A-Tisket A-Tasket

Groundhog Day and a fast forward to April Fools

2012-02-01T10:38:00.004-05:00

Well, I've got a girl power Groundhogs Day read for you all here today. It's the story of Punxsutawney Phyllis by Susanna Leonard Hill and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Phyllis is a young groundhog with a gift. She's also part of the famous family lineage of Punxsutawney Phil. The gift that she has is the family's weather predicting skill. Only problem is that this job has always been done by a boy family member not a girl. Phyllis does not let anyone hold her back though. She's determined to prove that she's got what it takes to be the next Punsutawney ~~Phil~~ Phyllis that is. It's a really well written story with lots of heart. The illustrations are bold, colorful and wonderfully detailed.

When I discovered Punxsutawney Phyllis at our library I also noticed April Fool, Phyllis also by Susanna Leonard Hill and Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler and decided to get them both even though April Fools is a ways a way. I'm so glad that I did. My two loved both these books and getting to know little, determined Phyllis. In this book once again Phyllis is putting her weather predicting skill to good use but her family thinks she's trying to pull an April Fools joke on them. It's one of the best and quite honestly only April Fools day reads I've read. The family of groundhogs have fun pulling pranks on one another throughout the day leading to their annual Spring treasure hunt. The pranks are quite clever and gave my two some fun insight into this odd little Holiday! I'm not much of a prankster so April Fools is usually a passing day but I think Phyllis and her brothers just may inspire me this year to have a little more fun!

101 Bible Adventures

2012-02-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

101 Bible Adventures:The Ultimate Quest for Truth by Carolyn Larsen and illustrated by Rick Incrocci is a great first devotional book for children ages 7-12 or family devotion. It's a compilation of 101 of the most action packed and adventurous Bible passages each with a brief history, key verse to note and a summarization. Each passage is short making it easy to read through one daily. I like that it includes the actual scriptural verses rather than a retelling of a Bible Passage. For the most part the summarizations are packed with great insight and questions but I do wish they were in general a little longer and more in depth. Each passage also has a cartoon illustration with caption adding a little humor throughout. I plan to read through this as our next family devotional and hope in a few years that they will revisit this on their own so I think we’ll get lots of great use out of this book.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for the purpose of this review.

What a Son Needs from His Dad

2012-01-24T14:02:00.009-05:00

Well, I'm not a Dad but I am a Mom to a son and I just couldn't resist checking out What a Son Needs from His Dad by Michael A. O'Donnell. While it is geared specifically to the Father/Son relationship there are many great insights and advice for parents of boys and girls throughout this read as well. Much of it is about being a great parent. It's a quick and easy read but that doesn't mean it isn't packed with information. I'd say it's geared more towards the older pre-teen/teen years but there is lots of things for even the youngest years like the chapter titled 'Effective Fathering' and a chapter on helping our son to discern good and meaningful friendships. There's scripture throughout this read, anchoring points back to Biblical teaching. It's a very thoughtful and thorough study. I will be sure to reference this book in throughout the years to come.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for the purpose of this review.

cold and flu season

2012-01-19T08:21:00.007-05:00

Well we've been hit pretty hard so far with this cold and flu season. It seems we're no sooner recovering than another cold hits. There's nothing I like more when I'm sick than to curl up with a good book! One of my favorite sick day reads is A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin Stead. Nothing can make one feel better than good friends and this charming picture book captures just that sentiment. Amos McGee is an ever faithful friend until one day he gets sick but his friends now rush to his side to help him get well soon! I love the woodblock print illustrations washed in touches of soft colors with a bit of quirkiness. Hope you are all feeling well!

Another book to warm you this winter

2012-01-06T08:56:00.008-05:00

Another wonderful winter read sure to warm your heart is The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen and illustrated by Elaine Greenstein. It's a story of kindness, friendship and generosity but most of all taking the time to notice those around us and in our lives. Sarah, is an elderly woman who's own children have grown. The children of the neighborhood still gather each morning outside Sarah's home to catch the school bus. She loves watching the children and remembering her own children's school days. As the weather turns cold she notices a boy that does not have mittens. She decides to do something about it and so begins a fun tradition for the children. She places the mittens she knits on a tree by the bus stop and the children delight in finding new mittens each morning on that tree. But Sarah's kind deed also doesn't go unnoticed and she receives a wonderful surprise of her own one morning.

Winter is the Warmest Season

2012-01-04T08:36:00.004-05:00

Well the winter temperatures have finally reached us. Trying to keep warm brought to mind the book Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer. Bright and playful illustrations follow along as a young boy shares all the things that make winter the warmest and coziest of seasons for him. It's a great outlook for appreciating the cold winter months by focusing on all those wonderfully warming things like puffy coats, toasty fires, hot cocoa, friends and family. Curl up with this read and be warmed!

Still time to shop Tea Collection and save!

2011-12-31T15:20:00.011-05:00

What better way to ring in the New Year than with a great sale? Every year I look forward to the Tea Collection Semi-Annual Sale because I always find great, modern kids' clothes at 50% off or more. Starting January 1st Tea Collection is offering an EXTRA 25% off already marked-down clothes with promo code 25OFFSALE. This extra savings is good January 1st through January 8th at 11:59 pm PST while supplies last. Now's the best time to shop Tea Collection and save on cool clothes for your kids. Happy New Year!

Reading for the New Year

2011-12-29T10:15:00.015-05:00

First Night by Harriet Ziefert and illustrated by S.D. Schindler is about a New Year's eve parade led by a girl named Amanda Dade. It's a fun repetitive rhyming read that builds up as each new character in the parade is introduced. The crisp, bold pastel illustrations absolutely seem to glow on the pages in a stunning effect. It's a fun read showing one of the many ways you can celebrate the new year.

P. Bear's New Year's Party: A Counting Book by Owen Paul Lewis is a fun glimpse at the tradition of throwing a New Year's eve party with your friends to celebrate the upcoming year. It opens with an invitation where it is noted that formal dress is required. Then P. Bear sends out invitations to all his best dressed friends. It's a really fun play on 'formal attire' and all the guests arrive looking just smashing! There's also a clock on each page showing the time that each guest or group of guests arrived. An added bonus so you can talk about the concept of time with your children while they are learning all about the new year and count down until midnight.

Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller and illustrated by Kathi Ember. I'm actually very surprised that there are not more children's books that are about the tradition of New Year's resolutions. But Squirrel's New Year's Resolution does a lovely job of sharing about and teaching young children just what a resolution is. The story line follows squirrel on New Years Day wondering what a resolution is and when learning from Bear trying to figure out just what her resolution should be. It seems like all of her friends are great at making resolutions but will squirrel ever have one and what will it be? You'll have to read to find out!

Happy New Year!

Tea Collection's Semi-Annual Sale

2011-12-26T10:53:00.012-05:00

As the hustle and bustle of the Holidays comes to an end its time to take advantage of all the after Holiday sales. Tea Collection is a great place to find clothes for all ages. Starting today Tea Collection is offering up to 60% off on pants, dresses, and shirts. Let the little girl in your life bring in the New Year with style in the Corzo Chambray Dress. This dress will sparkle and shine and is sure to make any little girl feel like a star. Your little boy will look so handsome and grown-up in the Alegre Aztec Sweater Vest. Even moms are allowed to dress up! Treat yourself to the Chiapas Tunic Dress. Perfect to wear around the house or out to dinner. Make sure to shop Tea Collection and save up to 60% only while supplies last. This is a deal you definitely don't want to miss. Happy Shopping!

A Trio of winter tales

2011-12-22T15:23:00.022-05:00

We're having a very mild winter around our area this year. And I'm a little sad that there will not be any snow for Christmas. Since I'm missing the snow I've been stocking up on lots of wintry reads to share with my two kids and have three I'd love to share with you today.

First is No Two Alike by Keith Baker. Beautiful wintry illustrations follow two birds as a simple tale tells how there are no two just alike be it snowflakes, birds nest or two birds of a feather. It's a fun celebration of all the wonderful differences around us.

Hold on tight for Red Sled by Lita Judge and get ready to let go of some wheeeees and whoas! This book made up of primarily sound effects shares the fun of a red sled and some good friends on a snowy winter night. The illustrations are just as fun and colorful as the story!

Last up is Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea. Filled with sweetly beautiful illustrations and a heartwarming story of an Old Bear and his cub. They both love one another and look out for one another even when they don't think they need to be looked after. It's a story that is sure to warm you on a cold winter's day.

Still time to get Cards by Christmas!

2011-12-19T13:40:00.024-05:00

Two Shipping Options to Get Cards by Christmas

Tiny Prints is offering two options for customers to get cards by Christmas with an exclusive promo for affiliates. On Monday and Tuesday, customers can use the code below for Free Express Shipping (three business days, $24.95 value) or $5 off Super Rush Shipping (2 business days, pricing will change after first 5,000 orders). Cards ordered on Monday with Express Shipping will arrive by 12/24.

Code: FS5GIFT, Exp: 12/20 11:59pm PT

Buy One Christmas or Hanukkah Greeting Card, Get One Free!

Customers who buy a Christmas greeting card or Hanukkah greeting card, can enjoy a second absolutely free. This offer applies exclusively to Christmas greeting cards and Hanukkah greeting cards and is not applicable to previously placed orders or stationery.
Code: BOGO12| Offer expires 12/20/11 at 11:59 pm (PT)

Winter Eyes

2011-12-09T11:10:00.014-05:00

(Source)

Winter Eyes

Look at winter
With winter eyes,
As smoke curls from rooftops
To clear cobalt skies

Breathe in winter
Past winter nose:
The sweet scent of black birch
Where velvet moss grows.

Walk through winter
With winter feet
On cracking ice
Or sloshy wet sleet.

Listen to winter
With winter ears
The rustling of oak leaves
As spring slowly nears.

By Douglas Florian

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season!

Christmas Gift Idea

2011-12-08T09:30:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite Christmas gifts from a couple years ago was The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers by Crystal Bowman and illustrated by Elena Kucharik. I always did Bible story time and scripture reading but really wanted a devotional to do daily with my children. This book was the perfect fit for us. Each lesson is just a page long. There's a short story based on different Biblical truths, a Bible verse to tie the learning to Scripture and a short rhyming prayer. It's not just for teaching your children the Bible but for giving them the practice of daily time in God's word and prayer. There's a lesson for each day of the year and so they are often relate to season which I LOVE. The illustrations are adorable. They feature four sweet little friends as the grow, learn and experience life. We read through it the first year we got it, I took a break this past year and have been filling in with shorter devotional books, Bible stories and such but I really loved having a daily go to devotional activity aside from the usual Bible story book. We're all geared up to read through it again this year and I think next year we'll find The One Year Devotions for Preschoolers 2 by Carla Barnhill and illustrated by Elena Kucharik. I also included Blessings Everyday: 365 Simple Devotions for the Very Young also by Carla Barnhill and Elena Kucharik. While this one is probably too young for my two at this point my Nephew just might be getting this as a present for Christmas next year. I think these make the perfect Christmas gift to give to the special young children in your life.

Punchbowl

2011-12-07T09:35:00.011-05:00

I'm excited to join my latest affiliate program Punchbowl, Inc. and share them with all of you. I'm a huge fan of stationary, papers, cards and such. I've found that that interest expands easily into the online world of e-cards and e-invites! They have tons of FREE online cards to send for all occasions plus you can become a member to get photo card options, access to exclusive finishing touches like fonts or add polling question to your card so you can ask your guests for meal choices or help you decide when the best date is for your event. Punchbowl can help you plan your event from the start with such features as gift registries. buy online party supplies and my own favorite local vendor searches to help you find all your event needs. You can even organize events like a potluck or organize guest financial contributions for when trying to organize a group gift for the guest of honor. Stay on top of your event with the help of Punchbowl too. You can manage your RSVPs, keep contacts, make a to-do list and more! I'm am so excited about Punchbowl and all their great features and cards! Go check them out for yourself and let them help you send a greeting to a friend or plan your next party. Just head on over to Punchbowl, Inc..

Interested in learning more about affiliate opportunities for your blog? Check out shareasale.com.

Winter Eyes

2011-12-01T09:35:00.023-05:00

What I Love About Winter
Frozen lakes
Hot pancakes
Lots of snow
Hot Cocoa
Skates and Skis
Evergreen trees
Funny Hats
Thermostats
Sunset blaze
Holidays
Snowball fights
Fireplace nights
Chimneys steaming
Winter dreaming

by Douglas Florian

What I Hate About Winter

Frozen toes
Running nose
Sloppy slush
Holiday crush
15 below
Shoveling snow
Leafless trees
Cough and wheeze
Shorter day
Less time to play
Salt-spreading tractors
Windchill factors
No place to go -
Winter is slow

by Douglas Florian

The above poems are from the book Winter Eyes which is a collection of poems and paintings by Douglas Florian. We've been reading through his series of seasonal collection of poems starting with Summersaults and still needing to conclude with Handsprings but I couldn't wait any longer to share these wonderful poetry books! The other book in this series is Autumnblings. I've been searching for great poetry books for me and the kids to enjoy and we have found them. These are relatable for the youngest of readers yet meaningfully and well written. They are funny. They capture the beauty and subtlety of the season. They flow from your tongue as you read as poetry should. The art work is quirky, unique and charming. Again very relatable to a child and is wonderfully simple. I hope to sprinkle some of favorite poems from these books here and there in my posts to bring some cheer to your day and mine! And I will be posting more of our favorite poetry books by Douglas Florian in the future as well.

Tea Collection for the Holidays

2011-11-19T10:09:00.010-05:00

Ready or not the Holiday season is upon us! And Tea Collection is a great place to shop for kids’ clothes! Tea Collection will be having a special Black Friday sale featuring $15 dresses for girls and $15 pants for boys valid 11/25 through 11/27.

Here are some of my absolute favorite gift ideas:

For girls, I love the Pinata Stripe Dress! This dress was inspired by the brightly colored striped pinatas in Mexico. The dress is made of 100% cotton and machine washable and is sure to create tons of fun. The Ticking Stripe Pant for boys is definitely a staple item for any outfit. These stylish striped pants are 100% cotton, machine washable! Keep children dreaming with Little Citizens Pajamas. This adorable pj set is inspired by Mexico's famous Arbol del Tule. Not only are these pj's adorable but proceeds from your sale will benefit the Global Fund for Children and their work advancing the dignity of children around the world. I also love the Art To Go Deluxe Set. This is the perfect gift for the little artist whose creativity won't be contained--even on the road! Let their imaginations run wild!

Happy Shopping!

A trio of books

2011-11-15T10:27:00.009-05:00

I wanted to share a trio of books today by Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoick. This pair of wildlife photographers have put together charming yet educational series of picture books using photographs of a young deer and other animals in nature. The books include: Lost in the Woods, First Snow in the Woods and Stranger in the Woods. In these books you follow a young deer through it's first year from when it is just born and finding it's way too it's first winter season. It's a fun way to share the changes in the season and in life with your own little ones. My favorite is Stranger in the Woods. It's the most surprising of the three and I just love the idea of a winter snowman built to feed the animals of the woods. There's even instructions in the back for creating your own 'feeding' snowman.

Imagination Station - Books 5&6

2011-11-08T08:31:00.011-05:00

I have been anxiously awaiting the next two books in the Imagination Station series and they are finally here. I have to admit I'm hooked on this series. Showdown with the Shepherd by Marianne Hering and Brock Eastman is book #5 of this series. Book #6 is titled Problems in Plymouth by Marianne Hering and Marshal Younger and both are illustrated by David Hohn. With this series you get to travel through time on an adventure to the unknown to find objects or people all while having fun learning history and Biblical truths. I love the balance of the fun and the educational aspects of these books, it’s a great combination. In book #5 we travel back to Biblical times and meet non-other than young David as he's heading to take food to his brothers in battle against Philistines and Goliath. This is one of my children's favorite Bible passages and I know they are going to enjoy this twist to the story. It's so enjoyable to imagine what it would be like to step back in time to experience firsthand these historical events and these books do a great job in imagining just what it might have been like. And then there’s the very timely arrival of book #6 which takes readers back through time to the first Thanksgiving celebration at Plymouth. I think I might just skip out of order and read this with my two as part of our Thanksgiving reading this month. These books of course are written as part of a series but a great feature is the prologue which can be found at the beginning of all books that sets the background storyline of the previous books in case you decide to read them out of order, making it so you can easily transition into the adventure for any of the books. It is simply an exceptional series for young readers and I am once again anxious to see where the adventure will take us too next. Here's a sneak peek at book #7 & #8.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me complimentary copies of these books.

Imagination Station Blog Tour Q&A with Maria Hering
1. The first two books focus on the Vikings and ancient Rome. The next two books focus on Kubla Khan and the War of the Roses and now books five and six take readers to the Holy Land and back to Plymouth Rock. How did you and Paul decide which historical events to write about?

Paul and I aren’t the only ones who weigh into the decision. Paul and I have a creative team that also includes Adventures in Odyssey writer Nathan Hoobler, book publishing director Larry Weeden, and marketing manager Brock Eastman. I’m fortunate to have such a well-rounded and experienced bunch helping decide on setting, cover scene, and title. All that said, I do most of the research or verify the other writers’ research for the book’s outline. I’ve written a lot of historical fiction and had many of the ideas for settings and conversations in my mind and heart for years. I try to choose moments in history that reveal a hero’s Christian character and are historically accurate. The exception is book 4, Revenge of the Red Knight, which covered the War of the Roses. Because that war was so convoluted and political, it was difficult to find a well-defined real-life hero we could hold up as a role model. The hero, Sir Andrew, in that book is 100 percent fiction. The other books all have a true-life hero as a role model.

2. How true to history are Showdown with the Shepherd and Problems at Plymouth?

Let me start by informing readers that it’s my intent to answer all of these questions on TheImaginationStation.com website. The historical information is already posted in the parents section for books 1 and 2, and book 7’s material will be posted momentarily. I’m working on filling in the “what’s true and what’s not true” material for books 3, 4, 5, and 6. Hopefully in the next week.

Showdown with the Shepherd expands on the David and Goliath story. For readers who are not familiar with the story, we kept it as biblical as possible while adding three time travelers and a catapult. The Philistines are still gruesome and fearful and want to take the Israelites as slaves. Young shepherd boy David is mocked by his brothers. King Saul is still afraid to fight Goliath himself. David still whomps Goliath with God’s help. (I did get Goliath’s helmet wrong on the cover. The Philistine helmets had a funky topper.--I missed this because I was on vacation when the cover roughs came through and I didn’t check everything as carefully as I should have. Sorry for that. I work hard to get the details of the art to be accurate and feel bad when I overlook an important detail.) The setting was as accurate as I could make it. I did ask my boss to pay for me to fly to the Valley of Elah for “research,” but he wisely thought that would be a waste of ministry resources. :-)

Problems in Plymouth—the events all happened, just over a longer period of time than it did in the book. In reality, these events happened over about a year period. In the book it’s two days. John Billington and his family are real. John did get lost. Mr. Billington didn’t agree with William Bradford on what to do about Indian relations. Chiefs Aspinet and Yellow Feather are real. The Pilgrims did accidentally shoot some innocent Indians. The doctor is real. The issue of the stolen corn is real. The Pilgrims did fear that Squanto was kidnapped, and they set out to rescue him. The Pilgrims did bury their gun powder. The storage room did exist. The meeting house was described accurately as were the cannons. There were several types of muskets models used by the Pilgrims. The details of the first Thanksgiving were basically accurate. We depicted the traditional bell-shaped blunderbuss. However, many Pilgrims probably had muskets without the bell-shaped musket. Marshal Younger and I took some small liberties with the history (besides, of course, Hugh and the cousins). For example I’m not sure who was actually on the shallop that came to rescue John Billington. The dialogue between Bradford and Standish was based on research, but the actual words were fictionalized. We did try to quote Bradford in some places, but his language was so outdated we had to modify it a lot.

3. These books are geared towards young readers, ages 7 and up. What is the number one issue that children learning to read struggle with?

Speed processing. The kids who are slower reading learners usually need more help with sight words and fluency. That’s just practice at an accessible reading level. These are just slower readers in general—I’m not counting kids with true auditory processing issues or other learning disabilities, which represent between 3 and 10 percent. Most kids can learn to read better with one-on-one instruction and a loving atmosphere. I’ve posted reading tips on the website for each book and lists of words to practice before tackling a chapter. See TheImaginationStation.com.

4. What kinds of books do you recommend children read?

I don’t only recommend books. There are fabulous magazines out there for this age group. Not all kids like fiction, so magazines draw them in with nonfiction and pictures. There are some good book series out there—I personally give my children the tried-and-true series written years ago, like Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books. My boys enjoyed the Horrible Harry books by Suzy Kline. My daughter was a Gertrude Chandler Warner/Boxcar Children fanatic. Parents can ask librarians to recommend books. One of my sons loves anything about animals in the nonfiction section—I don’t make him read fiction unless it’s for school. I do have to review their books first, and that can take a lot of time, but it’s worth it.

5. What are some ways that parents can help their children develop their reading skills?
(Get their vision checked for not only vision but for tracking issues as well.) Turn off the electronics and make reading a fun time. You can read to them or they can read to you. Make reading an event. Your kids will complain for about two weeks while the electronic addiction wears off. Then they will be better able to engage in literary pursuits. For free reading, let your kids read “easy” books. Don’t judge. If they want to read Hop on Pop twenty times, that means that’s where they are comfortable. If you push your kids beyond what they perceive to be the right level, they will rebel. Better a lot of fluent reading at an easy level than choppy reading at a higher level. Reading with starts and stops is a bad habit to let them get into.

6. Can you give us any “sneak peeks” into what we can expect in future books?
Here’s the not-so-sneak peek. Book 7 is advertised in book 6, and I already have material about it on TheImaginationStation.com. Book 7 is set in ancient Egypt and involves a mummy and a scary tomb. Book 7 is at the printer right now. It’s my favorite cover so far

Book 8 is exciting because we have a new author joining our team. We’re writing this one with best-selling Christian author Wayne Thomas Batson. We wanted to tell a pirate story, and since he’s an expert and had already written some fabulous pirate stories, we asked him to help us. Book 8’s title is Mystery of Starlight Island. Look for Wayne Thomas Batson’s “Focus on the Family approved” pirate books, The Isle of Swords and The Isle of Fire (for upper elementary and tween readers). Go to FocusontheFamily.com/resources and type Wayne Batson in the search box.

Book 9 sneak-peek. We’re going to the most modern setting yet. The kids will be visiting a famous person who lived during WWII.

Heaven is for Real for kids

2011-10-26T15:22:00.012-04:00

Heaven is for Real for kids as told by Colton Burpo to his parent Todd & Sonja Burpo and illustrated by Wilson Ong. This book came at a good time as my little girl has started asking questions about God, Heaven and even dieing. So when I saw this book, I thought it might be a helpful read for us. The book shares a glimpse of what the young boy at the time Colton Burpo experienced when he got to visit Heaven while very ill in the Hospital. The picture book highlights key concepts that can be gleamed from the telling of Colton's experience. Things like 'Heaven is wonderful and it is for real!' and that 'Jesus loves the little children'. Key messages like these flow along with the story and touch upon lots of answers to questions or concerns that children might wonder about. Each page is accompanied with a scripture verse anchoring some of the descriptions and experiences that Colton shares with Biblical references. It's a reassuring, comforting book. While I like the text of this book I however did not care for the illustrations. They seemed heavy, smudged and overworked to me. The colors selected I found too bold and some of the color tones were off for me. Because of the illustrations I can only give this book an overall average review.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze for the purpose of this review.

Enter to win 25 free Shutterfly cards giveaway - CLOSED

2011-10-25T09:10:00.021-04:00

Just four more days to enter to win 25 free Shutterfly cards! There are low entries so far for this giveaway and I've got 3 sets of 25 cards to giveaway. That's right three will win! I love stationary and cards so I just can't resist showing you some more of Shutterfly's Holiday card collection for this year. Here's some of their cards that make me think of winter wonderland blues that you could choose from. They are refreshingly lovely, don't you think?

To enter is easy! Just leave a comment letting me know which of my top picks is your own favorite. It can be from this post or the previous post and you can comment in either. I'll start with the previous post and add on the comments from this post to the total. Be sure to leave your email contact if it's not easy to find on your profile or own site. If I cannot contact you I will move onto the next winner. This contest is open until October 28th 2011, 5:00 PM EST.

Season's Greetings from Shutterfly - CLOSED

2011-10-18T17:40:00.053-04:00

I've been gearing up for Christmas around here. I'm really trying to stay on top of things this year. I'm making my lists, checking them twice and of course getting a jump start on Holiday cards is on the top of my list. And when it comes to Holiday cards I love to send photo cards as well as receive them. Shutterfly makes getting my Holiday cards done so easy and I received so many compliments on our Shutterfly photo cards last year. Thank you Shutterfly! There is an amazing selection of designs this year too and once again I could use your help with deciding which to choose. There's also a chance for 3 of my readers to win 25 free cards of their own. Keep reading to find out more, plus bloggers there's a special offer just for you too...So here are some of my favorite cards for this year. As you can see I had a hard time narrowing it down and that's where you can help out!

There are classic red and white designs that range from sophisticated to whimsical or a touch of both.

There are cards with a simple elegance.

Fun, modern designs filled with color pops or color explosion.

And I could not resist including those that are sugar and spice and everything nice. How sweet are those?

So which should I choose?

Not only does Shutterfly offer the best selection of Holiday photo cards there are so many products to make your Holiday shopping, planning and even wrapping easy this year. Several of my friends do the traditional photo calendar for themselves and the Grandparents. I think this is a tradition we need to start.

Along with the calendars there are numerous photo gifts to choose from. Why not send something with that personalized touch? There are notebooks, mugs, reusable shopping bags, blankets, apparel and many more.

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here: Click link

Now on to the giveaway! Three of my lucky readers have the chance to win their very own 25 free cards. Just leave a comment letting me know which of my top picks is your own favorite. Be sure to leave your email contact. If I cannot contact you I will move onto the next winner. This contest is open until October 28th 2011, 5:00 PM EST.

The Very Best Pumpkin

2011-10-18T15:56:00.015-04:00

The Very Best Pumpkin by Mark Kimball Moulton and illustrated by Karen Hillard Good, centers on one of my favorite fall activities; finding the perfect pumpkin or pumpkins as it is in our case. We're not ones to go all out on Holiday/seasonal decorating but having pumpkins of all shapes and sizes to set around the house, to carve and to enjoy toasted pumpkins seeds from is definitely something I look forward to each year. The story starts sharing how Peter, a young boy, helps out on his Grandparents farm. They plant strawberries in the spring, grow corn but Peter's favorite is pumpkin season. I love how he helps customers find the perfect pumpkin to fit their needs. And the story is also about a special friendship that is growing right along with the pumpkins! It's a very sweet story in so many aspects including the old fashioned feeling drawings that are filled with lots of fun, whimsical details.

Bible Stories for Preschoolers

2011-10-14T16:20:00.019-04:00

Bible Stories for Preschoolers, by Monika Kustra, adapted by Betty Free Swanberg and illustrated by Andrzej Chalecki is an exceptional children's Bible story book. It is well written for the preschool age comprehension. I loved how there are questions throughout the text that just flow as part of the reading. It is a great way to engage and maintain interest in the story. The illustrations are lively, cute, and even humorous at times. I think any child would enjoy flipping through this book to enjoy the pictures. At the end of each story are several questions and talking points to help with story comprehension, and reinforce the lessons being learned. There's a memory verse too for every story. And my favorite part is the activities. They are really exceptional, doable, simple but really fun. All the activities really excited me as I read through them. I can't wait to do them with my children as we read through this book together and plan to come back to add their creations to this post. One example is with the story of Joseph and the famine is to create a 'store house' jar with trail mix type ingredients. You could even ration out the food throughout a week sharing how Joseph was in charge of collecting and sharing the food so that everyone could survive during the years of famine. It's also a great collection of Bible passages, very comprehensive. I could not be more pleased with this book and would love to see more from this collaboration, maybe a book of Psalms and Proverbs with pre-school devotional type format. I am very happy to be able to add this book to our collection.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing for the purpose of this review.

Kindergarten Picks!

2011-10-12T10:29:00.018-04:00

I think I have a fun little post for you all today. As I've shared my son had his Birthday and is now in kindergarten. So in continued celebration of my little guy I thought is would be fun to share his own library picks and finds that he's been bringing home from school. I've been looking forward to him visiting the school library and was anxious to see what type of books he'd pick out. I must say I've been very proud of him, he's found some great books to share with us!

First up he brought home Carlos Likes Counting by Jessica Spanyol. He said he selected it because it reminded him of the 'That's Silly' pictures that are in the High Five magazines we get. It is actually a great little counting book with lots of items to count on each page of the corresponding highlighted number. My two have always enjoyed counting up items in books so we thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Next up Gumption by Elise Broach and illustrated by Richard Egielski. Just by looking at the front cover you can see why a 6 year old boy would be drawn to this one! It was another fun read about a little boy who goes on a safari adventure with his favorite uncle. Traveling on safari requires lots of gumption! It was a fun adventure for us all.

Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman was next pick. We'd read this one many times before. We love Lehman's wordless books and if you've been here before you may have heard about how I love a good wordless book. He was so proud to have found it on the shelves. This is hands down his favorite one of Lehmans, in fact he asked to keep it another week. It's about a little boy on a class trip to the museum that happens upon a secret maze room. My two love mazes and I can't wait because we'll be heading to see some corn mazes soon! If you've not checked out Barbara Lehman's books, I recommend that you do. I think they are best described as fantasy adventure wordless picture books. Other titles include: The Red Book, Rainstorm, Trainstop,and The Secret Box.

Next up was A Couple of Boys have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee. It's a funny little story that captures this age group of boys very well and honestly. Two young friends stay at one of their Grandparents for a week trip so that they can attend nature camp. But of course they have the most fun just being together doing, well, silly kids stuff like bouncing on the bed, playing video games, and eating sweet treats. They're kids with heart though and at the end of the book have a special surprise for their host and hostess!

Last up is David Gordon's The Three Little Rigs. This is another one that we'd previously read together from our local library and was an instant hit with my son. He loves all things that go, trucks, trains, planes, race cars and so on. Plus the original tale of the three little pigs is also a popular read with my two so the two together makes a near perfect read in my little boys mind. This book is a retelling of the classic story with rigs that must set off to build there own garages.

Well I hope you'll enjoy his library picks as much as we have. I hope to continue to add to his list here as the year progresses!

When I was Five

2011-10-10T17:02:00.008-04:00

Well this title could not be more appropriate for us this year, it's called When I was Five by Arthur Howard. Yep, my little boy had his Birthday recently and went from 5 to 6. We had actually read this book last year as well preparing him for upcoming changes of growing up and I looked forward to getting from the library again this year to share with him. Join along as a young boy shares his favorite things from when he was five and what they are now that he's six. It's a fun collection of things that are important to little boys from what he wants to be when he grows up, favorite dinosaur and favorite secret hiding place. But of course there are somethings that never change which is very endearing! It has been fun reading with my little guy and talking to him about his favorite things as he continues to grow each year. I think this will be a Birthday favorite read for years to come.