Free Membership to American Mothers

In honor of the 100th year celebrating Mother's Day, American Mothers, Inc. is currently offering free membership.  I am not too familiar with American Mothers, Inc. apart from the Mother of the Year and Young Mother of the Year awards they give out each year.  One of the blogs I read is written by a former Young Mother of the Year, and I can tell from her writing that she is a dedicated mother.

From the American Mothers Inc. website:

American Mothers, Inc.® is committed to valuing mothers through service and education and has been MomStrong since 1935.  As the official sponsor of Mother's Day and the Mother of the Year®, American Mothers continues the legacy of celebrating motherhood.

Each year American Mothers honors motherhood by naming the National Mother of the Year® and hosting the Mom to Mom Conference.   As an Non Governmental Organization (NGO) centered at the United Nations and leader of the Global Motherhood Coalition, American Mothers organizes annual panel discussions and participates in high level meetings focused on addressing global struggles for mothers and families.  By bringing mothers together from across the country, American Mothers organizes maternal energy for positive change. 

You can check out their website for more information.

Animal Teachers by Janet Halfmann

Animal Teachers by Janet Halfmann is a delightful hardcover book!  I have read it many times with my 2 year old, five year old and six year old over the past few weeks and it continues to be a oft requested book.  We have loved learning a little more about how different animals learn the skills they need to survive, such as breaking open nuts or how to build a home.

Each page tells a little about an animal and something that it is taught to do by its parents.  The picture are watercolor paintings done by Katy Hudson and they are beautiful!

 

One thing I really like about the book are the extra questions on each page that lead to discussion and application.  For example, on the page about how baby sea otters learn to swim the application questions are, "Who gave you your first swimming lessons? Can you swim now?"  The questions on each page are simple for children to answer and help them create connections with what they are reading and learning.

 

 

Janet Halfmann does a great job of making science and nonfiction topics interesting and approachable even for young children.  I would highly recommend Animal Teachers for children ages 2-7!

 

I received a free copy of this book to facilitate my review.  All opinions are my own.  I really loved the book!

Max Axiom Books: Good science taught through a graphic novel

I don't really like graphic novels (aka comic books).  I would rather my children read what I deem good literature.  But my son is drawn to graphic novels, and I don't want to completely forbid them because I want him to love reading all types of books.

We recently stumbled upon a series of graphic novels that we both enjoy.  They are all about Max Axiom: Super Scientist.  And while they are science fiction, they do teach some real science in a fun way for kids.  There are a ton of books in the series and you can find them on amazon.com for 7-8 dollars each, although we have just checked our out at the library.

 

If you have a kid who enjoys graphic novels and science, check out these books!

Emery Street Designs Etsy Shop Giveaway!

So you have a little one and you want a beautiful/classy/sleek/simple way to highlight/showcase/display the information of your little one's arrival.  What do you do?  Take a look at the beautiful designs created by Emery Street Designs, a new etsy shop owned by my little sister, Michelle!

Emery Street Designs features simple designs to celebrate and inspire. Everything is digital, so that means you'll get instant downloads of prints. If you want something customized, the file will be in your email within 2 business days.

To get the word out about Emery Street Designs we are hosting a giveaway to one lucky reader who will win a customized baby subway art to print and use however you'd like.  How awesome is that!  And if you love something else in her shop (which you probably will!) you can use coupon code HELLO by August 16th to get 50% off your order of digital prints!

Enter the giveaway with the Rafflecopter below.  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunscreen daily!

Since having kids I have become more diligent about putting sunscreen on myself and my children.  I just don't want their little bodies to get sun burned!

We recently got to try out Coppertine's Clearly Sheer sunscreen and we love it.  My kids were not sure about the spray version at first, but I love that it makes putting sunscreen on so quick!  Mostly we us the lotion version because everyone can agree on it.

I love that it is lightweight and does not make my skin feel greasy. It also absorbs quickly and feels like lotion.

I am a buz agent and received free samples and coupons from Coppertone. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Lessons for Absent Children

I recently received a copy of Lessons for Absent Children by Richard S. Levick to review.  The cover looks like this:

The book has a short message for each day of the year; little life lessons that are geared for teenagers.  I found the cover and title to be a bit misleading. When I see a picture of a small child and the title Lessons for Absent Children I think of children who are gone.  The rain on the window makes me think of refugees or something.  I think a better title would be something that reflects the true audience (which is not children, but teens or tweens) as well as the daily calendar format of the book, something like "Daily Life Lessons for Teens" or "A Year of Tried and True Advice". 

Some of examples of the lessons include thoughts on such topics as relationships, generosity, creativity, and personal development.

I haven't finished reading through all of the days, but so far the lessons I have read are ones I agree with, although many seem to assume that the reader is feeling down and depressed and has recently broken up with a boyfriend or girlfriend or wants to get someone to like them.  I'm not sure a teen would turn to this book in their time of need, but I suppose if they did they would find some good advice.

Overall, I think the idea of the book has promise, but I'm wouldn't purchase the book for my own children. One possible way for families to use the book would be to read and discuss together each day the life lesson.