No Good Deed...

goes unpunished. Isn't that how the saying goes? Well, I tried. I really do want to decrease the tbr pile but the fates always conspire against me. I went by Goodwill yesterday to drop off some of the kids clothes they've outgrown. As I pulled into the parking lot I see this huge sign in the window ~ 50% Off Everything! As in everything in the store. I ask you, how could I not go in?

It was very crowded but I bravely made my way to the books. :) While I didn't find anything on my list, I always have the list in the car, I did find some potential good reads. The paperbacks were $1 and the hardcovers were $1.50. That's after the 50% off. I already have Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm in paperback, decided to get the hardcover because I just love that Fabio cover!

I've never read anything by Zoe Archer, Liz Carlyle, Janet Chapman or Katharine Kincaid. Brockway, Enoch, McKinney and Michaels I've read in the past and like. So, did I get any good ones?

Something completely unrelated to books. I saw this truly terrifying commercial last night. What are these people thinking, broadcasting something like this without a warning! Why, oh why, won't they think of the children, or the adults who get freaked out by by this shit.




And in case anyone was wondering - we're still shopping for the flat screen tv. We tend to take a long time with big purchases. :)

Book Shopping For Kids/Part 1...

We all know that books make great gifts. But finding the right book isn't always easy. Finding the right book for a child can be a bit tricky. Kids have so many things to occupy their time that sometimes books get relegated to the bottom of the list after sports, toys, video games and television. So how to get those kids to turn off the video games and TV and read a book?

I decided to consult the experts and find out what books they recommend. The three experts I consulted have a combined reading experience of over 20 years. Their taste vary from science, fantasy, animals, monsters, super heroes, sports and humor. Their love of reading varies from reading almost anything to the very picky reader. The age range is from 8 to 15, two boys (8 & 9) and one girl (15). Can you guess who enjoys reading the most?

I also used my years of experience reading to the three expert consultants (civilian)* and came up with some books I enjoyed reading, sometimes over and over and over again. One thing the books, especially for the younger kids, have in common is the amazing illustrations.

Preschool/Kindergarten ~

A silly book to read and brings back memories of the fun the kids had when we read it together is The Napping House. The story builds on itself, adding characters as the story progresses. This book is such a fun book to read together. It's an easy book to memorize and then you can take turns reading it to each other.

On a cozy bed lie a snoring granny, a dreaming child, a dozing dog, a snoozing cat, and a tiny slumbering mouse. But then an unexpected visitor arrives to interrupt this rainy afternoon at the napping house . . . where "no one" now is sleeping!

Laura Numeroff (author) and Felicia Bond (illustrator) have created a wonderful series - If You ... Each book features a different animal from pig, cat, mouse and moose. Each starts with a different offering from the narrator to the featured animal. The initial offering causes the animal to want something else. Once they get that something else... they want something else. Kids love the logic of the animals in these books. And the illustrations are cute and fun.


Mercer Mayer has entertained all of my kids with his Little Critter books. Even I have some favorites. Little Critter is an adorable animal, (what, I'm not exactly sure) that experiences many of the same things human kids experience growing up. There are hundreds of Little Critter books for a wide age range.


One of the boys favorite kindergarten teachers is a dog. What? Yep, a dog. A border collie to be specific. The Miss Bindergarten series has a dog for a teacher and animals for students. The illustrations, done by Ashley Wolff are vibrant and bold with their bright colors and the stories, written by Joseph Slate, are an amusing look into the life of a kindergarten teacher and her students.


And if you want some beautiful illustrations with exceptional storytelling then look no further than Jan Brett. She writes wonderful stories full of furry woodland creatures and children and happy endings. The illustrations are not only the main picture but the borders are gorgeous with smaller picture that go with the story and feel of the books.


Many of the author websites also have activities and reading guides you can download and print. Definitely check out their websites. This is just a small taste of the wonderful books that are out there for the early readers. If you have a little one in need of a gift this holiday season why not give them a book.

What books for the younger kids do you recommend?

Next up, books for middle school readers.

*Whenever I hear the words "expert consultant" I always add on the word civilian, thanks to Roarke. :)

Tis the Season For Some... Shopping!

I'll bet you think I'm talking Christmas shopping. Nope. Shopping for ME! Okay, maybe I picked up some Christmas gifts along the way but I was shopping for boots for me. While I love to wear flip-flops or sandals, even in the US southwest desert it gets cold in the winter. So I was looking for boots; black, cuff boots. Didn't find any but I did stumble across these at the BX/PX no less. (That's the military equivalent of a department store for you non-military types).


Yes, Coach makes heavy duty plastic boots. If that's not enough, they even had them in clogs. Clogs? I haven't worn clogs since I was a kid. Are they popular? Probably with the younger crowd of which I'm not. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the price. I was so stunned by their um... vividness, that I forgot to check the price. And when I checked the Coach website, they weren't there. Hmmm... maybe the military got a really good deal on them. :)

Then it was a stop at Borders cause I had a coupon. Borders always gets me in there with their coupons. Both my youngest and oldest really like Pocky. It's these thin wafers coated in strawberry, chocolate and sometimes other flavors. I spotted one of the other flavors. I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the fact that the Men's Pocky is flavored "bitter" chocolate. Is bitterness a sign of maturity? Oh, and surprisingly, didn't buy anything at Borders.

Last stop was to Sprouts Market or what we call "the bin store." They specialize in healthy, natural foods. Lots of fruits and veggies and offer everything from peanuts, trail mix, beans and rice in serve yourself bins. Their Virginia peanuts are great. Much better than prepackaged, not nearly as salty or greasy. Those and pumpkin seeds are my favorites. Anyway, they also have a decent selection of wine considering it's not that big of a store. Not nearly as big as a chain grocery store. They do have some interesting wines. This one caught my eye.

It's not a red but a White Zin for $10. I didn't get it but I'm wondering if it's sales increased due to the release of the latest Twilight movie. There are a lot of 21+ Twilight fans. I can totally see the adult fans having a little after party and Vampire Wine would certainly fit the theme.

So, I'm still looking for boots but I did find some interesting items out there. Anyone else have some fun shopping this weekend?

And there should be a law that stores can't play holiday music until after Thanksgiving. At least I didn't hear the dreaded Feliz Navidad. That song will send me out of the store.

*apologizes for the quality of the pics. All photos were taken with my cell phone*