Father's Day Books to Read Out Loud

This week just couldn't be complete without reading some books about daddies.  Then we'll all be in the right mood to celebrate on Sunday.  So here are the Father's Day children's books we're thinking about trying:

	"A Perfect Father's Day" by Eve Bunting looks like a fun (and funny) book.  Dad's having a nice relaxing day when his daughter decides to make Father's Day perfect by taking him to do all of his "favorite" things.
	"I Love My Daddy" by Sebastien Braun looks really sweet and simple, talking all about what Daddy's do for their kids to show they love them.
	"Froggy's Day with Dad" by Jonathan London is definitely on our list because we really like all the Froggy books.
	"Because Your Daddy Loves You" by Andrew Clements is a book I want to read over and over.  Not necessarily for the kids, but to remind myself as a parent how to react when shoes get lost and messes are made.  Plus the pictures are super cute.
	"Hooray for Dads!" with Spongebob MUST be read and reread, because we love all things Spongebob.
	"How to Talk to Dads" by Alec Greven looks interesting.  I don't know if it's one my younger kids will like, but judging from the description I think the rest of us are thoroughly going to enjoy it.
	"Arthur and the 1001 Dads" by Marc Brown includes another one of our favorite characters, and Arthur books are always perfect to have my eight year old read to his younger siblings.

I think these books will really put us in daddy-appreciation mode, or at the very least keep us happily entertained for awhile. 

11 Books to Read for Mother's Day

Reading is a big part of our day, and while the kids would be content with reading the same books over and over, I like to change it up every once in awhile.  I figured while we were going for something new they might as well go with a theme.

So here are 11 Children's Book Suggestions on the theme of Mother's Day:

	"Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman is my one of my favorite books from my own childhood.  My kids love it a lot too.
	"If I Could: A Mother's Promise" by Susan Milford looks quite endearing - it lists all the things the mom raccoon would do for her child if she could.  The pictures in this book are super cute.
	"Mother, Mother, I Want Another"  by Maria Poluskin Robbins seems like a silly and fun book about a baby mouse wanting his mom to give him another kiss, but the mom thinks her baby is asking for a different mother entirely and goes off to find one.
	"Fancy Nancy's Marvelous Mother's Day Brunch" by Jane O'Connor is definitely on our list  because I find that one can never go wrong with Fancy Nancy.
	"Hero Mom" by Melinda Hardin looks interesting because it's all about moms that serve in the  military.  And all military moms (and dads, and people in general) are heroes.
	"I Love Ewe" by Aaron Zenz is good for a fast read for the little kids.  The cute animal pictures and fun word play are sure for a quick smile.
	"Just Me and My Mom" by Mercer Mayer looks awesome to read, because I love that little critter lots and lots.  I had a little critter book when I was young and I remember relating to him a lot because he kept making messes no matter how hard he tried not to. So, naturally, he'll always be a favorite.
	"Me and My Mom!" by Alison Ritchie caught my attention because of the picture on the front of the book - it's just so cute!
	"My Mom is the Best Circus" by Luciana Navaro Powell is another quick read, and looks really promising. Because sometimes, as a mom, I feel like I'm living in a circus too.
	"Pirate Mom" by Deborah Underwood looks perfect for my second grader.  I think he'll find it hilarious to read about a mom being hypnotized into thinking she's a pirate.
	"Ramona and her Mother" by Beverly Cleary is for sure on our reading list.  Because Ramona's antics are timeless and hilarious.  Plus I haven't read this for one for a really long time.

Now we just need to get started on our list - which I'm now excited to begin.  And hopefully that will inspire you into a little mom-themed reading of your own!

Cubees Printable Characters

Have you heard of Cubees?  I hadn't until I came across a way awesome website that has tons and tons of these printable Cubee characters.

All their characters are free.  Basically, you pick your favorites, download and print, then follow the super easy instructions to put them together.  They have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Star Wars, and Princess Bride, and the Tardis, and more and more and more characters.

And you don't even need glue or tape to keep them together - it's purely a notch and flap system (so you will need to be accurate while cutting).

I decided to make Harry Potter and Voldemort.  But only because they had the Tardis, but no Dr. Who.  I'm thinking about making my own Matt Smith and David Tennant Dr's just because I WANT TO (and because I'm a humongous geek).

Would you guys want some original Peonies and Poppyseeds Cubees?  And, if so, what kind of characters would you be interested in?  Please do tell!

Free Printable Magnetic Bookmarks

Motivating my kids to keep up their reading in the summer usually has to include bribes, because days are sunny and pools are calling.  So while I was perusing for bribes I came across these super adorable magnetic bookmarks on Disney's Family Fun site.

Aren't they the cutest?!  You can download them for free at family.go.com, and then when you're done with that, you can get our magnetic owl bookmarks for free too!  

Because if you have multiple kids, you're going to need multiple options, and everyone is going to need at least two.

Happy summer reading!  (I'm thinking about laminating these so that we can read in the pool......oh, but then I'd have to laminate our book pages too....my plan may possibly be flawed.)

Get in the Spirit: Five Great Halloween Books for Kids

I am an avid reader, and I do everything I can to pass that love on down to my kids. Naturally, this means that I pick up books about all sorts of holidays and seasons, because what better way to get in the mood then by reading all about your favorite days? Here are some of our Halloween favorites:

1. Humbug Witch by Lorna Balian – This is a big hit with the girls in my house. It’s a story about a witch who looks truly terrifying, but can’t quite seem to DO witchy sorts of things. Her cackle sounds more like a giggle, and her broom? Didn’t fly!

2. A Halloween Mask for Monster by Virginia Mueller – What can I say, Monster needs a Halloween costume, but his masks are too scary. He tried to be a girl, and a boy, and even a dog, but all of those masks were just too scary. What does Monster finally decide to go as? Himself!

3. Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley – When my oldest went to kindergarten, this was the first book he checked out of the school library. Then he renewed it every time he had library for the next two years. It’s definitely a family favorite, and your kids will get a kick of telling the big green monster to go away!

4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak – It’s not really a Halloween book, but it has wild things that roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth. Max sails across the sea and becomes King of the Wild Things, but is that really what he wants?

5. The Little Green Witch by Barbara Barbieri McGrath – A spooky take on the classic Little Red Hen. The Little Green Witch’s friends don’t help with any of the unhousework, and she has to hang the cobwebs and tend the pumpkins all by herself. When it’s time to eat the pumpkin pie, the little green witch has a surprise for her lazy friends.

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Thoughts on Reading….

I finally read The Hunger Games. I was very “meh” about the whole thing, and didn’t really care about anyone. I thought I would be outraged or at least care about the ending, based solely on things I read about the series when the last book came out, but I just couldn’t bring myself to love them.  INDIFFERENCE… IT’S WHAT I DO BEST.

I also just finished reading Sons of Fortune by Jeffrey Archer. I’m undecided about him as an author, so I have to read something else he wrote before I come to any conclusion. The only reason I haven’t written him off completely at this point is because he was actually in jail. I don’t know what for, and I don’t want to know, because if it’s for something relatively boring, like tax evasion, or money laundering, it’s not going to help his case.  I’ve made up a very exciting scenario about him IN MY HEAD, and really, that’s what matters.

I read blogs in much the same way that I read books. I don’t have a favorite blogger, and I don’t know that I would recommend anyone as a must read. Sure, there are great blogs about all sorts of great things, but I find that you have to read a lot of them, all the time, and that your interests change, because, well, sometimes I don’t care about things, and sometimes I do.

Take for example right now. Right now I am on a tiny bedroom inspiration kick, because we plan on splitting one of the master bedrooms into two. Which means that I am very specifically looking for information that is relevant to my home, space, and budget.  My house is not big enough for pottery barn anything. Oh, a girl can fantasize and dream, but I think that if you asked Pottery Barn to pretty please do a narrow bedroom that sleeps two and here are your dimensions, they would laugh you back into the cereal box you live in.

I also have been reading all sorts of health books. This is not to say that I am healthy person, because I’m pretty sure that we have disputed that fact soundly, but it is to say that I like to know HOW THINGS WORK. And I like to be able to explain things to my children.

(We had a very interesting week once where we discussed VOLUME and had to do scientific experiments to show how it works, all because someone wanted to know WHY their sauce went UP when their chicken nugget went DOWN. Of course, being my children, we also had to discuss that VOLUME can also refer to the amount of space and height you have in your hair on a good day.)

I started a book by Janet Evanovich, and haven’t been able to get past page 62. I just think, that if you haven’t been able to get my attention by page 62, will you ever succeed?

That, oddly enough, is exactly how I also decided which blogs to unsubscribe from in my reader. I don’t have time to keep giving you chances to wow me. And yes, I want to be wowed. Not all the time, not even most of the time. But I’d say that 25% of the time, I want to be moved to something, be it inspiring, thought provoking, gut wrenching, or what have you.

Of course, I realize that my blog, in and of itself, is not completely amazing all of the time, but I have to tell you a secret called, “sometimes I read my archives and laugh.” This is partly because I amuse myself and partly because I think I’m awesome. Again, not ALL of the time, but enough that I would admit to having a blog of my own accord.

(What, you think that I just volunteer that information to everyone? Heck no!)

HERE’S A LESSON FOR YOU: Not everyone reads blogs, not everyone reads YOUR blog, and a lot of the people you meet JUST DON’T CARE.  If you do happen to meet someone, AND you get around to talking about blogging, THEN you can give yourself a little shout out.  But unless you’re at at blogging conference, or social media event, it’s really, REALLY annoying for you to say, “Hi. My name is  _______. Do you read my blog?” And yes, I am totally giving you this observation from personal experience.

I think it would also be important to note, that just because *I* have a blog, and just because *you* have a blog, doesn’t make us friends. Again, this is another important distinction that I have observed in my own life. Sometimes I feel like saying, I JUST DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR DUMB LIFE, but I don’t, because that would be rude. But I do think it in my head…. often.

Of course, I assume that most everyone feels the same way I do about things, and am usually in some kind of state of disbelief when people deny the words that I speak. You don’t had to admit it out loud, but *I* know, and *you* know that I’m right…. It’s one of my worst qualities, being right all the time.

I am going to start reading a new book tomorrow. It’s called The Hellfire Club, and I picked it because a review on the back flap said, “This is the scariest, goriest, creepiest, sickest, most twisted novel I’ve read in over ten years. It made me afraid to go to sleep at night and I loved every word.”  I’m really excited to see where it goes, because it sounds amazing. You know, if you’re into that kind of thing. (Which I totally am.)

Hopefully, I won’t be disappointed.

How do you decide who to read next?

Book Recommendations

I need book recommendations.

GOOD book recommendations.

And YOU, my good people, are going to help.

Obviously, I have criteria.

Criteria such as: I don’t want to read anything that I would be embarrassed to read, out loud, to my grandmother.

And also: I like political and medical thrillers, as well as science fiction/fantasy type things.

Murder mysteries are usually not fun, because I always figure it out. (Can you please get a new plot line Mary Higgins Clark?)

And I prefer not to read things that are overly dark and depressing, because reading is my escape.

Just like in the movies, I like when things blow up.

I like magic, and dragons, and time travel, and trolls, 

And vampires, and werewolves, and dragons, and pirates.

Suspense is always welcome, as is anything that will make me SQUEE out loud with delight.

I NEED to be able to go to sleep after I read a chapter, and I need to not have bad things happen to children.

I also need to to be able to turn off the lights when I’m done, because as a 29 year old woman, I am still slightly afraid of the dark. (I can’t help it… My imagination is a dark and terrible place.)

WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID: I am now gladly taking suggestions.