The holiday season may have ended, but we mom bloggers know the REAL party season is just beginning…

Yes, ladies it is time to start getting ready for The Ultimate Blog Party 2009, hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom!

For those of you who may be partying with us for the first time, The Ultimate Blog Party is a blogging carnival for you to meet other mom bloggers, have fun and win prizes.

It is the mom blogging event of the year — you don’t want to miss it!

Last year, at The Ultimate Blog Party 2008 we had over 1500 bloggers participating. Yes, our UBP parties are the perfect place to meet new blogging friends, promote your blog, win prizes and have a TON of blogging fun!

But before we can get started, we need some party decor.

If you joined us last year, you’ll recall that we asked our fantastic readers to take part in a design contest, creating our festive Ultimate Blog Party banners and buttons. We were so impressed by the quality designs that we received that we decided to do it again this year.

So designers, show us – and the rest of the blogosphere – what you think the UBP 2009 designs should look like.

Here’s how to enter our Ultimate Blog Party 2009 Design Contest:

• Submit your design ideas to us at info at 5minutesformom dot com by Tuesday, February 10th. (Please note that it is a UBP design entry in the subject. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us.)

• Please submit three images in the following dimensions:
  125×125
  120×240
  468×120
• For some inspiration, check out last year’s finalists.

On Thursday, February 12th, we will post the finalists (as decided by the 5 Minutes for Mom team) and the voting will begin!

Readers will vote for their favorite design and the designer with the most votes will win and become our designer for the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 buttons. (You can send your readers over to vote for you – that is fair game.)

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a party without fabulous swag for all of our party goers.

Just like last year, the Ultimate Blog Party 2009 will rock the blogosphere for one week. This year it is a little later in March — it will run from March 20th to March 27th and it will be packed with prizes.

Our prize page last year received tons of traffic. So if you want to promote your blog, site or store, become a prize sponsor!

Once again, Pamela from Happy Panda will be helping us manage the prize contributors.

If you want to submit a prize for the party, please email Pamela.

Thank you so much Pamela!

Everyone is welcome to host a prize. All prizes will be listed on our Ultimate Blog Party 2009 Prize Page. The page will be continually updated with new prizes as they are submitted.

Please Note: Prizes must be for something FREE. Discounts on products and services will not be included. If you are providing a gift certificate, it must be for an amount that can purchase an item.

If you missed last year’s party – or you just want a refresher on how it all worked – click over and check out last year’s instructions and last year’s Ultimate Blog Party post, complete with the Mr. Linky of all the participating bloggers.

We will post again soon with further instructions and details on The Ultimate Blog Party 2009, but for now send in your designs, prize donations and start getting ready for the The Ultimate Blog Party 2009!

And remember, if you want to submit a prize for the party, please email Pamela.