my son and my cats, all of whom will offer some combination of a shrug or a slow blink as I do a little turn on the catwalk, trotting back and forth in front of the t.v. in my pajama pants. And what did you do on Saturday night?

This weekend I got to play with some new beauty products courtesy of Mary Kay and BlogHer, and today I'm going to trot them out in front of you (and then give you a chance to win some of your own).

I was sent the two-step TimeWise Microdermabrasion Set, the Compact Mini filled with three eye shadows and a blush, the Lash Love Mascara in I *heart* Black, and the Creme Lipstick in Fucshia.

Doesn't the lipstick look really cute sitting next to an old-timey radio? Now let's see how it all looks on my old-timey face!

First up: Taking photos of my bare face is always super awesome rad funtime yeah! To set the mood, I tied my hair back with the pink ribbon from the Mary Kay gift box and sang "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story.

Next, I tried the TimeWise Microdermabrasion set, which is designed to fight fine lines, refine pores, and reveal smoother skin--pretty much the usual miracles.
Step 1 is Refine, a super-intense exfoliating serum that really put an exclamation mark on the "abrasion" part of its name. I generally use exfoliators with bigger, softer beads, so I was surprised by the superfine crystals and how much it felt like they were really scrubbing my skin. Honestly, I was a little afraid I'd turn into a raw and peeling mess...which is another way of saying I loved it. I loved it because I knew it was working.

Workin' it, aw yeah.

Step 2 is Replenish. I'm not entirely sure what this is exactly--toner? moisturizer?--because it wasn't like anything else I'd ever tried. It was thinner than a moisturizer and didn't have the alcoholic burn and cool of a toner, but it felt a little tingly and seemed to basically condition and protect my face post-scrub. Here I am after microdermabrading for the first time (and putting on some of my own SPF moisturizer on top of it, because I never leave home without that, even if I'm not actually leaving home).

Now the fun part. After sliding on some of my favorite tinted silicone primer to even out my skin tone and texture a little more, I used the brushes that come hidden in the Mary Kay Compact Mini to apply blush (in Cherry Blossom) and eye shadow. I swept my whole eye--from lashes to brow--with Sweet Cream, darkened my lids with some Silver Satin (LOVE a little subtle shimmer), and then wetted the tip of the applicator to apply Iris as a liner on just my upper lid because I'm creative and also fancy and also because I really don't think the world is ready for me in full-on PURPLE shadow just yet. (All the colors in the magnetic Compact Mini can be refilled or switched out one at a time. Very cool.)

I curled my lashes and went big with mascara on both uppers and lowers, hoping it wouldn't be too much considering I typically only do uppers and have always used brown mascara instead of black. This lipstick is also much darker than I usually go (and I'm more of a gloss girl on top of that), and at first I was like, hmmm...it looks good but something seems a little off...

So then I fixed what was obviously the problem: I changed out of my grungy T-shirt, let my hair down, and practiced my fiercest smize.

Once I actually got dressed (such a novelty!), I decided I really dig this bolder look for fall. As for the TimeWise Microdermabrasion, I really dig the fresh, young skin it promises for any season.

I apparently also really dig holding my hands at unnatural angles and Photoshopping stray bobby pins out of my hair and singing so loud the neighbors can hear. I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! That the city should give me its keeeeeeey!

Audience participation time! Tell me which Mary Kay product(s) you'd like to try and you'll be entered to win a $100 Mary Kay gift basket full of all kinds of goodies.

Want more chances to win? Visit the Prizes and Promotions Section on BlogHer.

Rules:

--No duplicate comments.

--You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: (a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post<, (b) tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post, (c) blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post, (d) for those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

--This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older from October 24 to November 18, 2011.

--Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by email.

Good luck, pretties!

Thank you to Citrus Lane for providing me with this opportunity to review a Citrus Lane gift box. While this post is sponsored, the opinions expressed here are completely my own.

{If you didn't come from the main blog, start here.}

Baby gifts are a particular sticking point with me because as eager as I am to share products that worked for us, there's so much variation between parents and babies and lifestyles and values, etc., etc., you've heard it all before, that I find myself easily swirling down the rabbithole that ends in a gift card to a big box store, even though I know that money is likely to go to diapers rather than anything really special. On the one hand, I don't want the recipient to have to pick their own gift, but on the other hand, I'm not always the best person to pick it either. Wouldn't it be so much easier if I could just outsource the decision-making?

That's where Citrus Lane comes in.

The local-to-me company puts together themed gift boxes full of their favorite baby products (birth to 18 months; based on ratings and recommendations from moms and dads), and the boxes are delivered subscription-style, via mail, like a bacon-of-the-month club but better for your arteries and way more baby-friendly (unless your baby is a bacon-eating prodigy or something). (Is bacon prodigy a thing? It should be. And I should be one.)

(Another life lesson: Just because a box arrives beat to hell doesn't mean what's inside it isn't awesome.)

One thing I love about the Citrus Lane boxes is that each is a sampler of several different products, and the mixture includes both practical and fun items. (Bacon Club only sends you ONE type of bacon each month. Tragic.) The boxes are a great way to try out new-to-you items, and I can imagine buying a Citrus Lane subscription for friends of mine who, believe it or not, aren't entrenched in the mommyblogging world and therefore have never heard of community favorites like Gripe Water or Aden and Anais. A Citrus Lane box is a great way to introduce first-time parents to best-of products they might not otherwise know about.

Now you say: "But what about the value, Leah? What does a cheap girl like you have to say about the cost of Citrus Lane gifts?"

And then I say: "Subscriptions are $25 per month (or discounted to $250 for an entire year), and the contents of each box total around $50. If you're smarter than a fifth-grader, you know that's a good deal. Plus, the box I received included a $50 gift card to Minted, which, HELLO, blue light special on aisle 5 on double-coupon day."

Here's what was inside the Deluxe Shower box I received:

• $50 gift card to Minted(!)
• Cloud B Sleep Sheep Rattle
• Zoe Organics Mommy-to-be Bath Tea
• Pearhead Babyprints Tin
• Canopy Cards note
• SwaddleDesigns Swaddle Blanket
• Green Sprouts Organic Cotton Mitts
• product information for everything in the box
• an insert full of tips, advice, and encouragement for new parents

Good stuff.

Do you want to win a Citrus Lane box for yourself or a friend? Leave a comment below by midnight Pacific on next Wednesday, September 21, and you'll be in the running (approximate value $45). Read the official rules here.

In the spirit of sharing our own best-of baby products, tell me: what should no newborn go without?

Thank you to Crocs for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Crocs' new Back to School line. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Every weekday, I drive past the neighborhood school and my son's tiny voice pipes up from the back seat: "Mom? Can I go to school? I'm much bigger now." He can see the playground and hear the kids enjoying it, and no matter how many times I tell him he'll have plenty of time to go to school later, he wants to go NOW. "Oh, baby, you can't go to school yet. You're only two." "I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy."

He loves watching (and then imitating) older kids, and although he is indeed a big boy in many ways, there are a hundred other ways he's still my little one (and I want to keep him that way, thanks). When his "can do" attitude is applied to things that are actually helpful to me rather than impractical/messy/crazymaking, though, bring it on. Take shoes, for instance:

Wombat's daycare has a no-shoelaces policy because, think about it, if you're taking off and putting back on and taking off and putting back on a dozen pairs of tiny shoes several times a day, you'd be anti-laces too. (Even Daycare Lady wears slip-ons, and guess what? They're all Crocs.) It's not always easy to find laceless shoes for little boys that aren't hideously ugly is the problem, and that's why I'm glad I know about the new Crocs back to school line, because that's were I found these:

The Crocband Sneak Kids (for boys and girls) have stretchy faux laces that make them look like big-kid shoes, yet they're still slip-ons my little big-boy can get on and off by himself. Plus, those signature Crocs holes on the tops mean he'll have somewhere to put his light-up Thomas Jibbit. (I'm assuming that's the singular form of Jibbitz? I only learned the word today.)

Back to School has always been one of my favorite times of year, partly for the shopping and partly because I come from a long line of schoolophiles (my little brother hopped on the bus to kindergarten with me when he was three), so even though Wombat still isn't old enough to roam the playground with the Much Bigger crowd, he's definitely old enough to get into the spirit with a new pair of shoes. Those Crocband ones up there are my favorite, but there are a bunch to choose from, and for all I know he'll be a Hover type of guy anyway.

For the full low-down, check out this cool clickable (and, frankly, mildly psychedelic) video to see all nine styles from the new back-to-school line, and make sure you look out for the "Easter eggs" hidden in the video ("Free your miiiiiind!"), which will earn you a surprise gift with purchase.*

*Hint: Watch for this guy: