April's Fool

Hooray for a new month! That means it was time for a new book for the boys! I dont know how he did it but he picked out a very appropriate April Fools day book! Its called Awkward Aardvark. This is still part of the African series that we are trying really hard to keep with for all of 2011. The artwork in these books is amazing. I have always wanted to go to Africa and reading these books and looking at the pictures makes me want to go even more... some day...
  Anyways, This story is super cute. Its about an Aardvark (imagine eh?) who is snoring so much its keeping his mongoose neighbour awake all night. The mongoose gets tired of the snoring and enlists some of his jungle friends to help pester the aardvark. Nothing they do works and the snoring only gets worse, until the aardvarks tree falls over. He is so upset to have lost his resting place that the demands to know who did it. Turns out it was a swarm of termites. Aardvarks vows to eat all of them for eating his tree... animal justice! But the Termites hide all day and only come out in the cool night so aardvark becomes nocturnal so he can eat them and Mongoose is no longer kept awake by the snoring!

  

The Perfect Present...

Jaxon loves books (yep... thats my son!) We are constantly reading books. He is also super smart. Which means he memorizes alot of his books. So new books are always a highlight in his life because he doesnt know whats coming.
  We got a super cute book from Jaxons little buddy Krysten. Its called Smash Mash Crash There goes the Trash. This is such a great boy book! Its all about two pigs who love watching the garbage truck come and eat up all the trash. There are only a few words on a page which means its a great book for nights when Bedtime is later then normal. But its loud, and dirty and there is a garbage truck. Every boys dream! It even rhymes which is a good thing in any kids book!
  All in All its a super fun read!

Greedy Zebra

We are at the start of another month. Which means my boys got a new book a few nights ago. We are still keeping with our african theme and this month they got Greedy Zebra. Its a great story. Its about how all the animals get there different coats. One animal finds a cave full of all sorts of colored materials and horns adn feathers and furs and tells all the other animals to come and make themselves splendid new coats. But Zebra is too busy greedily eating the grass and leaves while everyone is away so by the time he finally makes it to the cave all that is left is some black strips. hence how the Zebra got his stripes.
  I am loving this series of books because the artwork is AMAZING.
Hopefully this story will help at bed time tonight as I am on my own this evening... wish me luck!

Post 200---One for the kids

This is my 200th post! YAY!!! Sorry I have no giveaway or anything super exciting to share with you... But I do have a new book for the kids
  Yes this is late... my boys got their new book of the month at the beginning of the month and then I forgot to write about it. We are reading african stories this year. This month it's Tricky Tortoise. Im not to sure how I feel about this story. The art work is amazing. Makes me want to go to africa (but it doesnt take much to make me want to travel) Here is my issue... Its a tale about a tortoise who is always getting stepped on because he looks like a rock. He gets really mad when Elephant steps on him and bets elephant that he can jump over elephants head and the winner of the bet has to provide a huge feast for all the animals in the jungle. The next day when it was time to see if tortoise could make the jump, tortoise has his brother who looks just like him hide on the other side of elephant in the grass... then tortoise pretends to jump over elephant with this brother popping up on the other side.  Elephant therefore has to provide a feast. In some respects I like the ingenuity shown by tortoise in taking on the bully that is elephant, but at the same time I dont like the lying and trickery is being rewarded. Jaxon loves the book and thinks its funny, especially the silly chant the tortoise says when jumping. So for now I will just enjoy it as a funny tale about talking animals and cross the rewards to lying bridge when it comes!

Hot Hippo

A new year also means its a new month... which means I give my boys a new book. But since its a new year we have moved onto a new theme (last year it was Robert Munsch) This year its african Folk Tales. There is a series out there by Mwenyth Hadithi which is Kenyan (I think) for Story teller. The aristry that goes along with these tales is fun I love them. We have taken out a couple of them from the library and jaxon really like them but we didnt own any yet so I thought it would be a good series to work on collecting.
  This month we started with Hot Hippo. Its a fun tale explaining how the Hippo came to live in the water and why he is always opening his mouth so wide.
  I also really like doing these books because it gives me an opportunity to teach my boys about another culture. I think its important to expose children young to many different tastes and cultures and people. I am raelly looking forward to these books this year!

50 Below Zero

Sorry.. again for missing the post yesterday... I was out late at our RS Christmas program. Thanks to all the Ladies that helped me get it all together and all the ones that performed. GREAT JOB!
  We started a new month the other day, which means Jaxon got his new book of the month. It was our last month focusing on Robert Munsch. (im sure he will get some more Robert Munsch books... but next year the monthly books will be someone new!) The Final installment was 50 Below Zero! I cant help it I am in love with the Classic Munsch books and I thought it was appropriate since we had such a frigid cold snap a couple weeks ago. Jaxon was especially thrilled since he had read this book that day at school as well. This is one of his favorite bunch of Munsch Videos to watch too. Personally I think you cant go wrong with Classic Munsch.
  Fun little fact. he wrote this book while up north visiting a school. All the kids come and their cheeks were frost biten adn he thought these children need a story about being cold... they would understand!

Super Submarines

Ok ok ok... I know I've done alot of Childrens Books lately. There are several reasons why.
1)I love them
2) With two little ones Im constantly reading them
3) (and probably the biggest reason) Im too lazy to pull out my camera cord and post the pictures of my latest projects... soon I will I promise

  As I've mentioned before, I do a book of the month with Jaxon. I know this year we have been focussed on Robert munsch books. I know this is not a Robert Munsch book. here is my story...
   This is one of the 10 books that makes up the Amazing machines series from Tony Mitton and Ant Parker. They are super cute little poems/stories each focussing on a different machine; Dazzing Diggers, Terrific trains, Tough Trucks, Roaring Rockets, Cool Cars, Busy Boats, Amazing Airplanes, Flashing Fire engines, Tremendous Tractors and Super Submarines. We have them all but tremendous tractors and Super Submarines. I ordered them online and was hoping to put them in Jaxon stocking at Christmas. While we got Tremendous tractors, to my dissappointed I get an email one morning saying that Super Submarines is back ordered. No joke... 10 minutes later the post man drops off a box... I was expecting a different goodie so I quickly open the box to see what was inside... and Jaxon shouts... A NEW BOOK! yes it was Super Submarines. I took it away super fast and thought " He will forget about it..." I was thrilled to have gotten it. A few nights pass and then its bedtime one night and I ask "What stories do you want tonight" and I get "The dark, Tough trucks...and that new one that you took away" SHOOT he hadnt forgotten... so I thought.. Ok its almost the first of the month which means new book anyways... SO November is Super Submarines adn the Robert munsch book will just have to wait until Christmas to make its appearance!
   Anyways... the whole series of these books are PERFECT for little boys. They are simple easy to follow but still teach basic part and purpose to these machines. I will say Super Submarines isnt my favorite of the bunch. I found the rythm off a little. It didnt flow as nicely. But its still a fun read.
  oh and in case you are wondering Jaxon's favorite  of the bunch is Dazzing Diggers (or tough Trucks!)

The Terrible Plop

I know Ive mentioned it before... but I love books and I am working hard to pass that love onto my kids. So far so good. They both love story time and looking at books. This is a book that is a regular in our rotation now. Again it is one that we took out at the library and then we HAD to buy it for our collection. Its wonderful and funny!
  It's "The Terrible Plop" Its just such a cute book. it is another book with rhymes. I find books like this are easier for my little guys to remember. I often catch Jaxon reciting lines from the book as he is playing.
   It is this super cute story about some bunnies who are scared of a Terrible Plop (the sound an apple makes as it falls into the water) and then convince all the other animals of this terrible plop until they come to a Big Brown Bear. He then takes the littlest rabbit back to the lake to see this plop. Once there they rabbit realizes what the plop truly is but the big brown bear runs away. It's funny and makes me smile as I read it. The pictures are really sweet too.

Go Back to Bed

Go back to Bed by Ginger Fogleson-Guy is one of my son's current favorite book. I love reading it to him. So I dont mind that it has become a nightly thing. Its super cute. It's about a little boy who is told to go to bed but he keeps finding reasons to go back down stairs only to discover that his parents are doing some truly unbelievable things. (like baking, or sledding with penguins) It has a great rhyming scheme and Jaxon has taken to reciting the lines. (today I was making sugar cookies for his preschool class and he comes up to me and says "lets eat sugar cookies and stay up all night!") It made me laugh.
  This was a book we had taken out of the library and then had to continually renew until I went and bought a copy of our own. He loves it that much! And Im glad he loves it. I will admit... I sometimes as him if we can read it as one of his bed time stories because I love it so much!
   Im also biased to this book because the little boy (edwin dupree.. great name eh?) reminds so so much of Jaxon!

The Dark

 My fridge is overflowing with leftovers! Crock pot recipes, a boxed thanksgiving dinner with my brother and frozen lasanga all are still living in my fridge... so Im not cooking this week until its all eaten up! So Im not bothering with a menu this week. Sorry! But Ill leave you with a book review
   Im pretty sure Ive mentioned this before, but we do a book of the month with Jaxon. This was our first year doing it. (Ill do it with Owen too once he gets older) I love reading and am a firm believer in the huge difference reading and loving books can make in a persons life. Books are magical. I think I am making a good start to passing on that love to my boys
  This year we have focused on Robert Munsch books. He is brilliant. Truly a Guru to me! Somehow I missed the start of the month. It just totally snuck up on me. So I forgot until the fourth to give Jaxon his new book. So once I remembered he got to pick out a book. He chose The Dark. Classic!
  It's a story about a little girl, Jule Ann, who finds a dark and the Dark eats all the shadows and grows and grows. I love this book (and most other Robert Munsch books) because its just a nonsense story. No moral. No Lesson. Just good clean fun. Just a story to be a story. I love it. This is a Classic Munsch book so it was wonderful. (while I still like his new books, I will always have a soft spot for the Classics.) I love that this is a book that I read growing up and now Im reading it to my sons.

  It's a really cute tale... you should read it!

Too Much Stuff

If you haven't already heard I am a huge Robert Munsch Fan. I love his books and have passed on that love to Jaxon. I do a book of the month with Jaxon and we focus on one theme (like cars, dinosaurs, etc) or author (Rober munsch) a year and every month he gets a new book. Its great. Anyways This year has been all about Robert Munsch.
   While we were in Edmonton this last time, Mama Nelson bought Jaxon Robert Munsch's newest book; "Too Much Stuff" It was cute and an enjoyable read... but I think Mr. Munsch is starting to loose his luster Im sad to say. This book was still about a bazillion times better them most Kid's books out there but it didnt compare to those long standing classics like "Paper bag princess" and "Thomas' snowsuit"

This book is about a little girl who takes all her toys on an airplane and all the fun things that happen because of it.

Robert Munsch is and always will be a children's literature guru to me. If you dont know... I write. It's been a long standing dream of mine to get a book published. Like robert Munsch I write children's books. I think Im pretty good. So who knows maybe one day someone will be reviewing my work! (so any one out there know of any publishers looking for some fresh talent?!?)

Book Review... Kid's Edition

I love to read and I love to pass that love onto my children. I love reading stories to my two boys. Jaxon loves story time and it has become a necessary part of bed time. Jaxon has found a new favorite book. It's Scuttle's Big Wish... and I cant for the life of me remember the name of the authors.. but its a father and son duo. (yes I am too lazy to go upstairs and check.. im that kind of mom!)
  Anyways..its a super cute story. It's about a mouse who wishes that everything he touches turns to cheese, but when his wish comes true he realizes it may not be so great. We read it at least twice every night. In fact Jaxon now has it completely memorized. He will "read" turn the pages at the right times. Its awesome. The only bad part is we got it from the library which means I need to find a copy we can keep at home. Anyone want to help me out??? PLEASE!

There you go.. the authors are Sean and Ryan Delonas