I have to say there are so many lovely kiddos in my life. Be it my grandbabes or Princess Emma or our brand new baby SJ who arrived yesterday. So happy to finally get to meet him.
Of course with kiddos the instinct is to protect and provide for them. It seems to be automatic to me. So every time I grow close to a child I start thinking of what I could do to help make their life easier. Currently I wish I could give SJ a calm loving bedroom for him to come home to. This is the one I would pick if I could.
I love The Very Hungry Caterpillar so much. It lets me know how much life is ever changing. This is a set up that will be coming to the Pottery Barn soon. Watch out for it.
Another bedroom I love would be for Princess Emma. She recently moved into her pink bedroom that Other Mother and Papa have been working on for her. Don't you think this would work out too?
Another item I want to share soon is the new Dinosaur Train book, Dinosaur Train Lift the Flap “Let’s Go To Volcano Valley,” from Reader’s Digest. It will be on my list for my Grandbabe. He loves Dinosaur Train and Buddy. Add in the books that they read every night, he would be very interactive with this one. It is a perfect present for him. I am excited that the grandbabes will be coming to visit with me very soon. It has been over a month. I think I am going into nonnie withdrawal.
What do we plan on doing? Well I have a large collection of rocks here at my home. It was built by a mason. And some of the most interesting rocks are right here in my back yard. So I thought that in honor of National Recreation and Parks Month we would do a rock hunt. Add in our lil pool for water time, it seems we can cool off too! Summertime is here and what better way to spend the summer with family and friends than on an adventure to visit one of our national parks and/or recreation destinations. July is Park and Recreation Month in the U.S., and the theme for this year’s celebration is “Rock Your Park.” Since we can not do a major trip, I thought a 'stay-cation' right here would work. What do you suggest we add in?
It is all a haze for me right now. I have gifts this way and that way. And trying to figure out what to do with the rest of them. Tomorrow is the trip to the Grandbabes and I am wrapping all around. Oh, I am going to share with you too!
So let's look at the last of the gifts for a 3 yr old and 7 yr old. Tell me what do you think about them. Our 7 year old girl loves to read and I love to give her books. And it is something my grandmother did with me too. I am including 'My Best Friend, Abe Lincoln-A Tale of Two Boys from Indiana'. It has always been wonderful to share the story of Honest Abe with kids. Teaching them so many moral lessons from a man that has been admired for ages. In this book we have a fictional best friend that is sharing what it was like to grow up with Abe. The second extra love here is the illustrations by John W. Ewing. He has done art work for Disney films including Winnie the Pooh and Jungle Book. I promise you will not be let down.
I also have 3 books from Dinosaur Train to share with both children. I just know that they will love these as some of their bed time reading. Pretty great that their mom does that for them. These are part of Get Caught Reading, a nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read. May is Get Caught Reading month, but the campaign is promoted throughout the year. Get Caught Reading is supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
The Buddy & Friends board book, from Grosset & Dunlap, join Buddy as he travels aboard the DINOSAUR TRAIN to introduce kids to some of his friends. Packed with full-color images from the show, this simple book is a perfect introduction to DINOSAUR TRAIN's many species! SRP $5.99. Ages 3–5.
A Surprise for Mom!, from Grosset & Dunlap, is a beautiful picture book that follows Buddy and his siblings as they begin to plan something special for Mrs. Pteranodon on her special day. Read along as Team Pteranodon searches high and low for the best gifts ever! SRP $3.99. Ages 3–5.
Tiny Learns to Fish, from Grosset & Dunlap. The first reader in the Dinosaur Train program follows Mr. Pteranodon as he takes the kids to the big pond to teach them how to fish. There's just one problem. Tiny can't catch a fish, and Buddy can't fly, so they team up to catch fish together! This Level 1 reader is perfect for young fans, who are starting to read on their own. SRP $3.99. Ages 3–5.
I also know how much they love music. Especially since the dad to my grandson is an accomplished musician. So we put in Star Rock for Kids! This is a compilation of songs created by Lisa Damiani who is a 1989 Star Search Winner. (Yeah showing my age there!) There are songs on here that I would sing along with too. Weather it be Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy to We Got the Beat to my all time favorite teen angst song, I Will Survive. So many different eras here sung by kids from the ages 7 to 17 years old. Of course I am going to have to beat Princess Emma off of this one. She is such a DIVA singer.
I shared a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Mote with the kids at Christmas. I have another to give them, thus they will have one each. This one will be with the DVD of Mickey's Great Outdoors. I love that there is both a DVD in this and a digital copy so they can see it on the computer and portable players too. We played with the Mickey Mote during the holidays and had so much fun. Mickey's Great Outdoors is perfect with summer arriving. I love the idea of camping out at the lake and fishing too. Did you know that the young ones do not need a fishing license either (but you do!).
I also want to introduce the kids to some of Nickelodeon's original shows. College Girl's favorite was The Wild Thornberrys. Watching as this family traveled the world looking for rare animals. And Eliza (the youngest) has the gift to speak with the animals. There was so many great lessons learned during her days of Nickelodeon. Did you have favorites that you watched? Was it Jimmy Neutron or Hey Arnold? Mine was the early days when we watched Ren & Stimpy. I am so happy that I have all of season one on DVD. The grandbabes love movie time. And having several shows of the series to help when they are tired and need some down time. I use that period to get some of my household chores done.
Another of College Girl favorites was the Veggie Tales. It was a teen youth group show that sparked many sing-a-longs. Great fun and wholesome entertainment too. The grandbabes get to have the new Veggie Tales Live! DVD with 18 silly songs on it. I think the pick-a-song singalongs will be fun to watch with the grandbabes. Such lil super star! Now this being a 'live' event (for fake veggies?) we have a whole stage crew that interacts with the whole gang. And yes they are all there with Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato. College Girl is hoping that the Song of the Cebu will be on there. But she would be willing to get up and show off during The Dance of the Cucumber. I am hoping that I get to hear The Bunny Song. Did you have any favorites from the Veggie Tales? You can see a lil of what is to right here.
Top it off.....we have one to giveaway! Yeah sure enough. You can share this with your kiddos too. Just leave me a comment with you fav veggie tales song. And make sure I have a way to contact you when you win! My fingers are crossed just for you....oh and you too....oh and way way way in the back there.....yeah, you too!
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
Image via WikipediaGood morning folks. Thought I would have my morning coffee with you. Take a lil time to decompose for a bit. How about you? Having a good day? Ready to jump into a new project? Or how about finish up that one you been working on?
I have been pretty busy of late. But enjoying all that has been going on as well. College Girl is on her last week of finals for the year. We are all waiting with baited breath (doesn't that sound fishy?) to see if she gets a summer theater internship. Fingers are crossed for Dallas Shakespeare in the Park. It would be perfect for her. Housing with a family friend close by and a theater she is pretty familiar with too.
Our Wee One is back up in Missouri cleaning up a few things. I can't wait til she makes it back here. It looks pretty good that she is going to move to Texas and that would make all of us happy. I am sure her family in Missouri will not be as thrilled. But it is time for her to spread those wings some and see the rest of her family here too. The Gentleman is having a rough time of it though. Prayers for him please. He does have cancer on that cyst in his throat. We are all worried as to how bad it is. Of course we also all have to wait on his appointments to know just what will be done. So keep him in mind.
By the way, did you see the Dinosaur Train giveaway, All Aboard!, over in the side column? Go enter. Easy peasy, just leave a comment with that post. Not hard is it. And congrats to Jenjo3d for winning the Mother's Day giveaway. I have another one for y'all coming up too. Actually I know of 4 more to post. Pretty cool!
In the mean time I did get a few more books finished this week. One is for College Girl since she is a year away from graduating. Lissa Raines wrote 8 Crucial Realities: Successful Choices for Graduates. I am glad as it is a pretty scary thing to look at. Having been in a formal school system for over 16 years one is never too sure of the next steps. I know that CG is tired of being alone too. So she has been searching for someone to date. Not as easy as it seems when you have set ideas. She is atypical in her recreation so she does not fit in too well around here. Between that and focusing on studies and future career guides, it can be quite a roller coaster ride of uncertainty. Thankfully she can have this book to help her create her own guidelines. Not a bad gift to give the future grad.
Another one that I have so loved this week was A Dog Named Slugger. Now I have read a little on service dogs before. And it always takes me back how amazing they are. The bond between an owner and their pets is always one that is filled with love and mutual respect. But when that animal is your arms, legs or eyes...there is much more there. Trust that they will take care of you. And pride in the abilities that they have. I love our own yellow lab, Penny Bright. She is amazing in how gentle she can be with me. But no where does she manage to do the feats of Slugger for Leigh Brill. It is with ease and grace that she shares her tale of Slugger and later on Kendra who have been her friends, service dogs and help mates for so long.
I want to thank the those who have sent me these great books to review. It is an amazing thing to have companies and authors help supply your passion. And I thank my lucky starts that you also enjoy hearing about a good book too. I appreciate the complete process and hope you do too.
Image via WikipediaI had such fun turning Princess Emma onto a new show. She has never seen Dinosaur Train. How? I don't know. Personally it is one of my favorites. I have had it on when the grandbabes are here. Emma loved the conductor and his mother. This is one of the few shows she watched the whole show and did not budge. Normally she has a spring in her butt when she is watching a show. There is a new episode on of Junior Conductor Jamboree and Troodon Train Day. This is to celebrate National Train Day! Sounds just right for Buddy and the rest of the gang. We also played the All Aboard game online too! If you love to print coloring sheets for the kids then do that too! We also call our grandbabe our lil Buddy. So I plan on sharing the Buddy with Train Car with him on his birthday!
PBS Kids is also sharing with you too! Just leave a comment about your kiddos favorite PBS show for an entry. One will get to have their own Buddy with Train Car! Make sure I have an email to contact you if you win. Leave me a comment....enter.....WIN!
Hello everyone. I have several items I want to share with you. Some for the kids and some for the kid in us. Peruse through and see what you find of interest. I bet there might be an item or two. I know I have info here on some footie pj's. I sure wish I had me a great big ol set to pad around in. My toes are back to there frozen state again. Last night Dear Hubby woke with horrid itching of his legs. Well that woke me at 2:30 a.m. I went ahead and got up til 6:30 a.m. When I went back to bed my poor house shoe clad toes were aching. At 9:00 a.m. they were still cold to the touch even though I had been in bed the last 2 1/2 hours.
Dinosaur Train ® has an all-new episode (“The Good Mom;” “Diamond Anniversary,”) premiering on Monday, January 17 on PBS KIDS® (check local listings). Mrs. Pteranodon meets fellow mom Millie Maiasaura (meaning "good mother lizard"), who is a little too over-protective of her kids. The two moms share some time comparing mothering methods in a play date at the Big Pond. The Maiasaura, a large duck-billed dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. There is evidence that Maisaura lived in large nesting colonies and that the parents diligently cared for their young. And, Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon decide to surprise each other with gifts on their anniversary. Available at Kohl’s are the “Dinosaur Train™ Striped Footed Pajamas,” just what a “good mom” dresses her toddlers in to keep them warm and cozy during the winter months! I know that we should have a set for Princess Emma soon. The dinosaur appliques and striped pattern on these footed pajamas offer timeless touches, and the footed design keep toes toasty.
On February 1st Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 on DVD and Blu-ray. The combo pack includes the "This is My Paradise" music video, Blooper Faux Paws, an interactive game and much more! I love my two lil Chihuahuas, Baby Doll and Aliea. I have had Chihuahua's most of my life. They are very loyal doggies. I can't wait to share this movie with Princess Emma. I am sure she will notice that they are the same kind of doggies as the ones that will surely be in her lap. Puppy mayhem turns the lives of newlywed Chihuahua parents, Papi and Chloe, upside down when their playful puppies present onechallenge after another. But, when their human owners find themselves in trouble, the tiny pups will stop at nothing to save them—because in good times and hard times, the family always sticks together.
Image via WikipediaThis time of year, there are few drinks I would rather have than hot cocoa; but did you know that consuming this creamy drink is actually good for you? Hot cocoa contains antioxidants which have been shown to fight heart disease, cancer and even aging! The ‘wonder’ ingredient is also found in a number of other products, drinking cocoa is actually the best way of ingesting the antioxidants because it is much lower in saturated fats than for instance eating a bar of chocolate. (Of course we all love to eat our chocolate too.) So curl up with a mug of warm, rich cocoa and treat both your taste buds and your body to a healthy, seasonal snack! Medifast has a cocoa which boasts only 110 calories per serving.
Here is one especially for PJ of PJ's Prayer Line. I know she would so use The Biblical Cyclopedic Index from The Open Bible. There are more listings than any other Bible resource available. The reference tool helps you quickly pull together a thorough and comprehensive Bible study, lesson, or sermon. The index combines a concordance, a topical Bible, and a Bible dictionary. This make it an incomparable resource for Bible study, with more subjects detailed than any other publication. The Biblical Cyclopedic Index offers more than 8,000 subjects, names, places, things, concepts, events, and doctrines of the Bible. And I have a copy of it here for her birthday present. I wonder if she will read this and find out? If so PJ, come and get it!!!!! Happy Birthday my dear friend and prayer warrior.
DISCLOSURE: I received or will receive complimentary copies of books, dvds or clothing to facilitate these reviews. No other compensation was provided. I did not get any hot cocoa....dang it!
It has been a busy week around here. And with Dear Hubby working so hard on mastering the remote control....well let's say that I am going to be even busier.
Now I do the house work around here all the time. Some days it feels like all I do is housework. Mine and for others too! The other day it really got to me and I ended up in my own lil pitty party. Sad to say, no one joined me. Now if I had had a proper cocktail pitty party then I may have had some takers. But no, instead I had to put on my big girl panties and get to work. I think I am going to start a club....the big girl pantie club. You know one that has the motto "No G-Strings Allowed!" It does help to have the proper tools to clean with. I told you, ok, gushed about my Libman Freedom Spray Mop that I had one. Well, I loved it so much I had gone on the search for more Libman products to win. Hey, that is the way I afford some things. Needless to say.....I did just that. I won a Libman Precision Angle broom and dustpan at The Crazy Suburban Mom, Thanks Tracy and Libman! BTW, Libman is doing a $500 Target Gift Card with their Money Mop Up on Face Book....just have to like them....might wanna try and get that. I know I am trying!
Well the broom works great too. I have 5 dogs and tons of dog hair to sweep up every day. I tease that I am a June Cleaver (wish I had her shape) and want to clean house in my pearls and heels. Well it is easier to do if the tools actually do most of the work for you. How is this for a one room clean sweep? Yeah! That was just the living room and the one area rug. What a mess!
What else is going on? Well we had Princess Emma here the day Dear Hubby came home from his surgery. Of course he was so worried that she might bump into his feet. So we needed her to stay occupied with other things. Sure we did the coloring and all, but it is chilly outside and she is prone to ear aches so we had to stay inside. But I am telling you Princess Emma did not move once while we were watching the PBS Kids Dinosaur Train, Dinosaurs in the Snow DVD. I love this show, I think as much as Princess Emma. “Cretaceous Conifers” will broadcast on December 8, 12, 20, and 24 (check local listings). It also helped that the DVD had coloring pages, interactive games and a dinosaur reference guide too! With the 8 shows on this one we were able to while away a lil time and let Dear Hubby rest on the couch. I am giving this copy of Dinosaur Train to Princess Emma since she seemed to love it so much! And for you....go see the Dinosaur Train GeoCache program. It is a great new adventure game that you can do with your kids. BTW, Thanks so to PBS Kids for sharing this DVD with me!
What else to tell you. Well I have my Hershey's Pot of Gold candy here. They were sweet to send it to me. Last night all of us were enjoying the truffles so very much! I do not know if I have a favorite yet. I think I will wait til I get to the bottom of the box to decided! Oh, and College Girl always wanted to tattoo Dear Hubby's chest. She is worried that he may need it in case of an emergency. Since he has a pace maker it makes a change in the way they use those paddles for a heart attack. And with the pig values there they need to know that too. So she drew it off on him.
I do not know if you can see it well....but it has place paddle here and paddle here in the circles. And on the upper left of his arm is an arrow that says pacemaker and pig value. Think that would work? Oh and since he can not move around it is going to be hard to wash his hair. Oh the joys of learning how to care for a bed ridden person. So Princess Emma's mom was kind enough to fix Dear Hubby's hair. Doesn't he have a lovely french braid now?
Oh and if this is not enough....go read about Eddie the Fish.....we all was laughing so hard. Poor Dear Hubby could not go pee.....urnial time.....EWWWWW!
I have to say there are so many lovely kiddos in my life. Be it my grandbabes or Princess Emma or our brand new baby SJ who arrived yesterday. So happy to finally get to meet him.
Another bedroom I love would be for Princess Emma. She recently moved into her pink bedroom that Other Mother and Papa have been working on for her. Don't you think this would work out too?
Another item I want to share soon is the new Dinosaur Train book, Dinosaur Train Lift the Flap “Let’s Go To Volcano Valley,” from Reader’s Digest. It will be on my list for my Grandbabe. He loves Dinosaur Train and Buddy. Add in the books that they read every night, he would be very interactive with this one. It is a perfect present for him. I am excited that the grandbabes will be coming to visit with me very soon. It has been over a month. I think I am going into nonnie withdrawal.
