Category: Books-DVDs

I don’t know about you, but science was never one of my favorite subjects in school. Even though I realized how important it was, it never clicked in my brain. I struggled through all the necessary high school courses, then headed off to college to major in journalism because it required the least amount of science. Read more…

My son is blessed to have a number of relatives living very close by. If we ever moved further away from our extended family, A Story Before Bed would be a great resource. This website allows you to record yourself reading a special bedtime story, then send the video to the child of your choice.

As you might expect, there are tons of ways families can use this service. Parents who travel on business can record stories for the nights they are gone. Military servicemen and servicewomen can use it to help stay connected to their kids during long deployments. Divorced parents can use it to prevent homesickness when a child is staying with his/her other parent. Read more…

I’m always on the lookout for quality family movies and it’s not easy to find a movie that I feel is worthy of a purchase. It usually has to meet the following criteria:

• The children love to watch it over and over again and I can actually get something done.
• I can tolerate watching it over and over again or at least hearing it in the background repeatedly while getting something done.

I think that’s about it. Ok…so there’s more to it than that. I did say family movie after all, so in theory, we should be watching this together. Read more…

With the release of the new film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, all things Lorax related are experiencing a surge in popularity. One great pick for any Lorax fan is the recently released deluxe edition The Lorax DVD. This is a remastered version of the 1972 The Lorax short cartoon (25 min), with the addition of a few extra cartoons and bonus features. Read more…

The Pregnancy Project by Jenna Glatzer and Gaby Rodriguez isn’t your typical pregnancy book. Gaby is a high school student who has faked her pregnancy as part of a school project about how stereotypes influence perceptions of teen parents. Her mother was a teen mom, as were most of her siblings. So, even though Gaby got good grades and never went out partying, many people weren’t surprised by her “pregnancy” announcement. Read more…

Ketchup Is A Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves by Robin O’Bryant is one mom’s account of all the trials and tribulations of parenthood. Robin is the mother of three daughters born within four years. Her book is organized as a collection of essays covering topics such as breastfeeding, traveling with children, and explaining the birds and the bees to your preschooler.

If you have boys, you’ll be shocked to learn that her girls are just as rambunctious and mischievous as your sons. I was particularly amused by her story of how her daughters managed to con her out of her clothes in exchange for a good night’s sleep! Her account of the FBI’s visit to her house, while not exactly a typical parenthood experience, is also a must-read. Read more…

One of my favorite things to do with my son is read the stories I loved as a child. From Where the Wild Things Are to Harold and the Purple Crayon, sharing special stories with him has always been one of the highlights of my day. Now, with the Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD series, we can watch our favorite stories come to life right before our eyes! Read more…

As a parent to toddlers, watching kid T.V. is unavoidable, so finding something tolerable is key. Especially because we all know that certain characters become obsessions and we are then required to watch them, over…and over…and over again.

Well friends, I am happy to report that Sesame Streets Singing with the Stars is actually really well done. It starts off with Will.i.am, and for this mama who loves her Hip-Hop, I was instantly a fan. The short, 1:52 song is fantastic for everyone in your household, simply because of the message in the lyrics. Here’s a little snippet: Read more…

Do you love to read? Love anything to do with books and literature? I sure do, and I have lots and lots of favorites from my childhood, young adulthood, and my list continues to grow as I continue to read far into adulthood. So when I randomly found Spineless Classics, I fell head over heels. Read more…

Some mothers are born teachers. As for me, I find the very idea of flash cards tedious. I didn’t like using them when I was in school and I like them even less when I’m working with my own child. When it comes to teaching my son the basics, I’m all for using whatever modern learning aids I can find!

When he was first learning to read, we invested in the Preschool Prep Meet the Sight Words DVD series. I wasn’t entirely sure they’d work, but it seemed worth a shot since they had gotten great reviews from all of the parenting magazines I read. Read more…

If your child loves books, the LeapFrog Tag Reader is a great addition to your home library. My son received one when he was five and still uses it on a regular basis two years later. He calls it the “magic pen” and loves to use it on long car trips.

The LeapFrog Tag Reader is a battery operated device that hooks to your computer through the USB port. You download the audio files for selected Tag books; there are Dr. Seuss stories and traditional children’s literature as well as books featuring cartoon characters like SpongeBob and Scooby Doo. Then, after you unhook the Tag Reader, all your child needs to do is touch the tip to a word in the Tag book. The pen then begins reading automatically. Read more…

As a blogger, I get approached to review lots of products. Some are good, and some are, well, not worth writing about. I was recently approached to read Fit Moms for Life: How to Have Endless Energy to Outplay your Kids, and I immediately said yes! Send me the book! All I can tell you is that this book is worth the read if you are trying to lose weight!

The author, Dustin Maher, is a 28 year old personal trainer/fitness instructor/writer/motivational speaker/and teacher. The book is full of EASY, REALISTIC ways that moms can lose weight…without having to buy gym passes or expensive equipment. Read more…

We spend a lot of time reading books together at our house. My kids are all close in age, so it’s easy to find stories to keep them all entertained and captivated. I was recently contacted to do a book review of a new book called Lil Glimmer, written by Angela Muse. While I said that I wasn’t interested in doing a review on my blog, I was interested in learning more about the book…and now I want to share what I learned about it with you!

The story is about Lil Glimmer, a star who learns patience and sharing from his mother. He gets frustrated throughout the story, but in the end he realizes that taking his turn and sharing is the right thing to do. The story, written about sharing, listening to your parents, and going to bed is geared towards toddlers. Read more…

I am an avid fan of cookbooks. I love reading through the pages, looking at the photos and trying new recipes. I have my mom’s old cookbooks, cookbooks I’ve picked up at thrift stores and even some of my grandmother’s. By far, one of my favorite cookbooks to flip through – though I have yet to cook from it – is White Trash Cooking by Ernest M. Mickler.

Don’t let the name of the book fool you – this book is not  a joke. It’s warmly written, funny, and very real cookbook filled with traditional and unusual recipes of traditional American food. It’s not offensive, although the title might be – it celebrates the simple cooking of our rural ancestors.

Some are fun and we eat without even considering it white trash food, Read more…

I love to bake and make sweet treats. I’m the person that always brings dessert to a potluck or get together. It’s not that I don’t like cooking anything else, it is just that I love trying new recipes and for some reason I always have lots of sweet recipes that I want to try out! I rarely. if ever. make plain old boxed cake and frost it – I always try to do something different with it. So if you have time to take a plain old cake mix, add some ingredients you might already have in the pantry, you’d be surprised by what you can make! Something way more excited than just a cake made out of a box! And that is why I love The Cake Mix Doctor Cookbook.

The author of The Cake Mix Doctor is Anne Byrne, a foodie and author of many cookbooks. She, like moms everywhere, started to take short cuts when she cooked and baked after the birth of her second child. The Cake Mix Doctor is the first of many books (many of which I have in my own kitchen!).

What’s so special about The Cake Mix Doctor? Read more…

I know, I know…I might be a little slow. I somehow missed the fact that back in September, a new book written by one of my favorite authors, Shel Silverstein, was released. It’s called Every Thing On It.

Everything On It is full of recently found poems and drawings. It is only the second original book to be published since Silverstein’s death in 1999.

In typical Silverstein style, Read more…