Allergies, Allergies, Allergies

Thank goodness I have an opportunity to be part of an amazing group of moms because the past week is only the beginning of a really bad allergy bout for my children. It started slowly last week with Goddess complaining about her itchy eyes. The girl is allergic to grass and trees that we know of anyway (she hasn't been to an allergist yet) and insists on picking every flower she finds and than like all children, touches her face with her hands to move her hair or whatever, hence itchy, red, watery eyes. She literally was holding her eye open yesterday when I walked into her class with a birthday cake for her classmates. Thankfully I always have an allergy emergency bag with me.

As part of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew I received a big, beautiful, tote bag stating that I am a Mom Crew Member and enough allergy meds to get our family through hopefully, the next two months. At the right we are going, it may only be a month.

Yesterday I got my first call from the nurse. Handsome was in for his nose. Poor boy looks likes Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Too much blowing has made his nostrils very red and sensitive.

Every morning starting yesterday they receive a morning dose right before school. The school will still call me and tell me that the kids look terrible but at least they will be able to function. The itch will be controlled and they won't get tired. They still have to get through school so Claritin is our lifesaver. Without it, they would be dosed up on a sleepy med that only helps temporarily.

The Teach has some at work and the nurse has some at school for the kids. It will be a terrible season but thankfully, Claritin is here to help.

Are you affected by seasonal allergies?

 

 

Nothing To a Dog like Hot Dogs and Bubble Gum

The 411 by Maria:

My kids love being read to and I love books that I can read to them over and over again without getting bored myself.  JP Trouble by Ryan Hill is that. The kids have both asked me to read this book to them at least three times a week since we got it. 

They love how the dog or "Just Plain Trouble" and Johnny found each other. They get angry when Snooty Sally tries to take the dog from Johnny and they love that in the end Johnny and his friend get to be together. 
My kids by the way, are dying for a pet. 

I appreciate the story about a lonely boy and a lonely dog finding each other but more than that, I love how the author filters in some bullies who try to take the dog and in the end, lose! Hooray.
 
The colorful, fun illustrations add to this adorable book of a sad, lonely boy who really needed a friend with a dog who needed him just as much.

Weekly Top Shot - Goddess

It's my baby girl who will be 7 years old tomorrow. Where does the time go? 

Tomorrow is My Baby Girl's 7th Birthday

Oh my gosh..where has the time gone. She just asked me what I was doing tonight 7 years ago. I told her getting really excited that I would be meeting her. What a bittersweet feeling that my baby is going to no longer be considered a baby. 7! I can't even stand it.

She is so excited and while I am too, my heart aches for my little girl who I used to be able to carry around in an infant carrier until she was 3.

The Taker by Alma Katsu - A Review

The 411 by Karen (Maria Space's first freelance book reviewer):

The Taker is a classic tale of almost unrequited love.

Lanny is a young girl in Puritan Maine at the turn of the 19th century, she is in love with Jonathan, the son of the richest family in town.  Jonathan is adored by all the women of the town because he is stunningly handsome and of course because of his position.

Unfortunately Jonathan is hated by the men of the town for the very same reason.  As it goes an unlikely friendship bonds Lanny and Jonathan together and eventually Lanny finds herself with child.

Lanny's family sends her away to Boston bound for a convent in order to avoid the shame that would be brought upon the family should she stay.

Upon arriving in Boston Lanny decides she does not want to give up her baby and disappears into Boston where she is soon taken up by a group of mysterious characters who have their own dark agenda. Lanny finds herself involved in a world far removed from her sleepy Maine home and soon in an unreal battle against evil in its most base form.

Adair a wealthy royal from the old world has just arrived in Boston and is the toast of the town. Adair takes a special liking to Lanny and her world will forever be changed.

This book is a page turner leaving the reader with many questions and a hunger for the second of this trilogy.

While it took until the end of the book to find out what Lanny is and I am still not 100% certain, the build up was appreciated. There were many times, I felt that the story had some unnecessary moments and the same amount of time, I felt that moments should have been elaborated on.

I would be remiss not to mention the amount of sex in the book. While it wasn't offensive to me, there was a lot of non-consensual, violent sex and this could put off some readers. With that being said, it depends on what you like to read and I leave that up to you, the reader.

On another note, the cover, is beautiful and demands to be read.

The Dash Diet for Weight Loss Available April 17th

The 411 by Maria:

I am always surprised that I learn something new or get a pearl of wisdom from diet books. After reading one you feel like you have read them all. They all start with the basics and if you have half a brain, by now you know that in order to lose weight you need to burn more than you take in. We cannot eat anything we want and think we are going to maintain our perfect body weight.

Why this book is different is that it doesn't try to take a one size fits all approach to weight loss. The plan is based on your overall perfect weight combined with your level of activity on a daily basis. It also takes into account the types of food you like and how we need to focus on high volume-low calorie foods. Makes complete sense if we use one of the examples from the book which is a slice of watermelon has far fewer calories than the same size of chocolate cake. So, eat the watermelon!

The Dash Diet also focuses on food that takes longer to consume. Foods that require more chewing and take longer to eat or beneficial to your weight loss because they trigger the fullness signal sooner.

The Basic Dash System:
Determine your calorie target
Learn the number of servings you should have a day from each food group
Learn what counts as a serving or the Hi-Lo-Slo Foods, (High volume, Low calorie, Slow ingestion.) East Peasy!

We really love their idea for figuring out spaghetti serving size and have been using it. A bundle of  uncooked spaghetti should only be as big as a penny. This would be 2 DASH servings. Who knew we were eating enough to feed an army?

Dash isn't only about the food it is also about exercise. We all by now know we need to burn a relative amount of fuel in order to lose weight.  Dash makes it easy by breaking down a walking program that can work for anyone!

I doubt I will ever be able to give up my Dash Diet for Weight Loss Book because it is like a bible. You will go back and read it because there is so much information but it is never above your head. You don't need to be a Nutrition Expert in order to follow the plan.

Currently as a complete carnivore I am following the Meat-Eater Meal Plans but they do have Vegetarian Meal Plans also.

Big Props to this fabulous book. Check out the Dash website for more detail and follow them on Facebook too!

Click the link to Purchase: The DASH Diet for Weight Loss: Lose Weight and Keep It Off--the Healthy Way--with America's Most Respected Diet

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. No monetary compensation was received.

The Book Lover by Maryann McFadden & Video Interview

The 411 by Maria

I loved this book for so many reasons. As a book reviewer for many self published authors who are also personal friends I know how hard it is to get your book on the public's radar.  

Maryann, is obviously writing from true life.  As her main characters struggle through they have one thing in common; their love of books. Lucy is a writer and Ruth runs a book store called The Book Lover.  The story entwines the two woman who obviously were destined to meet. 

Lucy has been trying to get a publisher forever and eventually she gets a bite. Ruth loves her book is offers her shop for a book signing. Lucy packs the car and heads out on the road with a mission to drop off her book in as many stores as possible before she gets to Ruth.  Taking to the road after her husband's devastating betrayal is actually what she needs. 
  
Ruth has been trying to keep her shop afloat while, falling in love with a prisoner that she has been visiting since starting a book program in a prison. She also has faculty and a wounded son who lost the use of his legs while fighting the good fight overseas. 


Sounds like a Drama but the way Maryann weaves the story, and builds her characters makes it more of a chick flick full of friendship, love and healing. 


What made this book truly amazing for me are the details. Maryann knows Orange County NY and had me reading as if I were driving through my area. She mentions so many places I see and know every day. Warwick, Greenwood Lake, Upper Greenwood Lake, Bellvale Farms, and more. It was as if she took hometown and built a story around it.  That doesn't happen everyday. 

The Descendants

If you haven't seen the Descendants yet, you NEED to. We all watched George Clooney receive award after award and if we hadn't seen it, wondered, WHY?! Once you see the movie, you won't wonder. George does an amazing job and if I weren't already a fan, I would be now.

George plays Matt King, a descendant and executor for the King family who own a large part of underdeveloped land in Hawaii. He and his cousins are in the process of selling the land for a large amount of money much to the dismay of many. While handing that his estranged wife is in a boating accident which leaves her on life support. George must now take over the responsibility of his youngest daughter and his estranged teenage daughter. 

George and his daughters reconnect over the traumatic accident and he become the father he wants to be while dealing with his wife, a revelation about their marriage and his cousins who want to sell the land.

The movie focuses a Clooney's relationships and his dealings with it. You will laugh and cry while pulling for Matt and how he handles life and the hand he has been dealt.

Clooney does and amazing job playing a father who now must face finally being a parent in the midst of trauma and drama.  One of his best performances ever. Very real!

The entire movie is well acted, truly believable and I cannot wait to see it again!

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Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You To Know

The 411 by Maria: 

 We LOVE this book. Back in the day I had blogs dedicated to the kids that were written in their voices. This reminds me so much of that. Written by 11 dogs to their owners, each dogs personality shines through on colorful, journal like pages. My particular favorites are the parenting advice the dogs have for their owners. "whose idea was it to put a new rug down at exactly the same time I had puppies" and "there have to be rules dear". This is the perfect book for dog lovers of all ages. Even my kids have started asking me to read the book to them. I have had to skip over and change some words but not often. They think the dogs should have their own show. They even have favorites. Goddess likes Tinkerbell and Handsome likes Dimples. Personally, I like Moonbeam, he cracks me up. Each dog has a distinct personality and you will find yourself wondering what your dog is thinking about. A+ for a fun, beautifully crafted book.

365 Day Challenge - Playing Catch Up - Day 65 - 71

March 5, 2012 - Spending any time with my kids is priceless. I love being on the deck with Goddess. She is a complete kook!

March 6, 2012 - Handsome is almost my height. Watching him ride the scooter by me on the deck I am surprised with how big my babies are getting. I remember when we got them that house in the background. My time flies.

March 7, 2012 - Goddess and the elephant. He took a trip to school with her this day and was the chosen animal of the day.

March 8, 2012 - Out for a morning walk with a friend for some talk time, we headed to Greenwood Lake, parked and walked around the village. It was a beautiful day.

March 9, 2012 - We made Hungry Girl's Squash fries. So yummy. We saved the seed to grow some squash and I am happy to report that the plant is already, 8 inches high.

March 10, 2012 - Some blooms are making their way up for an early Spring!

Searching for The Words Sparks A Memory

Handsome has recently started doing a lot of Word Search puzzles. This was something I loved doing as a kid too! When I was a kid we didn't have access to all these word find books like my kids do because we always were, struggling to pay the bills and buy food for the family so mom made up her own. She would sit and make tons of word search puzzles with themes (president names, food, holidays, months, days of the week, etc).  She would sit and neatly, write rows of letters with a few hidden words.
 
As I sit here watching my son do his word search puzzle I am so proud of him and thankful that he has allowed me to remember my mom in a way that shows how much she loved me. She worked, took care of the house, took care of us, had many friends and family, but still found time to create fun, educational puzzles.

The month of April brings mom to the forefront of my mind because she passed in April. It was April 1978 but some years it feels like it was just yesterday.

It saddens me that she isn't here to create word searches for my son. I bet she would be amazed at how smart he is. 

Maybe this week, I will sit and create a few for Handsome to do for Spring Break!

Family Play Time Giveaway

The 411 by Maria: 

What I can tell you is that this is one fabulous game for so many reasons. 

1-You can take it with you anywhere. It is compact and fits in the smallest of handbags.

2-We play it at least 3 times a day. 

3-Since we take it everywhere everyone gets to see it, we have played with as many as 8 people so far. 

4-It is a great family game and can be played by children as young as 2. If they can Spot It! They can play. No reading necessary. 

5-There are so many ways to play the game. Spot It comes with 5 different, easy to learn instructions.

6-Spot It has been a sanity saver when I am waiting with one of the kids as the other is doing their extra curricular activity. 

7-It is anyone's game. Even my 6 year old beats me. You don't have the upper hand because you are the parent. Some kids are very fast. 

We were going to do a video review but seriously, this one is great and mine would have paled in comparison.

Weekly Top Shot - Beautiful Goddess

I couldn't possibly choose between these pictures. They both make me so happy when I see my little sweetie posing like a big girl, I crack up. When I see her holding her little stuffy, I want to grab her and hold her.