Teaching Your Children Joy

Teaching Your Children Joy

Linda and Richard Eyre

5 Stars

I picked up this book and Teaching Your Children Values (post below) gearing up for a new school year. I have loved being able to teach my children during their preschool years at home and this year I am teaming up with another mom in the neighborhood to do a joint "school" similar to ones outlined in this book. There were so many fun ideas in this book that I can't wait to use with our little 3 year old participants!

Teaching Your Children Joy discusses different 'joys' each child should learn to experience in life and each chapter discusses the joy and gives great examples and stories of how we can teach these as parents. They are fun easy no hassle ideas. I love that they aren't elaborate or hard to accomplish and that I feel like I can easily do and teach this book to my family.

I love this book as well as the Values book by the Eyres and can't wait to start our preschool group this week. I recommend any book by the Eyres, they are inspirational and fantastic!

Teaching Your Children Values

Teaching Your Children Values
Linda and Richard Eyre
5 Stars

I love parenting books. I'm not sure why I'm so addicted to them, but they are always so fun to read. Teaching Your Children Values by the Eyes was a perfect inspirational book to help me get in gear for the upcoming school year.

The book is divided into 12 values that you teach over the time period of a year. Each chapter has age appropriate examples and techniques to use. I really found a lot of these ideas helpful and can't wait to get started using them. I loved reading the stories and antidotes about the authors and their own family.

I recommend this book to anyone with a family or wanting to start a family. It has great ideas and you can find it at your library or on Amazon or a used book store. I got mine for a steal at a half price book store and it already had ideas highlighted for me! :) Loved it!

Big News!

Story Time Monday got put on hold this week, we have had visitors and been busy cramming in every possible fun event before school starts next week. Between all these fun things I've forgot to post about two huge things - one - my library card got taken away! No - I didn't have fines, I'll post the whole story later. I was devastated....still am. But the real exciting news is below:

I am so excited - at the end of the month, August 31, to be exact, My Reading Spot is hosting one of my favorite authors, Rebecca Ann Collins on her blog tour. Her newest book, My Cousin Caroline, will be released on September 1. It is book six in the Pemberly Chronicles series, which I absolutely love and adore! I've read an advance copy of the book and can't wait to post more about it on my blog later this month and feature Rebecca! I've been spending time dreaming up a fun Austen-type giveaway, which I'll also post about later this week. I hope everyone checks out My Reading Spot on August 31!




More of the tour dates and sites:

Rebecca Ann Collins’ My Cousin Caroline Blog Tour


August 25—Staring Fresh
August 31—My Reading Spot
September 1—A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf
September 2—Grace’s Book Blog
September 3—Book Nerd Extraordinaire
September 4—This Book For Free
September 7—Night Owl Romance
September 8—Love Romance Passion
September 9—Romance Reader at Heart’s Novel Thoughts Blog
September 11—The Review From Here/Scribe Vibe
September 14— A Journey of Books
September 16— Everything Victorian

The Actor and the Houswife

The Actor and the Housewife
Shannon Hale
5 Stars

I had read a few reviews that this was not one of Shannon Hale's finest and that it was a lot of fluff, so after being so excited to get my hands on this book, I became a little weary. It has been sitting in my Amazon shopping cart for quite a while. Then I saw it at a local book store and I found myself buying it. (I justified it by saying it was supporting Utah writers and LDS fiction while NOT in Utah.)

I actually loved the book, it was super fun and cute and I can see why some people might find it fluff. I think Shannon Hale is so witty, I am not sure I would say it is my favorite book by her, but I really did enjoy it.

Becky is pregnant with her 4th child when she happens to run into her "dream" Hollywood star man, Felix. They share an elevator ride, a taxi (actually a limo) ride, dinner and dance. Then somehow, although they are both happily married, live in completely opposite worlds, have nothing in common, but become best of friends. They break up as best friends. They make a movie together. Over a span of 10+ years we read about their relationship.

Becky was such a fun character. I have a good friend that I envisioned the entire time reading this book. She is such a witty girl, always has something fun to say and I could see a lot of her in this character. Felix - I was wondering if Shannon Hale was envisioning Colin Firth the entire time? I sure thought he would fit the part. If I had to find one thing that I didn't like about the book, it was when Felix sang "I am a Child of God" in church. It was a sweet gesture, but it just bugged me. Mike. I couldn't believe how great Mike was, he was so trusting and only once did he say things bothered him. I felt bad for him at times and loved him at times. He really was such a great hubby.

The ending had me in tears and then tears some more and then stitches. I really want to elaborate, but don't want to spoil the ending. Let's just say I am very happy with the way it ended.

I really loved the fun and friendly banter. I could have dog-eared many pages with some favorite lines. I'm glad that I wasn't disappointed. In my opinion Shannon Hale has done it again.

Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven

Rise of the Evening Star, Fablehaven Book 2

Brandon Mull

4 1/2 Stars

In the Rise of the Evening Star Seth and Kendra find themselves back at Fablehaven helping their grandparents find and protect a hidden artifact that is on the grounds. Their grandparents have brought three specialist, a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper, to Fablehaven to help, but can they trust them?

I really enjoyed this book when in comparison to the first one. I loved how Kendra gained some confidence and I loved her new fairy powers. I was skeptical of Vanessa as soon as she wanted to share secrets. Seth in the cocoon and the "passing" was so gross and hilarious at the same time. So fun and cleaver! The last few chapters were very exciting and kept me turning the pages. It was a little reminiscent of the last few chapters of the first two Harry Potter books...lots of build up and then huge action at the very end.

I'm very excited about this series and can't wait to keep reading the next couple books. I know that they won't disappoint. With each chapter and book that I read I am more and more positive they are perfect for their target audience.

Story Time Monday

Today during school time we did what I like to call an "oldie-but-goodie" activity. I picked 3 books and then let the boys narrow it down from there. Then I read it to them and had them color their favorite part of the book. I think this is such a great activity for a few reasons. It really makes then use their listening skills when listening to a book, they have to pay attention and figure out what is their favorite part, and it helps them with their art skills as well.

Sometimes we (the 5 year old) struggles with the fact pictures aren't 'perfect' or how we imagine them in our heads, so it's good to just listen to a story and then practice drawing things we liked out it without getting upset.

We read Tikki Tikki Tembo. After a rocky morning of 'sibling rivalry' I was a little worried when I saw this picture. However, after asking him to explain it I was relieved to find out that it wasn't the little brother in the bottom of the well that was our favorite part. Apparently he just really wanted to draw a bunch of bricks and color them, or at least that is what he told me!

Story Time Monday

Kindergarten. It's a big subject around our house lately and it starts in 3 weeks. I've been trying to check out books at the library every week that will help my 5 year old prepare. He has a lot of questions and these books are really helpful.

When you go to kindergarten, by James Howe is one of my favorites. The pictures are a little dated, and totally take me back, but they are actual pictures, not illustrations, which I think are helpful. It discusses great topics and allows me to have great discussions with my 5 year old about some of the things he is scared of or excited about.

Rosemary Wells writes some great great books about kindergarten. Two of my favorite books by her are My Kindergarten and Ready to Read. The books are fun and offer learning opportunities at the same time. I like that we can pick them up, read a few pages, put them down and then later continue where we left off. I've always checked these books out at that library, but I have really considered buying them for my collection they are so great!

This last book I am on the lookout for. Kindergarten Rocks. I want to find it at the library because it looks like such a fun book.

One last book we really love, and isn't necessary about kindergarten, Hey! I'm Reading, by Betty Miles. It's a fun introduction to sounds, processes and reading. I love it because it teaches but doesn't seem like work. We love to look at it and read parts of it and at the end of the book it has a few pages kids can learn to read all on their own.

Story Time Monday

We've read a lot of different chapter books to the kids at bedtime but one of our favorites are The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne.

The boys love them, they have adventure and mystery but aren't too scary either. I like them for numerous reasons. We can finish one in about 3 nights, it helps the boys work on their listening comprehension skills and they learn about history as well. I have a few of these books on CD that I play in the car, which is also a bonus!

Geronimo Stilton and Junie B. Jones rank pretty high up there around our house too, although I know as soon as they find out about Captain Underpants he will rule!

Story Time Monday

We love a good food book at my house. We love reading about making food, playing with food, building with food.


How Are You Peeling is one of our new favorite food books. It's fun to see the crazy faces, but at the same time learn some new vocabulary for emotions and feelings that have from time to time. Each page is filled with crazy fruits or vegetables. Their faces are made from a simple exacto knife, fruits, vegetables and beans or beet juice for the face. I absolutely love seeing the imagination of this artist!


How can we talk about food books and not talk about Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs? This is one of my childhood favorites and now is one of my boys favorite books as well. We laugh and laugh when the giant pancakes land on the school and love finding the noodle-head man in the pictures. My two year old loves to walk around saying "tomato tornado" after each time we read this book. Sine it typically rains a lot where we live I love to joke with the kids and randomly yell, "WATCH OUT for the noodles(pancakes/broccoli/beans, etc.)" when we run to our car or are outside. They love it. The sequel, Pickles to Pittsburgh, is not one of my favorites, but worth a check out at the library.

Each time we talk about food this book, Take Me Out of the Bathtub, is going to get quoted. The book is full of fun silly songs and one of our favorites is Food Fight. Seriously, one of the lines in the song says, "got carrots in my underwear!" Talk about full of giggles! We love it!

Summertime Book Swap

I am so excited, because between the last year of my husbands med-school crazy schedule and adding a new baby to our family I wasn't able to participate or hold any swaps, but not that we've settled I am ready to roll!

Introducing:

The Summertime Book Swap!

Who: anyone - blogger or non blogger

What: book swap, new, used, magazine, fiction or non, anything goes! I'm going to make things interesting and say there is a price limit of $15, that way if you find something you really love for $14.95 it can go, but no one goes overboard. Find a used bookstore, I can't wait to visit mine again!

When: Sign up now until July 31

How: Email me: wadeanddebbi (at) gmail (dot) com. Include your mailing address and just for fun little bit about your self

August 1st, I will send you an email you the contact information of the person you will send your swap loot too!


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A big THANK YOU to my friend Kristen, who is fantastic and made my blog look cute! I love it, she is so creative! I believe her blog is private, but if you want to leave her a comment, I'm sure she will appreciate it!