Adopted Ed by Darren Maddern - A Book Review

What I Can Tell You:

This is a great book for kids who have been adopted or parents who are looking to adopt. Ed is a sweet little boy with big, beautiful blue eyes. Who is loved, well adjusted and understands that he is adopted. However when he starts school, he gets teased by other children but his mom makes it all better by telling him that "adoption is a great act of love. It's a gift from the Heavens sent down from above." This appears to make it all better until Ed suddenly feels a void. The picture of little Ed with a whole in his belly was quite sad. Again, Ed's parents with kindness, love and sensitivity tell him the story as to how he came to be adopted.

What I love about this book is how sweet and caring it is. It acknowledges the child's emotions and feelings without being overly wordy. There are loads of sweet pictures of his parents hugging him and the love they feel for him is evident. The story is short and not too wordy. It is rhymey and an easy read for readers 6 and over.

The book then ends with a small page of important, leaders, writers, celebrities and others who were adopted.

Very sweet book about adoption for children as young as 4 years old.

Perfect Holiday Gift Idea - AnyBook Reader from Frankin Discover

Yesterday I mentioned an upcoming review for AnyBook Reader and I am thrilled to be able to tell you all about it.


AnyBook comes with a selection of blank stickers for recording your voice. There are also stickers that have sounds recorded in them if appropriate to the book (dog, firetruck, rain, crying, etc). The stickers are made to be removed and won't ruin your pages. You can even re-record on them or order more if you run out.

You touch the button on the pen to start the record mode. You hear a few beeps and it is ready for you to record. That's it! So easy!

Last week I quickly and easily recorded two books so that I could carry it everywhere with me. My first stop was the school where I was meeting with my son's teachers and therapists.

I opened the first book and put the reader to the sticker. They heard the book being read through the pen and then I opened the next book to show them how the reader will read anything I record into the sticker. They all looked at me in amazement.

I was asked, "how do you get the recording". I explained that I touch the pen to a sticker that I place on the page, the pen counts down and I record the page into the pen by reading. They actually thought it was Ruby on the Max and Ruby book so they were at first confused. When I told them it was me doing characters that is when they were all amazed.

Everyone stated the same thing; they have seen other readers out there but you have to literally buy books from the maker of the pen. That is what makes this pen so much better! You can literally read/record your children's favorite books and they can hear you read to them anytime.

It is the easiest thing and so personal. I love this idea for military families especially but I think this is great for anyone. Perhaps your children don't get to see their grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends often. They visit you once or twice a year. They could read a book or two for the child into the pen and your child can hear them anytime they want.

Another friend had asked about the stickers and if they can put on other things. Sure, why not. This got me thinking how great this would be for a baby learning speech or perhaps someone trying to learn another language. Place the sticker on anything, record what it is and the person can actually learn speech.

Here is how easy it is:

What a great gift idea. Imagine a child on your Christmas list opens a book of books with the pen that you have already recorded the books on! This pen says "love".

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? I wish that we all spend the day together, opening gifts, playing with the kids stuff, taking pictures, being happy and listening to Holiday music. One day of bliss! I also wish for everyone to be healthy and happy.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? We put music on, light up the tree, set up the video camera (we have video of Christmas morning from way back) get the garbage bags and let the fun begin.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? Pay my medical bills for 2010, fix my intestine and let me be financially secure for at least a year.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? I wrap all of our Christmas movies, and Christmas books, put them in a basket and do 25 days of Christmas starting Dec 1st. The kids take turns picking a wrapped gift. We open it, and either read the book or watch the Christmas movie. It is a great tradition and allows us to experience Christmas for a whole month. I add one new thing a year, sometimes it's an ornament to hang on the tree.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? We played cards and bingo.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Unfortunately, I can't remember my family doing anything special. We didn't make cookies, leave anything for Santa, sprinkle glitter and oats for the reindeer, put on Christmas music or record anything.


7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? I wouldn't really want to do a Christmas away. Christmas is at home! Home is where I want to be more than any place else. With my little family of 4. It is where I am happiest and most comfortable.

Self Portrait Sunday - November 27, 2010

Self Portrait Sunday is for you to post your photos of well....you. Come on, smile for the camera. You know you want to.

Quick snap with the Pinkberry yesterday. Today I was in no mood for pictures. Medical issues arising and need to shut down for a few to regroup with my thoughts. 

BTW, the shirt was very appropriate, wish I got more of it. It reads "Make Face Time".

Feed Me Books- Pinkalicious On Ice!

What I Can Tell You:

Author, Victoria Kahn has really created a fun, colorful, creative character with Pinkalicious. We love all the Pinkalicious books.  In this book, Pinkalicious has decided to color her skates with magic marker and for a second I was worried that my daughter upon hearing this would decide this was the way to make her shoes match her clothes. I trudged along, hopeful that Victoria knew what she was doing and kept reading without interjecting. Thankfully, the markers did what markers will do when they touch water and Pinkalicious had to deal with her skates changing and the embarrassment of "everyone seeing" her sloppy skates and the ice.

Goddess was worried for Pinkalicious and was upset that she was crying about her skates. "Poor Pinkalicious". Like every Pinkalicious book, Mommy and Daddy make it all better. Which is one of the things I love about this series. Pinkalicious is allowed to be witty, smart and funny without the cost of Mommy and Daddy looking like total fools. They always save the day. They love their little girl and make everything alright which is why she is so well adjusted.

My son and daughter both love Pinkalicious and with this book being a Beginning 1 Reader most 6 and 7 year olds will be able to read it with ease.

If you are looking to get your children or any child on your Christmas list books this year; WE highly recommend any and all of the Pinkalicious books by Victoria Kahn. We must not be the only ones because, they are never available at our local library.

Hallmark Movie - You Lucky Dog - Great Feel Good Movie for Dog Lovers

What I Can Tell You:
I am a big fan of Hallmark Channel Movies. They have a lot of heart and you always end up feeling good at the end.

Lisa played by Natasha Henstridge (Species and Species II) does a wonderful job of playing a humble city girl returning home in the wake of her mother's passing. She and her brother, played by Harry Hamiln have a wonderful, honest relationship and I loved their scenes together. The respect and openness of a brother and sister watching their father deal with his wives passing were beautiful.

Dad's cattle ranch isn't doing great and brother Jim decided to bring some sheep onto the farm against his father's wishes. He is hoping that the fleece will turn a profit but without a herding dog, the sheep are a problem.

Lisa heads to the animal shelter looking for a dog and adopts a dog she names Lucky. When she brings him home, her father tells her to remove the dog from the house.  Once Jim finds out that the dog was brought to the shelter by another herding rancher he tells her the dog must have done something wrong to have been sent to the shelter. 

Lisa looks into those big brown eyes of Lucky and knows he is special. Why wouldn't he be, look at him.

Lucky has a natural knack for herding the sheep which brings Jim around.  They discuss entering Lucky into the herding competition and hope to win some money for the ranch. When a fire breaks out after a wind storm, trapping some kids and Don, a man that Lisa is interested in. Jim and Lisa bring lucky to the scene. He herds the kids and Don to safety injuring himself in the process.

Finally Dad comes around and everyone is in love with Lucky. Dad finally explains why he didn't like dogs. It was his wife's dream to train dogs. She had a dog who he forced her get rid of after it nipped Jim when he was 2 years old. They gave the dog to the herding rancher who had gotten rid of Lucky which means Lucky could have been a descendant of the very dog his wife had to give away.
 
With a burn on his paw Lucky competes but doesn't win, however, because he is a hero, the herding sponsors Pedigree offer him the job as the new face of Pedigree dog food.

Beautiful story with a happy ending that will have dog lovers rejoicing and everyone without a dog, considering one.

ABC Wednesday - S

This letter is so much fun this round.
Monday I decided that school would have to wait, I was taking the kids out for our yearly mall visit to see Santa and spend the day together. We got to the mall at 10:12 a.m. and Santa was there and waiting. Well, they know it is not the "real" Santa. He can't be in all the malls, plus if you go to see Santa and the mall and then head out that same day to another location and they have a Santa, and he is not the same, what then? So, I have always told them, the truth; the mall Santa is not the "real" one.

Well, this year Goddess would have none of it. She is not rude but she refused to talk to "Santa". Granted he was a pretty pathetic Santa, we have seen some awesome ones over the last few years. This guy was a tiny bit bigger than Handsome. Who by the way had no problem telling Santa the 28 things on his list.

Sitting with Santa - Goddess was crying and very shy. Handsome not shy enough. He needs to learn humility.

Shy - She was so nervous she started quietly crying. In 5 years she has never had a problem meeting Santa. Poor thing.

We then headed out to a local garden center that does Christmas pretty big. We loved it and we loved this Santa.

Santa Statue - This guy was about 4.5 feet tall. We loved his face.

Siblings - They are so cute together sometimes. The rest of the time, they are fighting like siblings do.

Snowman - My kids ran to this happy guy. Who wouldn't love to have this huge snowman in their Christmas decorations this year.

The Happiness Project - What Makes You Happy?

My babies playing in the beautiful autumn weather, makes me happy.

Nella Last in the 1950's

What I Can Tell You:
I didn't fly through this book. It didn't hold my attention nor did I long to read it when I wasn't BUT, I found it very thought provoking. Nella kept a diary much of her life like a lot of us and wrote about the goings on in her life. I imagine that this is what my grandmother's diary would have read like if she had taken the time to put her thoughts down. To write in detail the daily life she led.

My favorite parts of the book were in the food details and how she talks about her husband. Such an odd relationship. So fascinating in how they skirt around certain issues not taking the liberties we take today with each other. There is a cordiality about how you dealt with people Not inserting yourself or sharing too much.  

Very interesting but not a quick read for me.

Stocking Stuffer Idea #1

Goddess and I were able to review two great brushes from Conair.

I have wavy hair and tend to pick it rather than brush it and Goddess has straight hair and I have always used a comb but that has changed since receiving our package from Conair.

There is nothing like a good brush.

For Goddess' hair we are now using the Conair Gel Grips Cushion Brush. It conforms to the shape of your hand for easy gripping. Believe me when I tell you that trying to get this girl to stop long enough for me to brush her hair is hard enough. I can't be dropping the brush while doing it too. The flexible cushion base prevents hair breakage which is so important to this little one's hair too. She has straight hair, one length and every break can be spotted quite easily.

It also smooths hair very nicely and is gentle enough to use on Handsome. He has eczema on his scalp so hair brushing can hurt him.

Beside it being one of Goddess' favorite colors, it is quite comfy to hold and very pretty.

The one I am using on mine is the Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Porcupine Round Brush. It comes in small, medium and large.

This brush also smooths and styles plus it has the tourmaline leaves hair shiny and silky. How you ask? Well, the brush uses finely crushed tourmaline, a gemstone that naturally releases negative ions, infused into the nylon bristles and ceramic barrel of the brush. 

Plus it is sexy red and is great for blow drying. Now that I have those bangs. I needed a round brush to help me style them. 

This brush is great for people like me with thick hair.

Ruby Tuesday - Christmas Decorations

Ruby Tuesday this week was really hard.
Today I headed out with the kids for our yearly mall visit (yup, once a year is enough for me) to see Santa. After the mall we headed to a garden/nursery/thingy that does Christmas pretty big! We loved it and will add it to our Christmas Yearly Ritual.

There was so much red on our stop that picking one photo is impossible.

Self Portrait Sunday - November 20, 2010

Self Portrait Sunday is for you to post your photos of well....you. Come on, smile for the camera. You know you want to.

City Girl Chocolates Has Made My Day And Your With a Sweet

While trolling Etsy the other day looking for Christmas gifts ideas and things to post for my lovely readers I spotted the coolest, idea I have seen in a long time. Really, not kidding. I love it.

City Girl Chocolates makes the cutest, hot chocolate melts and melties.

What I Can Tell You:

We had just returned from a very cold soccer field when I saw the box from City Girl Chocolates sitting on my steps. It was almost impossible to open the door, get the kids changed, throw their clothes in the laundry, make handsome lunch knowing what was in the box and how cold Goddess and I were.

I somehow managed to keep my eye on the prize while doing my Mommy duties. It was hard and I was dying to share with Goddess what was in the box but she would have driven me crazy so I waited until I was done.

We opened the box and wa-la. Behold the goodies.

Goddess couldn't wait and it took her a while to decide which one was the one we should try to warm up.

We are saving these little cuties for later.

Right now as Goddess sees this post she is saying, "those are are so yummy!"

Here she is while I was heating up the milk. Just a little excited no!?

It was really hard for us not to semi melt the chocolate and eat it right from the stick like a chocolate lollipop.

We loved them. Goddess thinks we should give them to everyone we know and believe me, if I could, I would. We are going to purchase some for our teachers and aids this year. Usually I make something, but I am dying to share these with someone.