While I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I read aloud to each other from The Runaway Jury, by John Grisham. Shortly after he was born, we finished reading it to him. Now, I’m not suggesting that you read John Grisham or Stephen King to your children; but I am saying that when children are very young, it doesn’t matter what you read to them as much as THAT you read to them. So if you aren’t into children’s books, you can get away with reading them something you like when they’re really really young (unfortunately that changes as they grow, and they are likely to choose your least favorite book as their all-time-have-to-read-it-every-night favorite!)

As they get a bit older and you want to begin drawing them into the world of books, a popular choice for years has been Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt. When I received this book at our first baby shower, everyone else seemed to recognize it as THE children’s book to have. I felt like I’d been living under a rock somewhere for the last decade - “what kind of mother is she going to make if she doesn’t even know about Pat the Bunny???” Well, that’s what they said in their minds . . . if nothing else, perhaps this review will save you from that embarrassment.

Pat the Bunny is an enjoyable little interactive “touch and feel” book, there are several others in the Pat the Bunny series that I enjoy more (for varying reasons). I think one of my favorites is Five Red Apples. There are five plastic apples across the top of the book that slide back and forth. Presumably for counting, but I love how they entertain my youngest in the car! Another in the series, called Butterfly Roundup, is also great for entertainment value - there is a plastic bunny that swirls around up and down a little pole, so the butterfly seems to be fluttering around.

Another Pat the Bunny series favorite is Sweet Dreams. This little book has a extension attached to the book that has a plastic bunny with a push button. When you push the button, the bunny lights up! One of our children enjoyed sleeping with this book in their bed - if she got scared, she had control of her own nightlight (in addition to the three that were already on, of course!).

Within this same series, we also received a fabric book, called Sleepy Bunny. It has a stuffed bunny on a string that you can slip into a pocket so he looks like he’s “in” some of the pictures in the book - all of course while working his way to bed! Several of my children like to sleep with books, and soft ones like this make it easy to say, “yes!”

If you’re looking for more books with textures, we really like DK Publishing’s “Touch and Feel” series. We have the Baby Animals book, but I’ve seen others that are equally good. The bunny fur feels so real to me, and I love the leather for the baby elephant’s ears. And of course you can tell your little one, “They are all babies, just like you!”

My favorite tactile book is That’s Not My Puppy by Fiona Watt (Usborne books). This book goes through all these different dogs with, “That’s not my puppy!” and then says why it’s not (its coat is too hairy, or its collar is too shiny, etc.). The various textures presented combined with the repetitive nature of the story, makes this such a fun read for children AND adults!

Enjoy these and may others and snuggle up and read tonight!

He began by asking if he was going to die. Well, we didn’t want to lie to him, so we explained that everyone, every living thing, would die at some time. That led to specific questions about rocks, Lego’s, trees, flowers, and even his teddy bear. So we launched our explanations about the difference between the living and the non-living (which led to LOTS more questions . Flowers and trees were tricky - annuals, perennials, the flower itself, the plants, etc. - you get the picture.

Even though we thought the matter was somewhat resolved for him, we found him in tears the next day because he didn’t want to die. I thought it would make him feel better to explain that it’s just our bodies that die - our soul/spirit/personality lives on with God. Well, that just opened the door to the conversation about Jesus and God - are they alive? have they ever been alive? when did they die? where are they now? Once the conversation wraps up, we think we’ve made some headway on the subject.

Another incident in tears left us knowing the subject may never be resolved to his satisfaction. Not only did he want to know how he was going to die, he’d also like to know how we’re all going to die and WHERE! Without making life too scary, we tried to explain that there are lots of different ways a person can die (sudden plane wreck, drowning, cancer, just plain getting old and your body gives out - you better believe I played this one up!). You never really know when or where - it’s a mystery.

Even though each conversation has it’s seeming resolution, the “wheels” spin some more and another conversation emerges. Since many of these are redundant, I’ve decided to focus on and include in all of our “death conversations” that we need to enjoy every day that we have. We should not focus on death - when or where it will occur - we have little control over that (although we’ve already pushed the idea of making healthy choices - eating right and not smoking - to get the most out of our lives). What we do have control of is finding the joys and pleasures of every day.

I know for me, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the drama of all the bad things going on - the sudden need to replace a sewer line in the front flower bed, the shingles that are sliding off the roof, the A/C unit that reminds you it’s on it’s last leg by requiring $100 worth of freon - AGAIN, not to mention the temper tantrums and sibling rivalry amongst the children!

What was I saying??? Oh yes, the joys and pleasures of every day life. I think sometimes we have to force ourselves to look for them; they are often found in the mundane - a husband that cooks breakfast 5 days a week, the first grade teachers agreeing not to give homework for the rest of the year, the temperature NOT getting over 85 degrees, the best game of Battleship I’ve played with my 7-year-old.

Despite my complaining, there is pleasure in these “death conversations.” I’m getting to think more about my own faith and what I believe about death, and I’m getting to share that with my 4-year-old to help him shape his own beliefs. I’m also really glad that he’s asking me questions (other than “why,” which is where my 2-year-old seems to be stuck for now :-). Not too long from now, he may not be willing to talk to me about anything important. You better believe I’m going to try to enjoy every conversation I can have with him between now and the teenage rebellion!

**I wrote this several months ago . . . not sure why I never published it. The death conversations stemmed from the Easter season at his preschool - his OLD preschool. We realized (a bit too late, I’m afraid) that their idea of “age appropriate teaching” was not the same as ours. We’ve been at a different preschool this last year that’s much more on the same page as we are - we’ve loved it and haven’t had any more tearful discussions about death or dying. Now we’re trying to explain why things break when he stretches/bends/pulls/pushes things beyond their limits - much simpler, but no less repetitive!

But there were no surprises in the book, Animals are Sleeping, from Sylvan Dell Publishing. The story begins with, “Shhh . . . shhh . . . the animals are sleeping . . . ,” and proceeds to show a wide variety of animals asleep in different positions in their habitats. The short and simple text on each page allows children to soak in the rich illustrations, and the illustrations lend themselves to mini-nature explorations. For example, on the page with the groundhog, my 3-year-old loved pointing out the dandelions above ground - she calls these “blowing flowers.” Another picture with birds perched in a tree lent itself to a discussion about what kind of birds we were seeing, the fact that one of the birds is facing opposite of all the others, and how many colors we could count on the birds.

Because the book is not FULL of text, it’s easy to increase or decrease your discussion based on how much time you have before bedtime! And, of course, all the discussion opportunities within the story are in addition to the activities available at the back of the book. There are also “Learning Links” and “Teaching Activities” available on ’s Web site.

So, if your kids are sleepy (and even if they’re not), this might be just the story for you to send them off to dreamland with! Happy reading!

We started off talking about some of the struggles we’ve experienced with helping our kids get enough sleep. There was a great interview that we heard on a Jumping Monkeys podcast that gave us lots of fascinating facts about how our bodies react to not getting enough sleep. It certainly gave me a lot to think about (especially after I put our podcast intro at both the beginning AND end of today’s podcast! Not to worry, Rylan pointed out my error and it’s been fixed!).

We went on to discuss our kids’ latest idea to manage their screen time. We touched on the subject in a previous podcast when the topic was a fantastic family meeting we’d had. It’s a great system that’s been working beautifully during the school year. We may really put it to the test here in the first few weeks of summer, so we’ll be reporting back on modifications and improvements we make along the way!

Finally we talked about some of our favorite toy companies that stand behind their products (Tonka, Air Hogs, and Melissa & Doug, to name a few). Of course, what we found that we REALLY love are the kinds of toys that you can “add on to.” You know, something you can add to an existing toy to revive it - like a new Playdoh mold or a blender for the toy kitchen. We’ve added a couple of cool pirate accessories to our backyard play set, and the kids haven’t been able to resist playing on it - even though it’s been 90+ degrees!!! It’s been quite a treasure!

We hope you enjoy the show, and we’d love to hear your feedback. We might even build a future show around your comments or questions! If you’d like to subscribe to our show, you should be able to find us at iTunes by searching for “FamilyBriefs.”

Of course, I had already shared some information about surviving the parks in posts like this one on snacks and this one on some of our favorite rides. And, I know I’ve talked about our trusty stroller that makes managing getting to and around in the parks SO much easier in at least one or two posts!

The information we got from using the TourGuideMike.com website proved invaluable, and we will definitely be using his site again, and again! Anything that adds to the enjoyment of the Disney parks is a winner in my book.

I hope our conversations provide inspiration for your family travels this summer!

The podcast begins with our latest tip - setting a timer at bedtime to make sure we get kids to bed on time when we might be otherwise distracted. Rylan mentioned an alarm he has installed on his computer to make sure we get kids to Tae Kwon Do (and then again so we don’t forget to pick them up ). Here’s a link for the clock he uses, and I’m sure there are lots of others available: http://www.clocx.net/

We then talk about the teleclasses that I’ve participated in with Toni Schutta (http://getparentinghelpnow.com/ and http://familiesfirstcoaching.com/). I’ve really enjoyed the three classes I have been involved in, and I love being able to re-listen to the information on the audio files she sends after the class. She has so many great ideas for parents!

Pinewood Derby racing was our next topic, including some of the the good conversations Rylan had with the kids about winning and losing. It’s hard to be a good loser, especially when you came in second place! If you’re in scouting, you might find some great ideas from our experience this year.

We talked about the scare we had in the parking lot. One day the kids were racing ahead of me a bit, until we realized we were behind a car with it’s back-up lights on. Although frightening, the incident prompted me to discuss some parking lot safety ideas I had never considered before.

Thanks for listening - send us your ideas for podcast topics and be sure to let us know what you like about the show!

Yes, my 5-year-old kept two other children awake until 9 p.m. last night talking about scary green-eyed wolves (his newest fear). 9 p.m. may not sound late to you, but it’s 1 1/2 hours AFTER bedtime!

To make matters worse, our (more…)

Less is more I’ve decided, so I’m going to (more…)

As we have been watching the backyard become more and more green, losing the drab brown of winter, we’ve also noticed all the extra activity - the squirrels, chipmunks, and birds are busy, busy, busy! Just last week, there were more (more…)

During the family meeting segment, we mention (more…)

I’m not tired at the “right” time, and I’d really like to sleep until 7 on the weekends. But my 19-month-old has other plans. Despite my thinking that her internal alarm that was waking her at 5-ish would be corrected with the time change, I was wrong. We were up again today at 5.

The older kids are having trouble too - they aren’t sleepy at the “new” bedtime. I’m sure it has nothing to do with their (more…)

This week, Skittles’ Heads or Tails theme is anything green.

So in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m listing some craft and activity sites you can check out for all kinds of ideas to help you and your family celebrate this Irish holiday. You might even find some Easter ideas - that’s a pretty green holiday too! Enjoy!

Kaboose

Betty Crocker

Family Fun

Parents.com

HP Activity Site

MeckMom Blog

Head over to Skittle’s Place and see what everyone else is finding that’s green this week!

MONDAY
Lunch - 15 Minutes Red Bean & Rice (see recipe below), smoked beef sausage, cornbread, grapes
Dinner - Eat with Grandaddy at our favorite BBQ joint

TUESDAY
Lunch - leftover buffet
Dinner - Tex-Mex Shells & Cheese, sliced apples, raw carrots/dip, salsa & chips (more…)

Now John Grisham and Harry Potter books keep me on the edge of my seat, turning page after page with suspense. The two Deltora Quest books we’ve read thus far give these page turners competition! “I don’t care if it IS your bedtime, we’re going to read the next chapter to find out if they get out of the quicksand or not! ” Yes, I actually said that to my child this week. I started to tell him that he could go on to bed if he wanted to, but I was going to keep reading to find out what happens next. Of course, that would break our “pinky promise” of not reading ahead when the other person isn’t around!

The basic storyline is that a kingdom (Deltora) has been taken over by a “Shadow Lord” and two people begin a quest to restore the lost gems to Deltora’s Belt that wields great power for its ruler. That’s all I’m going to tell you because I really don’t want to give anything away.

I lied. I am going to tell you a little more. I checked out the first book, The Forests of Silence, for him several months ago. He snubbed his nose at it saying, “It’s not really instrusting.” (yes, that’s how he says interesting - he’ll probably spell it wrong on his spelling test, too). But when I sat down to read it aloud to him, he didn’t want me to stop (and neither did I). Some of the plot is a little confusing for him at times, even though he is an advanced reader. Of course, we stop and “review” what is happening in the story, and he surprises me by how much he is following it. However, sometimes he misses a little detail that turns out to be important later.

If my 8-year-old were reading this alone, it would scare the bejeebers out of him. There are some really scary, yucky, mean creatures in the story. Some of the descriptions of the creatures would lead ME to have nightmares if I didn’t have half-a-dozen other things on my mind by the time I went to sleep. We don’t watch much T.V., so his exposure to scary creatures is quite limited. As a result, his imagination runs away with this kind of stuff and scares him quite easily. So far, he hasn’t migrated into our bed during the night or complained of nightmares in the morning.

That’s my disclaimer, so don’t come crying to me if your child gets in bed with you every night while you work your way through this series of 8 books - the books are quite scary in places BUT THEY ARE REALLY GOOD!

I can’t wait for the library to get the third book in the series, The City of Rats. Some “rat” ate it so we’re just biding our time until the next adventure begins. Happy reading!

The warmer weather put me in cleaning and purging mode (too bad my four children kept interrupting, or I actually might have made some progress!). I worked on cleaning out the minivan some this week since Honda FINALLY got the new seat cover in and installed it. I asked them to provide a complimentary vacuum, wash, and wax to keep me as a satisfied customer (I’m such a stickler ). I threw away all kinds of trash and unknown items in my 5-year-olds booster seat slide-out drink holder compartments. I even spent a few minutes organizing all the travel toys that keep my kids occupied while we sit in the car line or run errands.

It looks much better, but I still have (more…)

I’m frugal in many ways, and I don’t apologize for using “off brand” diapers.” I did a comparison between name brands and off brands somewhere along the way (using coupons, of course!), and I determined that the off brand was just as good (and sometimes better) as the name brand diapers (obviously, they aren’t paying me to tell you this).

But when it comes to baby wipes - (more…)

Y’all - we walked the streets for days selling this stuff and sold over $1350 worth of popcorn! I was happy just to achieve the $250 goal the pack set, but my son wanted the cool bow-and-arrow prize at a MUCH HIGHER prize level. I’m such an under-achiever .

Anyhoo, we get this email TODAY from the scout master that they’d like to award my son with something special in the $50 price range at the Blue and Gold Awards Banquet THIS Friday night! Any ideas???? (more…)

1. His favorite soup is Campbell’s Select Italian Wedding. I heat up a can & put some in his thermos (we, at home eat the rest), cut up some apple slices, a few baby carrots and some Ranch dressing dip (in a disposable plastic container, no less); add a cookie, and he’s all set!

2. We occasionally eat frozen pizza (the REALLY cheap kind) on Friday nights for our movie night. I usually cook a little extra, so I can send him to school with cold pizza, grape tomatoes, a banana, and some chocolate pudding. (more…)

This week, however, we’re back to the grind of actually having to cook! (Well, if that’s what you can call my quick and easy menus ):

MONDAY
Lunch - leftovers STILL from last weekend!
Dinner - Out with Grandaddy to Cici’s (everyone’s favorite!)

TUESDAY
Lunch - Potato bar - broccoli & cheese (Green Giant), baco’s, sour cream, shredded cheddar, Ranch dressing, a can of soup and a salad
Dinner - Barber’s Stuffed Chicken Dijon Bleu, Green Giant green beans with almonds, Lipton broccoli/cheese rice side dish

WEDNESDAY
Lunch - ham sandwiches, chips, apple slices (our car “picnic” that helps get the 3-year-old to ballet on time)
Dinner - Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin, sweet potatoes, canned asparagus, Green Giant corn in butter sauce (more…)

We had a new library built just a few years ago, and this year construction of a new addition for the youth services division has begun. I’m so excited - I go to the library just to get updates on the construction progress (of course, my children tug at my sleeve and remind me that I promised we could get some books this time ).

Our wonderful youth services librarian asked me to help spread the word about a project she is working on. “My Hometown Helper” is a grant program sponsored by Hamburger Helper of the General Mills Company. The library has submitted a proposal for a grant to purchase an Ellison Die-Cut Machine. In order for the grant to get approval, the grant committee must see support and a need for the grant. Would you please follow these instructions to help our library?

1. Log on to this web site: http://www.myhometownhelper.com/
2. Click the “Find a Project” button at the top of the page
3. Type in Alabama and Auburn in the two boxes

4. Click search.
5. Click on “An Ellison Die Cut Machine for Our Library”
6. Read the grant, read comments already submitted, and post your comment in support of the grant.
You must be 18 in order to post.

Thanks for your support!

I ordered it from Abebooks.com because I couldn’t find it anywhere else! They are a wonderful resource for hard-to-find books, so click on their ad above to head over to their site and search for a book YOU’VE been looking for.

Moon Glows is a great bedtime story for children in a wide age-range. The simple, repetitive story takes you all around different scenic settings, describing them at bedtime, and following up with a part of nature going to sleep: (more…)

I decided to take the plunge and purchase a little Swiffer Duster Starter Kit a little over a year ago. I’ve been VERY pleasantly surprised with the results! I still use my feather duster for some cobweb dusting, but I give the kids the electro-static dusters because they are completely useless to me (the dusters, not the kids ). And I really thought with 4 kids and a dog in our house, we’d be burning through those little refill duster packs like toilet paper. Not so, thank goodness (remember, I try to be frugal)!

Now, I’m not a frequent duster by any stretch of the imagination. I actually have this really complicated rotation system for dusting each room in the house that I (more…)

I’ve reviewed her original Bear Snores On book, and this book certainly doesn’t disappoint! In this rhyming story, our beloved Bear comes down with the flu (well, he’s achy, so I’m assuming it’s the flu!) just as the autumn leaves are blowing. While he struggles to get comfortable with all the awful symptoms, his friends stop by to play. When they realize Bear is sick, they immediately offer to help!

Aside from the comforting words they whisper in his ear, they cook him up a fine broth, get a cool cloth for his head, gather herbs for his tea, and even sing him a lullaby. One of the colorful illustrations by Jane Chapman, shows pictures his animal friends have drawn for Bear; it reminded me of all the (dozens of) pictures my 3- and 5-year-old drew for my youngest this week when her fever was topping out around 104.5. How very poignant for the illustrations to so closely convey how even a preschooler can help a sick friend feel better!

After Bear wakes from his nap, he is feeling well enough to go out and play in the leaves. Unfortunately, his friends start to wheeze and sneeze (because there wasn’t any “Airborne” in the story ). Ah! The sacrificial caregivers!

“Bear murmurs, “Don’t worry,”
and tucks them in bed.
He bundles them up
and he kisses each head.

He tells all his friends,
You’ll soon feel like new.
You took care of me . . .
now I’ll take care of you.”"

Add this book to your home library and read it to yours whenever they are sick - it just makes everyone feel a little better. I’m going to read it again just for me before I turn in tonight! Happy reading!

I needed some personalized note cards for our business, and just couldn’t find anything locally that I was willing to use. Then I stumbled across Oopsie Daisy Designs. A few emails and a Paypal transaction later, and I have these personalized business cards that impress our customers!

This is not my first purchase from Oopsie Daisy Designs - I’ve ordered (more…)

I was supposed to take my mother’s trash out the week after her knee surgery - I told her I would, but I completely forgot! I knew I could remember to go by her house on the way home from a meeting, but the railroad crossing was closed. Going a mile out of my way to get around the closure, I ended up on the street that leads right to my house. So, of course, I drove straight home - never thinking about her trash again. She was not happy with me.

I decided then that my brain (more…)

MONDAY
Lunch - Make-over Mexican Roll-ups, chips/salsa, grapes (I didn’t plan on running out of tortillas ).
Dinner - out with Grandaddy to our favorite BBQ place

TUESDAY
Lunch - I was planning on 15 min Red Beans and Rice, like we had here, but I forgot the Red Beans - as you might have guessed, they are essential to this dish , so we had some leftovers instead!
Dinner - Leftover Buffet! (more…)

So I can completely relate to the Platypus in the book, , by Susan K. Mitchell. This was one of the books I received from Sylvan Dell Publishing to review, and it is certainly as enjoyable as the other book they sent me. The illustrations by Sherry Rogers are so endearing and bring the personalities of each animal to life.

The story begins when an (more…)

Where has the week gone??? I don’t know about you, but we’ve been busy getting valentines for our special friends ready to take to school. Whew! Now that task is taken care of, so I can start thinking about how to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day.

I’ve already planned to make a cute (more…)

Well, we gotta eat something besides Valentine’s sweets, so here’s our plan!

MONDAY
Lunch - Mile-High Tortilla Pie, chips/salsa, apple slices
Dinner - Out with Grandaddy to Cici’s Pizza! (more…)

The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne were a huge hit with our oldest son when he was in kindergarten. We began reading the series to him as he was beginning to learn to read on his own. By the time we hit the fourth book, Pirates Past Noon, he decided we weren’t reading them fast enough; he took off with them on his own!

Listed as a 2nd reading level book, this entertaining series is easily enjoyed by a variety of ages. As we read the first three books to (more…)

1. Ride their bikes. If that sounds boring, go outside with them and set up an obstacle course in the driveway to make it more interesting - make them go around the trashcan, follow a jump rope laid out in a curvy line, go around a car, have them toss a rock in a bucket when they ride by - the possibilities are endless!

2. Sidewalk chalk and sidewalk paint. See how big they can draw a flower/tree/cloud; who can make the most unusual looking bug; play tic-tac-toe; practice this week’s spelling words from school. (more…)

So, after she’s gone potty, here’s what I do: slide her underwear down, put on the diaper while she stands up, then slide the underwear and pants back up. Super-easy and she’s very pleased to get to sleep in her underwear (and I’m very pleased I won’t have to change the sheets after her nap ).

What I really love (aside from less laundry) (more…)

Well, at least I have my menus to keep me on track :

MONDAY
Lunch - leftovers
Dinner - Out with Grandaddy to Taco Bell (bring your Pepto )

TUESDAY
Lunch - Banquet Turkey Pot Pies, salad, melon slices
Dinner - leftover Chicken Cacciatore, canned Italian green beans, Pillsbury wheat rolls (more…)

This morning during breakfast, my 3 1/2 year old suggested that we play “I Spy,” and I resisted knowing they’d be paying even LESS attention to their food. But my brilliant 8-year-old (who could (more…)

In part two, we discuss some creative ways to work on spending more quality time with the kids. We also spend some time exploring fun ways to exercise and involve the kids.

We hope you enjoy the show and would love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment with your ideas for the new year!

Here’s my plan for the week:

MONDAY
Lunch - Canned Lentil soup over brown rice, polska kielbasa, grape tomatoes, mandarin oranges
Dinner - Eat out with Grandaddy at Cici’s Pizza (more…)

I love it when I find a book that reminds me of my children. It may remind me of their (more…)

Last night as we were eating at Cici’s again, he was asking for dessert. When my husband asked him if he would be able to eat that much more without getting another stomach ache, my son nodded his head and said, (more…)