Friday, March 11, 2016

What's In Our Easter Baskets {Shining Light Dolls + Book GIVEAWAY!}

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Lent seems to go in three phases around here:

1) Overzealous: "I'm going to give up bread and coffee and sugar and Facebook and TV and laughing and chocolate and alcohol. And gossiping and complaining. It's going to be my BEST LENT EVER!"

2) Despondent: "Why am I alive? Why am I so desperately weak? Jesus went 40 days without food or shelter in the desert, and then died on the Cross, and I can't even make it through an entire day at home with my kids without tearfully contemplating cocktail hour. I'm a miserable human being."

3) EASTER BASKET SHOPPING. Also coincides (at least this year) with tolerably warm weather and actual living things popping out of the ground.

We're deep into phase three, I'm happy to report, having barely survived phase two. And I wanted to share the contents of our baskets with you! I also have an opportunity for three (3) lucky winners to receive the three latest Shining Light Dolls (Our Lady of Kibeho, Our Lady of China, and Our Lady of Aparecida), and a copy of "The Virgin Mary Around the World," a board book created by the creative genius behind Shining Light Dolls, my sweet and talented friend Chantal Baros.

Inside our baskets:

Anne (3):
Eleanor (almost 6 months):
We're also going to give them the three new Shining Light Dolls. Faith formation for little kids seems to be most successful if it's just mixed in with everything else, like it's not a big deal. An undetectable part of their family life. Among my girls' toys, you will find the usual suspects (Anna and Elsa, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel), along with Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Patrick, and St. Nicholas. Our religious books are mixed in with all the other picture books. Conversations about faith happen naturally that way. I like it!

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Shining Light Dolls are beautiful, sturdy, and safe and fun for all ages to play with! Baby Eleanor loves them as a teething toy and Anne loves to use them to play pretend games. We love love love them! The designer, Chantal, releases a few more designs a couple times a year. She is doing such a great job, filling a gap for beautiful, cool toys that teach kids (and adults) about our faith. While I'm teaching my daughters, I'm also learning! I had never even heard of the majority of the apparitions of Mary featured in the book. There's always more to explore, and the book and dolls are just a jumping off point.

I'll also say, with all the hubbub lately about Barbies and other dolls in different shapes, sizes, and colors, these dolls are a breath of fresh air for my impressionable girls. Body shape? Irrelevant (hooray!). Cultural diversity? NAILED IT. 

Enough talking. You NEED to see them!!

Our Lady of Kibeho:

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Our Lady of Aparecida:

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Our Lady of China:

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You want them, right? OF COURSE YOU DO. Jump in the Rafflecopter to win - make sure to get your entries completed by midnight on Tuesday! Three lucky winners will be chosen on Wednesday, so they'll get to you in plenty of time for Easter. Good luck!

{UPDATE} The giveaway is closed! Congratulations to Heather, Maryann, and Trish! Check your email for details on how to claim your prize! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway









95 comments:

  1. I would love to tuck Our Lady of China in my daughter's Easter basket! xo

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  2. I would love Our Lady of China! The new designs are awesome!

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  3. I love the Our Lady of Aparecida.

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  4. I am SO STOKED about the new dolls! I love them!!!

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  5. I would love for my little girl to have Our Lady of Aparecida!

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  6. I love our lady of Kibeho! But I really want the board book!

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  7. Our Lady of Aparecida! Your three phases of Lent are SPOT ON! (Although I haven't started the third phase yet...soon.)

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  8. I think my kids would love a St. Joseph doll

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  9. We have the St.Nicholas doll. I would love Our Lady of Kibeho for our children!

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  10. These dolls are just the cutest Catholic toys for kiddos!

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  11. We would love Our Lady of Kibeho!

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  12. I'm not super familiar with any of them but they are all adorable!

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  13. We collect these dolls!!! Love them!

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  14. I would love to win the newest Our Lady dolls. Any of them!

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  15. My toddler LOVES Mary! He would be so excited to have one in his basket and I would love this opportunity to teach him more about Our Blessed Mother! I love Our Lady of Kibeho

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  16. We are just starting our collection, so any would be great, especially Our Lady of Kibeho. Love this blog post; so true on all fronts!

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  17. With a new niece, and a new baby on the way if my own, any of these beautiful little Mary's would be a great Easter treat!

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  18. Love these dolls! Our Lady of China would be a fun addition your collection.

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  19. I would love to give my daughter the Our Lady of Kibeho doll.

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  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    Replies
    1. Admin, can you delete this comment if don't know what happened in was trying to comment from my phone and ended up listing my email instead of my name :/

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    2. Admin, can you delete this comment if don't know what happened in was trying to comment from my phone and ended up listing my email instead of my name :/

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  21. I love them all, but I would say Our Lady of China is my favorite new doll!

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  22. I love Shining Light Dolls, every one of my babies has gotten one for their first Christmas (3 so far . . .). I especially love Our Lady of Aparecida.

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  23. I love the Our Lady of China doll. I love them all, but that's my favorite

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  24. I would love Our Lady of China!

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  25. I would love Our Lady of China!

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  26. I have been impatiently waiting for the Our Lady of China doll to be released! My kids are part Chinese!

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  27. These dolls are beautiful. I would love the Our Lady of China to gift to a friend who adopted her daughter from China.

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  28. Our Lady of Aparecida is so cool! We'd love that one!

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  29. I love the new dolls. I have three kids so I could put one in each basket :)

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  30. I've been looking for an Our Lady of Guadalupe doll for kids and am so glad I found these!

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  31. They're all so sweet. Our lady of kibeho is my favorite of these three.

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  32. I've been wanting to buy some of these for our kids for over a year. They are adorable!

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  33. I've been wanting to buy some of these for our kids for over a year. They are adorable!

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  34. Our lady of China is adorable! That would be my pick!

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  35. My daughter is 10 and still loves the Shining Light dolls. She's trying to collect them all and is currently hoping for Our Lady of China!

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  36. I want them for myself , they are beautiful, our Lady of China 9s lovely, my daughter can play with them too :)

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  37. All of them are so beautiful but I'd pick Our Lady of Kibeho

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  38. What a neat giveaway! I love all of them!

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  39. Our Lady of China! My daughter loves these dolls!

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  40. Our lady of Kiebon but I have three girls, so they would all be loved.

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  41. I would like our lady of china!

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  42. I would love Our Lady of Aparecida for my kids' Easter baskets!

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  43. I'm so excited that these new dolls are coming out! We have all the other Virgin Mary dolls in the collection so far. I have three girls, so I'd love all three, but my favorite is Our Lady of Kibeho.

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  44. Our Lady Of Kibeho is precious!

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  45. The Our Lady of China is beautiful!

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  46. They're all darling but I especially love the Our Lady of Aparecida doll! Would be perfect for my daughter's Easter basket :)

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  47. I'd love Our Lady of Kibeho, or Knock, or Fatima, or... :)

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  48. I'd love Our Lady of Kibeho, or Knock, or Fatima, or... :)

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  49. So sweet! I would love to share any of them with the little people in my life, but have recently learned more about Our Lady of Kibeho and would love to be able to share that story with my nieces and nephews.

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  50. We have this book and love it, what a great giveaway!

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  51. I love them all!!! But would especially like to tuck Our Lady of China in my daughter's basket.

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  52. I love them all!!! But would especially like to tuck Our Lady of China in my daughter's basket.

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  53. Honestly, I can't pick just one favorite! We have three kids, so winning this would be so amazing for Easter! I'd have to buy a fourth, because we're expecting our rainbow baby next month!

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  54. I admit to not planning baskets AT ALL yet, so thanks for the encouragement!!

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  55. My daughter needs these! She is a budding Mary enthusiast! I'd love to get her Mary of Knock because I'm a redhead and it would just be so cute!

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  56. Thanks for the review! I've been eying the book for a while. I love how the dolls match the book! I can't wait to have the book and more dolls :)

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  57. The Our Lady of China is so adorable!

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  58. I would love to win! These little dolls are so precious.

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  59. Love Shining Light Dolls. We have most of them already. I think I like Our Lady of China best out of the three new dolls. Of all the dolls Our Lady of Guadalupe is the one my younger kids gravitate to.

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  60. All of them but especially excited for Our Lady of China

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  61. We have two of the shining light dolls. They are so cute!

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  62. We have two of the shining light dolls. They are so cute!

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  63. These are so cute! We have a Shining Light doll and they are fantastic!

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  64. Our Lady of Kibeho!

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  65. I would love Our Lady of Kibeho! Our kids are about the same ages so I'm borrowing your basket ideas ;)

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  66. LOVE Shining Light Dolls! We have Our Lady of Fatima, St Nicholas & the children will be getting St Patrick next week ;)

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  67. The China doll is my fav. It's adorable!

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  68. The China doll is my fav. It's adorable!

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  69. Ooh! Our lady of Kibeho! So excited about that one, I would love to give that one to one of my daughters.

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  70. I don't know much about any of these apparitions, but I do love the Our Lady of Aparecida doll!

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  71. I don't know anything about OL Aparecida, so she'd be great to add to our collection! And we have the same parenting style of subtley including liturgical living and faith-toys/books - no big hubbub or commotion or planning :)

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  72. I love all three, but I would choose Our Lady of Aparecida. I hope I win! They would be great for Easter!

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  73. I would love to add Our Lady of China to our family's Shining Light Doll collection! We love our St. Nicholas doll!

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  74. I would love the Our Lady of Kibeho one! All of my kids (ages 10 1/2 down to 1 1/2) love Shining Light Dolls! Thank you!

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  75. I have been wanting the Our Lady of China for a while!!!

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