Posts Tagged ‘books’

I can’t believe another week has gone by!! Time for an end of the week wrap-up with Life Rearranged’s InstaFriday!

I’ve always loved putting a flower in my hair… makes it look like I put some effort into my daily ponytail. I’m thinking I need some sweepy bangs in the near future…

Went to the best 1st bday party ever! They had an In-N-Out Burger cookout truck.

Jealous much?

I just joined foursquare. It’s absolutely ridiculous but for some reason I have a crazy desire to be the mayor of Souplantation. We’ll be there every weekend to secure my position. We went this week and a fire truck zoomed by. We followed it… (try to impress your kids much?) and got to watch them put out a dumpster fire behind PetSmart.

Kiddos were thoroughly impressed! Total success!

Once again BabySteals got me. I love them! Get one!

Visited my parents for a Memorial Day BBQ (my dad makes the BEST smoked tri-tip EVER) and passed the local market.

Had a dinner picnic at our community pool. I’m pretty anti-soda, but there is something about drinking them out of the glass that makes my heart smile!

Remember how I was sick last week? No dishes got done… NONE! It was gross. REALLY gross. Thankfully my hubby eventually did them. I paid him in kisses. Lots of them!! (wink)

Proof Eli is a giant.

I’ve been a book club since Eli was 3 months old. I highly recommend it. This months book was Same Kind of Different as Me. You have to read it! We had our meeting at Paradise Perks Coffee House in Irvine and it was so much fun.

Every week Hot Hubby takes one kiddo out on a Daddy Date Night/Guys Night Out (depending on gender of kiddo) and this week was Cora Jane’s turn. Which means Eli got Mommy (almost) to himself. We played Legos and drooled over the Playmobile catalog. I adore this lil’ boy!

Today we were invited to Pretend City (post coming soon) to see the grand opening of the library and the dentist office. These lil’ fellows were in the library and for some reason I {heart} them!

Follow me on Instagram @ElisLids to see all this fun through the week! (AND so I can follow you!)

If you are a So Cal local, be sure to enter my giveaway for unlimited tickets to weekend Kidtoons over at the Anaheim GardenWalk.

Happy Weekend!

Today’s guest post is my IRL buddy Andrea from BYOG. Remember the Labor and Delivery Gown I wore 3 weeks ago? She is the mastermind behind the fashion!

Marjorie Priceman how to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

My son (who had just graduated Kindergarten) brought this book home from the library last Summer mixed in with Star Wars comics and some gross out science books. I actually think he threw this one in by mistake or maybe he liked the illustration on the cover? This book isn’t just about baking. It is more a lesson in history, geography, chemistry and a tour of the United States. The story follows a little girl who goes on an adventure to find everything she needs to make a cherry pie. She travels to New Mexico to find clay to make her bowl, then Pennsylvania to gather coal for the pie pan while exploring National Monuments and gathering historical facts along the way. My husband was trying to encourage my son to read this book (or any book for that matter!) As an incentive for finishing the book, he promised they would make the Cherry Pie together when they were finished with the book. That did it! Noah was off and reading! I glanced at the recipe inside the book (which called for fresh or canned sour cherries and homemade pie crust ) and seriously had my doubts. I then pictured myself rolling out the dough with a rolling pin…do I even own a rolling pin? They finished the book on a Tuesday and the next day were off to the Farmer’s Market to buy cherries…a lot of cherries! I have never made Cherry Pie from scratch. O.K. who am I kidding? I’ve never made a cherry pie! I was wondering how they were going to get the pits out of all those cherries and how I would get the stains out of their shirts when they were done? Turns out there is a tool for that (the pits…not the cherry stains!) and that was part of the fun of making the pie…boy’s like anything that involves using tools.

I felt a little guilty for doubting their father/son baking skills as I watched them carefully place the lattice crust across the top of the pie and pop it in the oven. They did it without any help and only left a category 3 mess in the kitchen. I have to say…when this pie was baking, the whole house was filled with the amazing aroma of real cherry pie! Not the kind that starts from a can! I opened all the windows to entice our neighbors as they purposely unknowingly do to us all Summer long with their billowing BBQ’s. Yeah, that’s right, we may not have a fancy grill but, we bake cherry pies…from scratch! We couldn’t wait to try it and my husband Noah was so proud of his accomplishment. This book has definitely become a Summer tradition in our house. I am also happy to say that my son who had to be forced bribed coaxed to read a book last year is now reading non-stop and loving it! Like most boys, he is a hands on learner. Having an activity to go along with the story and a map to follow helped keep his attention and reinforced what he had read. 

GrEeN iDeA…

I love how the book explores how each item is made and where it comes from (before it magically appears at our local Target.) If we train ourselves and teach our kids to really think about the energy and resources it takes to make each common household item, these items will become less disposable and we will hopefully create less waste or find a way to repurpose things.

Recommended reading level for this book is ages 4-8 but, younger kids will enjoy the colorful illustrations and can follow the map inside too. If you read the book…don’t forget to make the pie and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Once you try fresh, homemade cherry pie, you will never waste calories on the canned version again!

Marjorie’s other books…

How to make an Apple Pie and See the World

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride

Thanks Andrea!!

See what me, Andrea and Donna (from Blessed Nest) have cooking over at MOMday Morning this Month!

I read a couple of books a month. 
One with my awesome-going-strong-for-3-years friends’ book club and usually one for fun.
We don’t have TV (hence the 3 kiddos in 4 years) and I’m an insomniac! When I can’t sleep I read till my eyes roll.
Now I’m adding the SV Moms Book Club to my list of reads. My first read with them is I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.

If you are wondering what this book is about – look no further than the title…
Nujood, one of 16 children from Yemen, is married off by her father at age 9 to a man in his 30s. (UG!!!) She is also the first child bride in Yemen to be granted a divorce! (Yay!) If you’re thinking this tale took place in the 50′s, think again! Nujood was divorced in 2008 and was named a Glamour Woman of the Year the same year.
The story follows her through her “happy” childhood in the country, moving to the city where her father can’t hold a job and her siblings are forced to sell gum to tourists, her marriage & divorce, and ends up with her moving back in with her family.

Instead of recapping the whole story. I’m just going to share my thoughts. Then you read the book and come back here and we can discuss!
My thoughts…
I’m a lover of happy endings. Honestly, I wanted the story to end with a modern Yemen family whisking Nujood away so she could be away from her khat addicted father and brainwashed dysfunctional family. Nujood is so brave for seeking out a divorce but I think her choosing to live with her family again shows that she is still under the thumb of her father and brothers. She wants to continue school and become a lawyer to help other child brides but without the support of her family I believe she will never accomplish that goal. i.e. the epilogue states that she has already dropped out of her school.
Is anyone else VERY disturbed by the tribal proverb in Yemen?

“To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a nine-year-old.”

 
Should you read the book…?
Yes! It’s a quick read (I read it during nap time), the story is inspiring and will spark great conversations with your book club! 
Note: I’m very sensitive when it comes to child abuse (what mom isn’t?) and I was worried Nujood’s treatment by her husband would be too graphic. It wasn’t. Though you know what happens and your heart just breaks. 

Is Yemen the only place 9-year-olds are on display?
Nope, you don’t have to look much farther than Orange County…

Read my post over at the Orange County Moms Blog!
Welcome to the strip club

The world can be divided into two categories:

Card Lovers & Card Haters

I’m a hater.

I should clarify a bit…

It’s not that I hate the actual card (I love notes and letters). I hate that cards are $5 and people will just put your name on the inside at the top of like 3 paragraphs of typed writing.

Like they wrote the whole thing.

If you’re just going to use the thing as a to/from note, save the $5… or better yet, get me 5 things from The Dollar Tree instead.

Two lines written from the heart on a piece of computer paper mean more to me that two pages of prose on an embossed store bought card.

(stepping off soapbox)

Here are two very easy ways to make your own cards. i.e. you don’t need 3 hours and $100 worth of scrapbooking supplies to to it!

1. Repurpose an old book…

Board books go through a lot! When they are on their last leg use a razor blade to cut off all the pages.

2. Old calender into cards…

(This picture will be funny to Iris when she gets this thank you note from Eli.)