I remember reading my very first eBook on my iPod touch a few years ago. I remember how freeing it was to me to have a book or ten with me anytime, anywhere, and I loved that I could read with one hand while nursing the twins.

I thought electronic books were fun, but I did not feel that they replaced actual paper copies.

Then I received my iPad for Christmas almost a year and a half ago . . . and my vision for eBooks expanded. I read a lot. I live in a small house. All of a sudden I am envisioning my book clutter disappearing.

Last summer I was sitting on my porch reading on my iPad and I thought to myself, “I bet that the little girls will learn to read from a tablet computer.”

I was not far off!

The girls and I have been enjoying Ruckus Media group reading apps for quite some time now. One of our first apps was Spot the Dot, and it is still a favorite app, buying us lots of extra time in waiting rooms and even in line at the grocery store! We more recently discovered the joy of My Little Pony. The girls and I have been enjoying a lot of pre-reading activities on the iPad through many different children’s story books. I also have older brothers hone their reading skills by being designated readers for the girls.

I was super excited to learn that Ruckus was releasing a targeted reading app: The Ruckus Reader.

The Ruckus Reader is different from many of the story apps that can be found in the App Store. The Ruckus Reader combines high interest stories with fun reading practice, engaging games, video and music. The Ruckus Reader curriculum was developed by professional educators and meets Core Standards, including: book knowledge and appreciation, phonological awareness, visual discrimination, book concepts, phonics and word recognition, print awareness and concepts, fluency, alphabetic knowledge and comprehension. The Ruckus Reader offers leveled readers, meaning your child is reading the right book at the right time, and the activities paired with the book will be appropriate for his skill level.

But I think that the very best feature of the Ruckus Reader is the built in parent support. I have six kids, I can’t always be everywhere! But, when my kids use the Ruckus Reader, I get a customized parent report every week. The Ruckus Reader utilizes and invisible assessment system to let me know what my kids are reading, what they are learning and even suggests other books to check out at our library or bookstore!

The Ruckus Reader app is free in the iTunes App store, and it is a trending best seller. There are also several books that are free with the reader. Others can be purchased individually, or, better yet, a subscription gives you unlimited access to all of the current readers! I am especially excited about the Ruckus Premium Library. . . these books are available for purchase outside of the subscription, but include some of our family favorites such as Curious George and the Five Little Monkeys!

The awesome folks at Ruckus Reader have set me up with a six month subscription to all of the reader content, and have offered to give two of my readers the same gift!  So, if you have an iPad, make sure you enter via the Rafflecopter form below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Get a Head Start on Summer Reading With the Ruckus Reader is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

It feels like summer here on the prairie, which is awesome, as we’ve been know to have freak blizzards this time of year!

With the nice weather comes a more outdoorsy lifestyle for our crew. Our Wii is sitting lonely as the little boys are outside from the time school gets out until I call them in for bedtime. (They do sneak back for some dinner as well!). When we spend this much time outside we need to be concerned about sun safety. I wrote a post today for NaturallyBorn that talks about sun safety tips, and what to look for in a natural suncare product.

Lately we have been using products from the Beyond Coastal Sun Care line. I was given a variety of products to use with my family and I have been quite pleased.  William has been running on the Middle School Track and Field team, so I gave him the Active Face Stick to use. I know that with a teen, it has to be easy to use, or they just won’t! He said the stick was easy to use and did not feel greasy on his skin.

I’ve been using the Natural Kids sunscreen on the girls. This is a pretty thick sunscreen, but it is not sticky ( a plus when we spend time in the sandbox!), and it is free of Vitamin A. I’ve recently learned the vitamin A should be avoided in a sun care product.

I look forward to using this sun care line during our upcoming camping trip. When we camp we are outside all day long, and we are very active hiking, or riding bikes or picking up rocks on the waterfront. When spending this much time in the sun it is imperative that we have quality and healthy sunscreen.

When I was researching my post for Naturally Born I learned that there was more to worry about in a sunscreen than how well it blocks the sun’s rays. It is important that we are not slathering our bodies with dangerous chemicals in the name of sun safety! Beyond Coastal is a top rated sunscreen by the EWG (Environmental Working group)

I’m super excited to be able to share a Beyond Coastal prize pack with one of my readers! It is easy to enter, and I love giving my readers great stuff! (Guess what? Beyond Coastal products are made right here in the USA!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sun Safety With Beyond Coastal Sun Care is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

From the Mighty Fine website:

The story of “Mighty Fine” is fictional, but it draws to a great extent on writer/director Debbie Goodstein’s vivid memories of her childhood. “My father had anger issues, ups and downs, and living in his world could be a bit of a rollercoaster ride,” says Goodstein. “He loved his family but had self-destructive impulses and a rage that made life with him unpredictable and sometimes very scary.” Many of Goodstein’s friends also had fathers similar to her own, and she contrived the character of Joe Fine as a composite. Goodstein sees Joe as a creature of his time, someone who couldn’t exist today: “Joe Fine is the king of his castle, like so many men of the seventies. But even then, things were changing rapidly, and men like Joe, with all their bravado and patriarchal dominance, were poised for extinction. Today, with so many women in the workplace, that castle has become more of a stronghold of equanimity.”

There is a part of me that I don’t speak of often. It is a part of me that I deal with every day. It is a part of me that works very hard as a mom to reverse.

I grew up in a home with an emotionally explosive parent. As a child, this is a very difficult position to be put in. As an adult, I’ve had friends who were married to emotionally explosive and abusive spouses. I’ve seen them take steps to protect themselves, and their families. However, the wounds never really heal. There is always a part that is looking or waiting for an outburst at the slightest provocation.

I was given the opportunity to preview the film, “Mighty Fine” along with about 99 other Mom Central mom bloggers. After the screening we had the opportunity video chat with the actors. I so enjoyed getting to know young, fresh, Rainey Qualley better (and she sang the song playing over the closing credits!) The whole time that I spent watching the movie,  I was enthralled, because, although it took place in a different time and place than I was raised, it still rung true. The movie was able to dredge up emotions that I had long buried.

The truth is, moms, while we are a product of our upbringing, we are not destined to wallow in it. We can rise, up, overcome and be better for it. I can guarantee that my children will find fault with at least one of the things we have chosen for them in their childhood . . . no parent is perfect. We can learn and grow from our past.

I work toward having a more harmonious home for our family than I had growing up. I often fail. When faced with a stressful situation, my fight or flight reflex tells me to fight…when I should probably just put myself into a time out!

You have a chance to watch this powerful movie starring Chazz Palminteri, Andi McDowell, Jodelle Ferland, and RaineyQualley (Andi McDowell’s very talented daughter!), in select theaters May 25, 2012. 

*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating

A “Mighty Fine” Movie is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

I hope that you are all enjoying your extra special day! I’m having kind of a quiet morning at home as the twins are fighting a virus of some sort. But, I have a quiet house…which is so rare!

I thought I’d share a few special photos with you!

A little over 40 years ago, after years of waiting and praying, I made this woman a mother!

Then, almost 16 years ago, Dakotateen made his appearance, thrusting me headlong into motherhood.

But I was not alone! I had so many wise women to guide me in my journey through motherhood! My grandmother, mom, mother-in-law, aunts, friends…all of you helped me be the mom I am today (and I am still a work in progress!).

I have a few special treats for all of you!

First…today only, the Motivated Moms App is on sale for $3 off in the iTunes store! I love this app, i can just check my chores off on my list and if I stick to it, my whole house looks pretty decent by the end of the week!

Second, if you are meeting Mom for dinner today and want to make her a quick something extra, My Memories Suite has this FREE cute PhotoBox kit!

Remember enter code STMMMS9458 at check out if you want $10 off a software download.

Third, I have a copy of Emily Cook’s Weak and Loved: A Mother-Daughter Love Story to give away to one of my readers! Simply comment here, and I will choose a random commenter on Friday, May 18th!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day! is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

Now that my good pal Essie has resumed stay at home mom status (at least for now), she is back at my beck and call…which means I can phone her when I’m bored. Which, actually happens a lot. Because dishes are boring, and folding laundry, and sitting in a parking lot waiting for a kid. All boring.

So, yesterday talk turned to chocolate. It began as chocolate chips in banana bread…which is a total no go in my house (poor kids)! I’m a banana bread purist, and the chocolate is just too much.

Then I launched into all of my chocolate rules. At which point, Essie pointed out that, once again, I have far too many rules.

Here are my chocolate rules (in case you want to chocolate shop for me):

• No dark chocolate (I’m not eating chocolate for my health anyway! –exception I will eat one Hershey’s Special Dark miniature if I get desperate.
• No nuts in my chocolate– exception Snickers bar.
• No citrus flavoring.
• A brownie is not chocolate.
• No chocolate on chocolate (I don’t want to have to distinguish between chocolate flavors) exception I will eat a slice of Nancy’s Homemade chocolate cake with her fudgy chocolate frosting…
• No cheap chocolate. European is ideal…but I’m poor…Hershey’s or Dove are acceptable, dollar store chocolate is not worth the calories.
• No chocolate in coffee… exception White Mocha, which, let’s be honest, is really a creamy vanilla.

Yes, I’m quirky. I own it. I’m actually not a huge chocolate fan (can you tell?) However, leave sweet, chewy candy around and kiss it good-bye! I’m going to devour your licorice and your gummy bears!

Chime in! What are your quirky food rules?

My Chocolate Buying Guide is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

It is risky to fall asleep in random spots around the house when you have four older brothers. Lesson learned.

Wordless Wednesday: Emmy is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

It is no secret that our dog Shadow causes me at least a little stress each day. He is overly attached to me, needy and not just a little bit loud.

However, he is an important part of our family…mostly because the children love him so. And love him they do! The girls are starting to become rather attached to Shadow, and the little boys argue over who gets to sleep on the bottom bunk so that he can sleep with Shadow.

I’m attempting to not only create a more well behaved poodle, but I also am trying to get him to attach more to the children and less to me. The girls have taken an interest in training him, probably because they hear me call out orders to him.

We received a sample of Cesar Cookie Crunchies this past week, so I decided that these treats for small dogs would be a perfect way for the girls to help train Shadow. He enjoys the treats, and the girls enjoy the fun cookie shapes that are sized perfectly for our miniature poodle.

So, how has my mind been changed? I can appreciate Shadow more now, as a friend of the children!

Here is a clip of the girls “training” Shadow? How do you think they are doing?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by MomCentral Consulting on behalf of Cesar and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

How Dog Biscuits Changed My Mind is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

I promised that I would show you some of the pages I create with My Memories Software today. Yesterday I downloaded probably over $100 in free kits and accessories on the giveaway blog train.  (And it is not too late…all of the freebies are available through tomorrow, May 6.)

So, today, I decided to turn on the wayback machine and scrapbook some old photos. This first page is from Mother’s Day 2009, I was very freshly pregnant…pretty sure I did not know, and we took a nice family walk! These are some of my favorite photos, and I find myself going back to them over and over.  Those boys are so sweet, and loving. They were then, and they are now!

I love how easy the software is to figure out. (If you recall, I taught myself Photoshop while I was on bedrest, but those pages took me hours, this one was minutes!) Eventually I will have my pages all printed and bound in books, but for now, I’ll make pages out of order and enjoy the process!

I thought it was fun to document my twin baby bump! I never looked at several photos at the same time before! I’m wearing the same shirt in the first and last pictures! What a difference! I used the same kit for both pages and I love how they can look so different!

These pages were made using Luv U Mom, which usually sells for $6.99, but today and tomorrow is free!

Remember, when you decide to order My Memories Suite use code STMMMS9458  at check out! You will save $10 off of the purchase price and receive a $10 gift code for the design store! That is a $20 savings! (affiliate link).

Chime in! Did you get any scrapbooking done today? I’d love to see what you did! Leave me a link and I’ll check it out!

National Scrapbook Day Update is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

I don’t know about you, but my scrapbooks are way behind. Woefully behind. I’d blame the girls arrival, but mostly it is a lack of taking the time and sitting down to work on them!

Well, friends, I have some great inspiration to work with now. As you know, I’ve been having fun playing with My Memories Suite Scrapbooking software for a bit now. I’ve mostly used it to make a new blog header and cover photo for Facebook. But I’m going to use it to catch up! It is mess free, and I don’t have to get hundreds of photos printed, I can just use all of the photos I keep adding to my computer hard drive! And, if I need to stop to make dinner…I don’t need to move my scrapbooking stuff!

The great news is this…My Memories Suite is on sale for 15% off! It is selling as an instant download for $33.97. BUT  if you use code STMMMS9458 at check-out, you will get a $10 discount off of the purchase price and a $10 credit in the design store to get some great  accessories and kits!

But it gets better! My Memories Suite Designers have a very special blog train going on this weekend and each blogger has a freebie to give away! So you can start building up a great stash of papers and embellishments for FREE!

Your friends at MyMemories would like to invite you
to climb aboard and ….

catch the BLOG TRAIN!! Start on the MyMemories Blog on FRIDAY for
FUN RIDE through some of the MyMemories  and ScrapWow Designers blogs!! Each one
has a FUN FREEBIE for you!  There are over THIRTY of them to visit!
MyMemoriesblog.com!

How cool is that! So hop on that train, then come back here and tell me what you got!

I’m hoping to set aside some scrapbooking time tomorrow! I’ll show you what I complete as I go!

*disclosure* I am an affiliate for My Memories, if you purchase using my code, I get a small commission.  In turn, that money helps offset my hosting and other blog expenses and keeps me in coffee! Thanks for supporting me!

Friday Freebies: National Scrapbook Day Goodies! is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee

This is from the last time I camped with @EssieBurns...our kids are bigger now! (Plus 3 more!)

I am so excited as write this! We are finalizing plans to go on a summer vacation! And we are bringing you along! If you remember, we really did not get much of a vacation last summer due to flooding and heavy duty renovations at church. It seemed as if the summer got away from us, and it did.

So this summer is going to be different. We looked at our calendar and blocked out all of the BoyScout and Cub Scout and church camp dates and came up with a nice long vacation for our family! So we are going to hit the road…with an iPad and Wi Fi and blogging along the way!

I’m going to give you guys an entire month of camping and vacation tips, from a life with both hands full perspective! How do we pack up a family of eight to hit the road? Do we all fit in the same car? How do we camp with toddlers? What are some great family hikes? What is the best way to set up camp? What equipment will I NOT camp without (hint…I drink it in the morning!)? What do we eat when we camp? And do I spend all day cooking?

Better yet…I’m also meeting up with my bloggy and real life BFF @essieburns from The Mommy Diaries and we are camping right next to each other! (She keeps threatening to feed my sweet kids HUGe gooey marshmallows!) She’s going to hop on my wifi rental and share some great camping wisdom too!

So, are you in? Are you going to join us for our virtual trek across the midwest? I’m hoping to make this a month long exclusive (we won’t quite be gone a month, but I’ll have so much to share!). I’m hoping to also get some great gear to give away to you as well!

What I want from you, is questions about our travels. Ask away, and you just might find a whole post answering your question. And tune in for our July Camping Adventure!

This Blog is Going on a Road Trip! is a post from: It's Time for More Coffee