Addicted to Books

I’m addicted to books. I freely admit this. I have stacks and stacks of them in every room in the house. We have shelves filled with books. My bedside table has 6 books on it right now. There are more on the dresser, several in my car. Books are everywhere in my life.

It’s no wonder I’m a writer!

Several weeks ago, my husband and I went to a Valentine’s Day party where we played the “Not Quite Newlywed Game” (and came in 2nd place!). My husband had to fill in he blank for the following sentence:

My wife has more _______ than anyone I know.

I thought he’d say shoes.

Know what he put?

Books.  He was SO right!

I’m also addicted to the computer. I have my own web site, co-founded another site called The Naked Hero, write bi-monthly with The Stiletto Gang, and just launched two more sites called Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens.

What do they all have in common?

Books?  Ding ding ding...that’s right!

Of all my projects and blogging, I’m most excited about Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens. It launched on February 15th, and the response has been phenomenal! Turns out other people love books, too.

They love free books even more.

These two sites are all about building a community of readers. The goal is to bring great books to readers, and to help readers discover great books.

Every Sunday evening, a new book and author are featured. There are video interviews (our first week, we featured children’s author Jane Kurtz who talked about her upbringing in Ethiopia, her passion: Ethiopia Reads, and her new books, Lanie and Lanie’s Real Adventures, the 2010 American Girl Doll Lanie Holland books; 6 copies of her books were given away!, we’ve featured NY Times Best Seller Allison Brennan, YA author Suzanne Crowley, and now we have best selling children’s author Joan Holub!), Q & As with the authors, and more. Enter each week for a chance to win the featured book(s).

That’s all there is to it! What better way is there for a reader to discover a new-to-them -author, and what a great way for a writer to showcase their books to potential readers?

Susan McBride was the inaugural author on Books on the House.  This week, my new release, Hasta la Vista, Lola! is being featured.   I’m giving away 4 copies of  the second Lola Cruz myster.

As I said, Jane Kurtz was the inaugural author on the Kids and Teens site, and now we’re featuring Joan Holub and her books Twinkle, Star of the Week and Groundhog Weather School.  Her books are SO fun!!

I’m thrilled about Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens and the potential for the sites to really help build a community of readers. We have some fabulous authors and books lined up including:

NY Times Bestseller Jane Yolen with her new graphic novel
NY Times Bestseller Brenda Novak
Children’s author Joyce Stengel
Children’s author Debbie Dadey
and so many more!

I hope you’ll check out Books on the House and Books on the House for Kids and Teens and help build our community of readers. Tweet about it! Spread the word! Books are a good thing to be addicted to!

Tell me who your favorite authors are, both adult and children, so I can try to feature them on Books on the House!

DIY Ways to make learning to write fun

As my preschoolers have learned their letters were are now working on helping them learn to write them.  We are no where near the “writing our own names” stage, but here are some ways that we are learning to trace letters and shapes.  Hopefully, developing the fine motor skills they will use in penmanship for the future.  Here are three of our favorite – make-it-yourself – resources.  I bet these can be adapted for both older and younger learners.

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First we have sticky sticks. We made these at home one afternoon, they are great for molding and for tracing letters.  You can also use them for “dot-to-dot” activities. I drew the letters out first for my daughter, but for a more advanced writer, you can leave the dots and have your child “guess” the letter they are tracing as they use the sticky sticks to go from dot-to-dot and form the letters….

We have also created a mini-whiteboard out of an old CD case.   Our kids are still at the early stage of writing, so I need to write the letter first (usually in one color of dry erase marker) and then our kids will trace the letter I wrote in another marker.

If your child is already able to write letters, you can play a guessing game where you write the letter and try to guess what the letter is before you are finished writing it – you can also do the same “game” with words.

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This last learning resource is my son’s favorite!  He especially loves the way that the gel “squishes”. They are super easy to make with things you should already have at home (ziplock baggie, hair gel & food coloring). Basically, I filled a bag with gel, added the food coloring, used packing tape to seal the top and let the kids have fun!

We traced letters, maps, pictures, and even just “squished” the bag with our hands. Be careful, the bags can burst with enough force.

DFW Family Expo

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, family-friendly excursion in Dallas this Saturday, March 13^th, head down to Centennial Hall at Fair Park for the inaugural DFW Family Expo, put on by Metroplex Baby and Kids (MBK), and benefitting Children’s Medical Center.

It promises to have something for family members of all ages and stages, including on-site baby gear demonstrations for new and expecting parents and a toddler zone with bouncehouses and face painting.  Even mom and dad can take part in the fun by stopping by the Tony & Guy booth in the Home & Family Services section for mini touchups and TIGI product samples.

“There really is something for everyone! With specially designed sections, exhibitors and providers are able to cater to the consumer’s needs… Those looking for deals can head over to the Market Place and Resale Zone to shop for clothes and more, at prices 40%-60% off retail. There is so much more with amazing giveaways, children’s concerts and even trackless train rides,” says Barbara Arnondin, Co-founder of MBK.

Tickets to the Expo are $3 for adults and $2 for children 2 and over. All the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Children’s Medical Center. On-site parking is $10, but attendees are encouraged to take DART (a Green Living sponsor and official transportation provider) for easy and inexpensive access to the Expo. You may also find free parking nearby at the Women’s Museum.

Some of the other sponsors include all three major baby retailers- Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby and Lone Star Baby & Kids. Industry leaders like Britax, Maclaren and Born Free will also be on-site to demonstrate their products and answer questions. This is only a fraction of the companies represented at the Expo.

For a complete list, more details, and to purchase tickets online, check out www.DFWFamilyExpo.com.

Jill is the DFW mom of a son.  She was once a self-proclaimed priss who traded in pointy toed high heels, daily trip to Starbucks between business meetings, and aspirations to be the next Katie Couric for life as a mommy.  She blogs at Baby Rabies.

Reading Friends Preschool/Kindergarten

I had the opportunity to visit Reading Friends Preschool and Kindergarten in the Highland Village a few weeks ago. I was excited because it is a place that I had heard about from one of my friends as having a really structured, yet creative approach to learning.

The Reading Friends program is is an academic Preschool for children ages 2 through Kindergarten which is structured and multi-sensory.  They take abstract/academic subjects and make them age-appropriate, concrete and meaningful to your young child.

And all of this is delivered in a fun, loving and nurturing environment.

Imagine visiting a jungle (aka Reading Friends Pre-Kindergarten Language Class for 4 year olds):     A different book introduces a jungle friend, and each friend represents a different letter of the alphabet.  The explorers sing along with Sis the Snake and her Jungle Band.  Mag the Monkey leads out with song and dance.  Tat the Toucan teaches about tattling.  Pal the Parrot demonstrates the importance of cleaning up after an adventure.  Every character has its own unique personality, and the kids adore them all! Language is exciting when jungle friends lead the way through learning letters and sounds.

There is great joy and learning by DOING.

Reading Friends was started here in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and has been teaching DFW kids for 21 years.  Their unique and innovative learning program has been developed and refined over the years.  The Phonics Advantage curriculum is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach of teaching phonics and language structure.

The bottom line is…it works!

The kids have fun participating in every aspect of learning.

What I loved the most about the school was the incorporation of exercise, movement and sensory activities into every activity. As a (no longer practicing) Physical Therapist, I know how exercise and movement impact brain function. As a mom of three boys, I know that energy expenditure is essential! Reading Friends keeps their students moving while learning.

Parents love the school almost as much as the kids do…

I met with Graham’s teacher today for the first Parent Conference and she had nothing but good things to say. I have to share that Graham had a green (best behavior) EVERY DAY for the 1st 6 weeks! So we’re off to a great start.  Just wanted to reiterate that I know Reading Friends gave us such a great foundation for K and beyond, and we are so grateful for that. –Kim, Parent of former Reading Friends Student

Burb Mom is excited to announce a Reading Friends coupon for our readers:

Special Offer for new families at the Moccassin Trail, Lewisville location –receive $75 off your first month’s tuition (limit one per family).

It really is something you should check out.  The school is located convenient to Flower Mound, Highland Village and Lewisville at 1439 Moccassin Trail.  You can find out more information by calling Marlo Senick, School Director at (972) 317-7772 or by filling out this form.

You will know if this is the right place for your child after exploring what Reading Friends has to offer…

Silence

I’ve been finding it difficult to write.  I don’t know why since a TON has been going on but I just don’t know how to put what I am thinking, what I am feeling, into words.  We traveled to the US for Christmas and life has been crazy since.  We were stuck in snow in NYC, had a scare thinking that our son might need hearing aides (he doesn’t), lost a passport (and a stuffed monkey), and then my grandmother passed away (she lived a long, full life).

A week after returning home to Nigeria in January the city in which we live experienced a week of fighting.  Tensions had been high for a long time and on January 17^th the “ice broke” …in parts of town people were shooting their neighbors and burning down houses.  The crisis broke out due to political, religious and tribal differences.  We stayed “locked” in our compound for almost a week, safe but uncertain of what was going on around us.  While we are so thankful God protected us during a tumultuous time, we grieve for our neighbors who lost family, homes and possessions.

Yesterday, February 20^th, my husband and I joined a group called Global Relief in taking some small relief to victims of the “Crisis of 2010”.  We assisted the group in sorting clothes and medicine and then delivering the clothes, medicine, food, blankets, and mosquito nets to 125 needy families from a neighborhood that has practically become a ghost town.

While it was devastating to see streets of houses burned and few people walking through once bustling streets, it was encouraging to hear the hope in the voices and the faith that so many had.  How would I deal with such a situation?  I can only hope that I would forgive and begin to rebuild my life as many of these people are doing.

The group we served yesterday is just a small number of the many who have been displaced and who have lost loved ones.  Plus, there is still tension and unrest in many parts of town.

We continue to pray for peace in our city and for forgiveness and calm.  I would ask you to pray with us for the city of Jos, Nigeria.  Thank you.

And the winner is… (How to host a family-friendly Awards party)

Back in my college days, when life revolved around such things as rushing home from class to watch soap operas and waiting around for Whattaburger to begin serving taquitos at 11pm (By the way, I sure do miss the metabolism of my early 20’s. I cannot even look at a taquito these days without gaining a pound or two), my friends and I would host an Oscar party every year. Ballots would be cast, food would be consumed, money paid out to the winner and good times were had by all.

These days those college friends are in the same parenting boat as the husband and me…the boat that involves bath times, time-outs and sippy cup refills as opposed to lots of time spent palling with friends. Max and Ruby get more screen time on the family television than Oscar-nominated films. We do get to walk the red carpet on occasion…mainly because someone spilled juice on it a few months back and the stain has yet to be removed.

However, this year I am bringing back the Oscar party. Rather than sitting on the couch in my frumpy mom yoga pants to watch the glitz and glamour this award season, I am taking the time to create a family-friendly Academy Award party that adults and children will both enjoy.

Want to get your family in on the awards-party action? Below are some ways I set the stage at my house for some Academy Award fun.

Put on the Ritz. No Oscar ceremony is complete without some celebrity sporting a million dollar diamond. Do not be left watching all the glamor in a frumpy pair of sweats. Toss on that formal leftover from last year’s Caribbean cruise. Have the husband slap on a tie and let the children raid the dress-up boxes. Arrive in style to the party…even if “arriving’ merely means entering the living room from the bedroom.

Create a cinematic spread. No party is complete without delicious food. Consider creating an entire menu based on this year’s nominated films or swing by Le Popcorn in Southlake and scoop up one of their interesting (Dill pickle and loaded baked potato) popcorn creations. Get kids in on the kitchen action by having them make “Red Carpet roll-ups”. Simply buy red colored sandwich meat (ham and bologna work well for this), spread with traditional sandwich toppings, roll-up and cut into bite-sized pieces. When considering food, do not forget the libations. Obviously, leave out the alcohol but be sure to make drinks fun. Consider serving Shirley Temples or Roy Rogers to keep everyone well hydrated during the show.

Enhance everyone’s viewing pleasure. Transform the traditional family room where everyone gathers on a daily basis for some TV time into something a bit more grand. Line the floor with gigantic stars cutout of poster board. Write each family member’s name on a star, creating a personalized Hollywood Walk of Fame. Create a red carpet out of a red disposable table cloth (easily found at local dollar stores). Give every family member the chance to walk the red carpet and have their picture taken by “paparazzi”. Finally, make couches and floors a bit more comfy by throwing around some extra pillows and blankets. Television watching is often times more fun when the family can snuggle together.

Vote! The exciting part of award shows is seeing who goes home a winner and who leaves empty handed. Have each family member cast their votes before the show. Printable ballots are easily found on-line. Find ones that can be easily marked in order for young children to be able to join in on the action. Have a prize for the family member with the most number of correct predictions.

This award season do not merely watch the action from the sidelines of the family couch. Involve every member of the family in on the fun. A family-friendly party is a great way to spend some quality time together enjoying one of America’s cultural phenomenons.

What’s for breakfast? Pancake Sandwiches! Yummy!

This will be a new “favorite food” for my preschoolers! My son was so proud that “he made breakfast”.  My son Z loves cooking, he loves helping in any way!  He loved mixing up the batter for us.   We used some of the batter to spell our names with pancake letters and made mini-pancakes with the rest of the batter.  These were the perfect size for little hands to grab!  A tip we use to keep the mess to a minimum, especially when my two-year old is the one cooking:  Put the batter into ziplock bags (here is a demonstration of what I mean).   Cut a corner out of the bag and pipe the batter onto your griddle.  When I let Z pour the batter my stove is covered!  Using bags of pancake batter lets him participate more in the cooking process.

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How to make these yummy sandwiches? Grab two pancakes, lather on the peanut butter, add slices of bananas and you have a hit with kids and mommy alike!   I can see us making variations in the future with eggs and bacon, or with breakfast sausage patties.  These would be great to make for road-trips or other out-and-about mornings!  Have you ever made a pancake sandwich before?  I’d love to hear how you made them!

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Rachel is mommy to three preschoolers and blogs about their learning adventures and activities at Quirky Momma.  Another favorite breakfast food of theirs is Freezable Breakfast Burritos.  We love the convenience!

Air Travel with a Toddler

Oh no! I am traveling with a toddler.

Traveling with a toddler is a gamble. Rolling the dice on toddler behavior can cause even the calmest parents’ hearts to skip a beat.  As the mother of three boys, I want to introduce you to what I have learned after years of plane travel experimentation:

Holly’s Toddler Travel Tips:

• All non-toddler related luggage needs to be checked.
• Pack toddler-related necessities in a shoulder bag or backpack – you are going to need your hands free.
• Pack your necessities in the same bag so you are carrying only one.
• Edit what you are taking on the plane.  If your toddler doesn’t color at home, it is only wishful thinking to pack a coloring book for the trip.
• Do not skimp on diapers or toddler finger food.
• Plan ahead how you will negotiate security – who will take all the toddler-stuff and who will take the toddler.
• ALWAYS travel with your child’s car seat.

The airlines don’t always embrace the use of the car seat on the plane, but I have found it to be a necessity.    The ONE  AND ONLY time my family traveled on a plane without a car seat and with a toddler in our lap we vowed to never travel again. The child spent the entire flight trying to escape into the aisle.  By the end of the flight, I was exhausted trying to contain him.

After recovering from the trip, we reconsidered and evaluated where we had gone wrong.  We realized that our children have been conditioned to sit in a car seat in the car since birth and are used to traveling that way.  There is no reason to change that variable.  A child strapped into a car seat on a plane can’t escape to the plane’s aisle.  It is the perfect toddler containment system.  Another bonus is that you are going to need the car seat at your destination.

To make the whole airport experience easier, we rigged up a rolling car seat:

It is a large folding luggage cart with wheels that the our regular car seat can be strapped onto with one strap. It is important not to make it too complicated because about 50% of the time you will be required to dismantle it through security.  We have our toddler ride through the airport strapped into the seat which helps us keep track of him.

Most plane aisles past first class will not accommodate the width of this contraption.  I dismantle it right before boarding the plane and carry on the seat.  Once on the plane, I install the car seat and then the child into it as soon as possible.  The less time the child has to realize they can walk around the plane, the better.

I have one other recommendation -  prime the child. For weeks leading up to the trip I talk about how we will be on a plane, how he will sit in his seat on the plane, and how he will fall asleep in his seat on the plane.

When it works, it is PURE MAGIC!

Holly lives in Texas and is the stay at home mom of three boys ages 4, 6 and 8.  Her family’s travels usually take them to the mountains of Colorado where the entire family loves to ski.  She writes at June Cleaver Nirvana.

I shopped the consignment sales and survived!

Watches were repeatedly checked to see if the appropriate time had arrived. Eyes shifted about cautiously, assessing the competition. Legs and arms were stretched, ensuring that muscles were warm and limber.

Surveying this group of women (and one lone man) that had convened in the halls of the Plano Centre, one might think these mamas were getting ready to begin a 5k race or compete in a great physical feat of motherhood. No one would suspect these women were preparing to do some serious shopping.

I am not speaking about a dash of frantic women searching for ridiculously cheap wedding gowns or barging through the doors of a newly opened Nordstrom Rack.

No, my friends. These women were on the prowl for children’s clothes.

Recently I found myself in the middle of these moms, stroller in hand, running shoes laced up and credit card searing a hole through my wallet in hope of being used. I was waiting for the doors of the Plano Centre to be opened and to join the masses as I shopped the  Divine Consign sale. Once 4:30pm (my allotted shopping time) finally arrived, I attempted to nonchalantly speed walk to the girl’s 2T section to scour the racks for smocked dresses marked at deeply discounted prices. I secured a spot in the 2T’s and began quickly examining the clothes on the rack, pleasantly surprised by the amount of Gymboree, Baby Gap and boutique labeled clothing I came across. My stroller filled quickly as I acquired a nice little wardrobe for my child, including a few smocked dresses and a precious pair of  overalls with attached tutu.

After some time spent in the girls section, I wandered over to the boys section and gathered some great things for the little man in my life. Although polo shirts and jeans do not hold the same excitement level as frilly dresses, I was again thrilled when I found several pairs of NWT (“New with tags” to those of you who shy away from browsing eBay in the middle of the night for a shopping fix while the rest of the house sleeps) Gap jeans which will be perfect for preschool. Not a tear will have to be shed or a stain stick used in vain when said jeans return home from school covered in paint drops or bearing a worn knee. Boys are rough on their clothes and I breathe a bit easier knowing my son is most likely mucking-up a pair of $5 jeans as opposed to a $30 pair as he enjoys his days at school.

Next season’s wardrobes secured for both children, I headed off to the toy section. I selected a few things for each child (Diego action figure for the boy, Snow White costume for the girl) and stocked up on some things for upcoming birthdays. Next stop was the book and movie section, where I came away with some great titles for just a few dollars. By this point the stroller was becoming heavy and my shopping time was winding down. I bypassed the section of outdoor toys, feeling a tug at my heart as I passed over the adorable children’s easel that was marked at a reasonable price. I managed to resist the urge to purchase it, knowing that our home is currently not in need of such big items. After congratulating myself on demonstrating such willpower, I scooped up a pair of new red Mary Janes for my daughter and a few booster seats for a friend, then  found my way to a check-out station and paid for the goods.

As I loaded all my finds into the car, my muscles felt like perhaps they had participated in a 5k as opposed to a shopping extravaganza. However, I pulled out of that parking lot smiling because I knew the physical exertion was worth the money I had saved by taking the consignment route as opposed to purchasing such items in retail stores.

Besides, retail stores often frown upon moms who speedwalk (nonchalantly, of course) to the 2T section.

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Afraid that you have already missed out on the deals of Divine Consign? No worries. Divine Consign Plano is this weekend, March 7-9. Details, directions and information are all available on Divine Consign’s website.

Save the mommy, save the world

Constant mess, checkout line tantrums, ignore-mommyitis, and that dreadful babysitter biting episode aside, the Maiden is not a bad kid.  But sometimes– particularly when all the behaviors converge in the same forty-minute stretch– I get a little overwhelmed.  How can I raise her to be a productive member of society, when her devil horns are sometimes so realistic that I could hang laundry on them?

I recently read a quote that puts things into perspective:

“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn’t change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.” ~Author Unknown

True indeed!  Society is made up of families; in fact, families function like miniature societies (sadly, though, we rulers can’t tax our residents.  Or can we?).  And families are made up of individuals with different needs, interests, and strengths.  Although we can raise our kids to the best of our ability, we can’t really control them any more than we can control our cities, our nations, or the world.  However, we can change ourselves.  If we want our family to go in a certain direction, maybe we’re the ones who need to start.

I can’t make the Maiden behave like a model citizen, although  I can encourage her (with positive reinforcement when she’s good, and threats of reform school when she’s bad) to behave in a certain way.  I can’t change the Man (and if I try, he tries to change me, and then we both change from happy to annoyed).

But I can change myself.  I can change my attitudes and reactions and responses.  I can change the way I deal with the people in my life.  How I choose to act and think and speak is up to me, but it’s going have an impact that reaches my family, and through them, society at large.

I can influence the direction of the world without leaving the sofa!

But for now, the world will have to wait– there’s a Maiden who needs a bedtime story.

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