Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms

Little Cooks with Books

2010-10-04T08:48:00.002-04:00

Little Cooks with Books:
Apple Picking Time and the Yummiest Apple Cake Ever!

Making the Most of Homeschooling: A Guest Post

2010-09-22T08:33:00.001-04:00

Making the Most of the Homeschool Experience:
Four Time and Lesson Management Tips

For about three years, my two siblings and I were schooled at home by my mother. I'm convinced that the experience was a positive one, as we received nurturing attention from the one woman who was best equipped to teach us lessons in both academics, life, and love--our mother.

It was not, however, always easy. When you homeschool your kids, it's easy to let other things get in the way of daily lessons, since there isn't the rigid structure of a traditional school with attendance policies, class periods, etc. Here are a few tips so that you can make the most of your homeschooling experience.

1. Prepare your lesson plans well in advance.

Although you may have a lesson plan manual with everything you need, you still need to go through every lesson yourself and prepare. Read through each lesson at least a day in advance and make notes. Consider what you can do to make lessons come alive. Whatever you do, don't read through the teacher's manual when teaching. Children need as much stimulation and engagement as possible, and this can be accomplished only by modifying and adding to lesson plans that are fairly static in their manual form.

2. Set a routine, and stick to it.

While this is easier said than done, make sure that you begin and end at the same time each and every day. Always remember that tasks take longer than you think they will, so allow for extra time when planning a school schedule. Set up regular break periods, including a morning break, a lunch break, and a short afternoon break, too.

3. When teaching multiple children of different grade levels, be sure to set aside time for each child.

If you are homeschooling several children, chances are they are of different ages and different grade levels. In this situation, it's more important to dedicate private teaching time for each child. While you are working with one child, make sure the others are occupied with a task that doesn't need your individual attention.

4. Make "after school" activities correspond with lessons learned in school.

This was my favorite part of being home schooled. Unlike traditional schools, learning doesn't stop once the school days end. My mother made it a point to take us on outings that complemented our lessons. For example, when we were studying astronomy concepts, she took us to the local science museum that had a planetarium. When we were studying Greek civilization, she read us Greek myths at night before bed. In this way, we my mother made our lessons come alive, which sparked a love of learning when I began attending regular school, at a time when most of my peers were bored and unmotivated.

These are just a few ways to make the most of the inimitable experience that is home schooling. It's always a challenge placing your children's education in your own hands, but in the end it's a rewarding one. I wouldn't have traded my home school experience for the world.

This guest post is contributed by Alisa Gilbert, who writes on the topics of bachelors degree. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alisagilbert599@gmail.com.

Little Cooks with Books: Apples, Apples, Everywhere!

2010-09-20T06:16:00.000-04:00

Apples, Apples, Everywhere!

Bushel Full of Apple Ideas

2010-09-16T09:26:00.000-04:00

Apples For Teachers - No Time for Flash Cards

Paper Plate Apple -Ramblings of a Crazy Woman

"No Bake" Apple Pie - Chasing the Goose

Apple ABC Letter Match - Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

Packed with Apple Ideas - Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers

Apple Play-Doh - Pink and Green Mama

A is for Apple vs. B is for Ball - Preschool Daze

Lots of apple links - Bo the Bookworm Resources

Apple Picking Time Ideas - Dr. Jean

The Star (an apple story) - Dr. Jean

The Itty-Bitty Bookworm has a "Ten Apples Up On Top" unit as part of their curriculum for October (Year 1). They also have a "Apples and Pumpkins" unit as part of their curriculum for October (Year 3).

A Few More Fall Printables

2010-09-14T10:05:00.001-04:00

fI have created a few more free Fall Printables using clipart from Lettering Delights.

Here is a booklet of Fall vocabulary words.

Here is a set of Fall word cards and
Printing Practice activity sheet.

Ideas for using these:

Display the word cards in a pocket chart. Give the child the Printing Practice sheet on a clipboard. Have the child use the word cards to locate the correct word for each picture on the printing practice sheet, and print the words beside the corresponding pictures.
Use the word cards as labels.
Older children can complete the Printing Practice sheet using inventive spelling (without using the word cards).
Laminate the word cards. Allow the child to trace the words with a dry erase marker.
For older children - Display the word cards and challenge them to write a Fall-themed story in which they incorporate all of the words.

If you have any other ideas for using these printables, please share via a comment.

Fall Printables

2010-09-09T19:15:00.001-04:00

We have just uploaded a set of Free Printable Calendars for the 2010-11 school year. They are perfect for homeschool and classroom use. Be sure to check them out.

We also have an amazing Fall and Farm Supplemental Packet designed by Karen from Prekinders.com for sale. It includes printable name tags, stationary, games, activities and much more. It can be purchased on CD or as a download. Here is a sneak peek.

Don't forget to bookmark our Free Printables page as a helpful planning resource for the fall months.

B is for Bob Books

2010-08-17T07:10:00.001-04:00

Being a fan of Bob Books, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to host a Q&A with Bob Books brand manager, Lynn Maslen Kertell, the daughter of Bob Books creator Bobby Lynn Maslen.

Tell me a bit about how the Bob Books series came to be.

The Bob Books started when my Mom, Bobby Lynn Maslen, was a teacher of three-, four-, and five-year-olds in Portland, Oregon. Bobby introduced very beginning reading to her students by sitting at a table with a child, and writing a story with him or her. The tale was very simple, the two of them sounded out the words together, and Bobby made drawings for the student to copy or color. Often, other young students gathered around to watch. When the child had finished reading this hand-made book, he could bring it home to share.

After several years of hand writing many little books, Bobby developed them into the first set of Bob Books and enlisted award winning artist and husband (and my Dad), John, to illustrate them.

Right from the start, the books were a big success. Word of mouth spread the news, and soon my parents had many customers and a demand for more books. Bobby soon wrote two sets of books, then two more, until the series had grown to five sets.

The two newest sets of books - Bob Books Sight Words – are written by me, their daughter Lynn Maslen Kertell, and are available this month.

What makes this early reading series different from others?
Bob Books were the first books-in-a-box reading program, developed over 35 years ago. There are several real differences from other beginning reading systems:
The books are real stories with a plot, humor, empathy and warmth. Children learn to read, and they have pleasure of reading a story they enjoy.
The books are written with consistent letter-sounds, so all words can be sounded out, except the sight words. Children don’t have the unhappy surprise of long words or complicated spellings they are not ready to read.
They progress gradually, so children feel success with each book.

To what do you attribute the success of Bob Books?

They work! Bob Books have grown by Moms telling Moms, teachers telling parents, librarians passing on the word, and of course bloggers writing about their experience with their own children.

The magic of Bob Books is when a child can excitedly exclaim, “I read the whole book!”® It is that simple.

What are some signs that a child is ready to begin with the Bob Books series?

Every child is different, so there is no specific age when your child will be ready to begin reading. Instead, look for signals that he or she is ready.

Can she or he recognize and name most letters?
Does your child know which sounds go with which letters (which sound does a letter “make”)?
Can your child recognize words on everyday objects such as STOP and Open signs?
Can your child spell his or her own name?
Is your child interested in books and reading, and excited to sit down with you to read?

If you answer ‘yes’ to most of these questions, your child is ready for Bob Books-Set 1 and Bob Books Sight Words-Kindergarten.

How can parents determine with which set they should start their children?
We always recommend that children start with Bob Books-Set 1. To read the first book, children only need to know the letters M, A, T and S. With the early success of reading a whole book themselves, children are excited and confident to try more.

Every child is different. Some children move directly from Bob Books-Set 1 to Bob Books Sight Words-Kindergarten. Others benefit from a more moderate pace by reading Bob Books-Set 2 before tackling Sight Words.

Bob Books Sight Words-First Grade continues with simple, phonetic spelling and but more complicated sight words. Then you should continue to Bob Books Set 3, which introduces longer stories and words, Set 4 that presents multi-syllable words, and Set 5 which focuses on long vowels.

What are some extension activities that you suggest?
There are many great games you can play to prepare children for reading:

Beginning Readers

Play sound games: Ask your child to think of a word that begins with M. Mmmmmm. Mop, map, man, moose. Now try a different beginning sound.
Word families: Use magnetic alphabet letters or blocks to spell words for your child. Show that changing the first letter changes the whole word. Map, tap, lap. It works with ending or middle letters, too! Lap, lad, lid. Make up nonsense words.
Draw giant letters with sidewalk chalk. Follow them with feet or fingers.
Make letters in sand, with clay, or cut them from sand paper.

For Sight Words

Go on a sight word “hunt.” Give your child one or two flash cards (included in Bob Books-Sight Words). How many times can she circle the sight words on a page of an old magazine?
Using cut-out pictures from magazines and flash cards, make up sentences or stories.
Have flash card races – how many flash cards can your child read in 5 seconds? 15 seconds?

And of course, read to your child often.

Enter to win a Bob Books Back to School Pack, which includes a Bob Books lunch box, Bob Books Sight Words Set for Kindergarten, and Bob Books Sight Words Set for First Grade.

Beginning Readers, Bob Books, and a Giveaway

2010-08-14T18:15:00.006-04:00

This giveaway is closed.

When Sam was in pre-k I bought her Bob Books, Set 1: Beginning Readers. This set of little readers came in a cute little box, and she loved it. Selecting a book from the box, reading it, and putting it back inside made her feel like a "big girl". It also made her a reader.

I like this particular set, as well. It is absolutely perfect for children who recognize the letters of the alphabet and and are beginning to pick up on some letter sounds. The first story consists of only four letters, which makes it super simple for beginning readers to read the entire first book all by themselves. Throughout the set, new sounds are gradually added, until young readers have read books with all of the letters of the alphabet.

Bob Books has recently released two new sets of readers which focus on learning and practicing sight words. Sight words are words that are recognized by sight rather than sounded out, in order to achieve reading fluency. They are the most frequently used words in the English language, and are often unable to be read phonetically. Bob Books Sight Words features the top sight words in two sets - one for kindergarten and one for first grade. This allows parents and children to read, learn, and practice easily and enjoyably.

Each Sight Words box includes 10 original books, 30 flashcards, and a parent guide. Soon your child will be saying, "I read the whole book!'

The fun part ~ Scholastic Books is offering TWO lucky readers a Bob Books Back to School Pack, which includes a Bob Books lunchbox, Bob Books Sight Words Set for Kindergarten, and Bob Books Sight Words Set for First Grade. The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only.

To enter ~ Leave me a comment telling me something your remember about how you were taught to read.

The two winners will be randomly selected on August 28 and contacted by email. They will have 3 days to respond with their mailing info.

Good Luck!

Mommy Blogger Day at the Philadelphia Zoo

2010-08-05T13:12:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday the Philadelphia Zoo hosted a Mommy Blogger Event, and the kids and I were invited. We love the zoo and haven't been for a while, so we were very excited.

We got to the zoo as it was opening. Immediately upon entering, there was a table set up where we were able to check-in. We were given free admission to the zoo, a fun back pack filled with lots of zoo info, tickets for the children to ride a draft horse, and stuffed animal key chains for each child. So nice!

The zoo's latest attraction, the Creatures of Habitat, was one of our favorites. The zoo website describes the attraction ~ By bringing endangered animals and their vanishing habitats to life, CREATURES OF HABITAT inspires explorers of all ages to protect the amazing planet we all call home. A combination of birds and beasts, each intricately fashioned from thousands of LEGO® bricks, this experience will surely remind us how our world fits together and how we connect with it.

A fun day begins!

Part of the Creatures of Habitat Attraction

The rainforest being destroyed.

Lego display of a mother orangutan and baby

Lego display of mother gorilla and baby

Wes's favorite animal ~ the crocodile!

That is rain that you see. It "rains" in their environment.

The kids ride a beautiful draft horse.

Too bad I didn't get a good picture of the horse.

Wes rides a big, red traffic.
He wished it was green (Jason Aldean song),
but had fun on it anyway.

Yummy ending to a great day!

Thanks super nice Philadelphia Zoo people!

The Penguins of Madagascar ~ A Fun Giveaway

2010-07-31T09:28:00.003-04:00

The giveaway is closed.

My children have LOTS of dvds, but they always seem to watch the same movies over and over again. Madagascar is one of these well received movies. They laugh hysterically each and every time they watch it. Now Nickelodeon has a cartoon called The Penguins of Madagascar. Wes is all about that one. When he recently had the opportunity to "review" the new Penguins of Madagascar movie, The Penguins of Madagascar Operation he was ready for the mission. The mission was a huge success; he loved the movie.

The dvd came in a prize pack which also contained Trix cereal and several Penguins of Madagascar launchers. Wes and Gracen were totally excited to begin a game of launching penguins at each other from across the room. Fun times! Perhaps it was all of the sugar from the "rabbit food" cereal that gave them the energy they needed to keep the game going. If you think your kiddos would enjoy launching penguins, pick up a couple of specially marked boxes of General Mills cereals and they can "commence operations" with one of five characters from The Penguins of Madagascar.

Good News ~ I am offering one lucky reader the same complete prize pack we received (Trix cereal, a Penguins of Madagascar launcher and the new Penguins of Madagascar movie, The Penguins of Madagascar Operation: DVD Premier) so you can launch into your own penguin fun!

To enter ~ Simply leave me a comment telling me about the best prize you ever found in a box of cereal or Cracker Jack. I will choose a winner on August 10 and notify the winner by email.

Disclosure: This product, prize pack, information, and giveaway have all been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark and Nickelodeon.

Despicable Me ~ A Giveaway

2010-07-07T07:22:00.001-04:00

This giveaway is closed.

When the kids and I went to see Shrek 3, we saw the trailer for Despicable Me. They thought the trailer was hilarious. Needless to say, they cannot wait to go and see the movie. The release date is July 9, so we are going to do our best to get to the theater this weekend.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought the movie looked funny, but I wasn't exactly sure what it was actually about. Just in case you are wondering, too, here is a brief synopsis:

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me.

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Sounds cute, doesn't it?

The Giveaway ~ Universal Studios and Big Honcho Media would like to offer one of my lucky readers a Despicable Me prize pack. The pack will include these 4 books, as well as a Despicable Me t-shirt and pencil.

To Enter ~ Leave me a comment about a favorite movie from your childhood. I will randomly select a winner
on Friday, July 16. I will contact the winner by email, and he or she will have three days to respond.

If you see the movie this weekend, let me know what you and your kiddos think!

Pick Your Own at Linvilla Farms

2010-07-04T09:11:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I took the kids to Linvilla Orchards
to pick peaches and apricots. We had a great time.

We took a tractor ride out to the peach and apricot orchard.

Picking the best.

A hayride took us back.

So silly.

All worn out!

*photo credit*

But not too worn out to make this!
We used Tina's (Mommy's Kitchen) recipe.
Super Yummy!

Backyard Bash Printables

2010-06-29T20:46:00.000-04:00

I found these adorable clipart sets from Lettering Delights and just had to create some preschool printables with them. I thought they would be fun to use for the Fourth of July.

Mini Book ~ A Backyard Bash

Cards ~ Backyard Fun

Enjoy!

Little Cooks with Books ~ Strawberry Jam

2010-06-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Jam

Single Mom Tackles Grilling...And Wins!

2010-06-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

Throughout our marriage, John and I divided the chores like many couples. I took care of most of the household cleaning and child-related stuff, and he did the lawn work, repair work (house and cars), and grilling. Now that we are separated, I have been determined to teach myself to do these things. Ok, so maybe not car repair, but definitely lawn work and grilling.

Photo credit: Pioneer Woman

I figured Memorial Day weekend was a great time to begin the grilling challenge, so this weekend I purchased a couple of beautiful steaks from the neighborhood butcher. Then I found this delicious steak salad recipe. I knew it would be wonderful because it is the Pioneer Woman's recipe, and all of her recipes are scrumptious. I Googled "How to Grill the Perfect Steak" and read a couple of different suggestions, and then set to work.

To my surprise grilling was actually easy. I seared both sides of the steaks to get the grill marks, and then just let them cook for a while, flipping them half way through. I wasn't sure exactly how long I should cook them, so I watched them closely. They turned out perfectly. Juicy and just a tad pink in the middle. Exactly how I like my steak.

When I took them off of the grill I let them rest for a few minutes. Then I sliced them into thin pieces and put them atop mixed greens. As I expected, Pioneer Woman's marinade and dressing were delish. I will definitely be making this again!

My first grilling experience was such a success that I tried it again on Memorial Day. I grilled hotdogs for the kids. They must have been good because they gobbled them up, and Sam and Gracen ate two. Score one for, Mom!

The best part of grilling...I can cook while my kids are having fun doing this:

Shrektacular Savings ~ And a Giveaway

2010-05-29T19:22:00.003-04:00

This giveaway is closed.

My kids and I have enjoyed all of the Shrek movies and were eagerly awaiting the release of Shrek Forever After. Therefore, when My Blog Spark approached me about reviewing a "Shrek-tacular Savings” prize pack, I jumped at the chance.

My kids love getting packages in the mail, but were especially excited about this one. It was filled with two large boxes of General Mills cereals, Fruit Roll-Ups Minis snacks, Betty Crocker Brownie Mix, a $10 Shrek-tacular Savings coupon book with fun Shrek trivia, a Shrek water squirter, a Shrek highlighter and a $25 gift card to use to purchase tickets to see the new Shrek Forever After film. I do not usually buy Fruit Roll-Ups or Brownie Mix, so my kids were overjoyed to have those sugary treats. Wes loved the Shrek water squirters and still plays with them in the bath tub.

Last weekend we used the gift card to go see the movie. I am not a huge fan of sequel movies, but this one was a pleasant surprise. In this final Shrek movie, the famous ogre has a bit of a mid-life crisis. He longs for the days when he was feared by the local villagers. To get one day of his old life back, Shrek agrees to and signs a contract with Rumplestilskin. The result is much more than Shrek bargained for, but makes for a lively and creative tale.

A Giveaway ~ My Blog Spark and General Mills are offereing one of my lucky readers a Shrek-tacular Savings Prize Pack. To enter: Leave me a comment telling me which Shrek character is your favorite and why. I will randomoly select a winner on Friday, June 4. The winner will be contacted by email and will have three days to respond or an alternate name will be selected.

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway were provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Children's Books ~ Separation and Divorce

2010-05-26T20:31:00.002-04:00

Trying to explain difficult life experiences (death, separation/divorce, serious illness, etc.) to your children can be intimidating and overwhelming. However, quality children's books can help. I remember when my mother died (I was nine years old) my Dad gave me You Shouldn't Have to Say Goodbye. That book truly helped me navigate through some of the feelings I was having. It also made me understand that I was not the only child who had experienced the death of her mother.

Naturally, when I realized it was time to explain to my children that my husband and I were separating I wanted to find the perfect books for each of them. After researching lots of different books, the following are the ones I chose.

For Samantha (9 years old)

A Smart Girl's Guide to Her Parents' Divorce: How to Land on Your Feet When Your World Turns Upside Down (American Girl)

Short chapters illustrated with bright cartoon drawings cover many important concerns and offer explanations of the divorce process. Topics range from how to deal with negative emotions, family changes, and new living arrangements, to tougher issues such as violence and financial troubles. The text has a compassionate tone, and sprinkled throughout are answers to questions that readers might have as well as snippets of advice from girls who have found what works for them. A few write-in quizzes are included. This book promises to be a helpful guide. School Library Journal

Samantha has read and enjoyed many of the American Girl "Smart Girl" guide books. This one was no exception. She read it cover to cover in one weekend. The advice and insight this book offers is worded and explained in terms that adolescent girls can easily understand. It is also a great resource for girls to keep so that when future situations or problems arise they can use the book to help them navigate. I highly recommend this book to girls ages 9-12 and parents, as well. I think it is valuable tool for parents because it is a reminder of what separation and divorce look like from their daughter's perspective.

For Gracen (7 years old)

My Mom and Dad Don't Live Together Anymore: A Drawing Book for Children of Separated or Divorced Parents

Product Description ~ Some things are easier to say with pictures. When parents decide to separate or divorce, children need ways to sort through all the feelings, thoughts, and worries they are facing. This drawing book encourages kids to explore their inner world through both pictures and words, helping them to understand themselves and feel better during a difficult time of change.

Gracen loves to draw and color, so this book was the perfect choice for her. She decided to really take her time on all of the illustrations because she wants to keep the book forever. I like this book because discussing the pages, and what she should draw on each, helped Gracen open up and share her feelings with me. This book is a great choice for non-readers and for children who have difficulty putting words to their emotions.

For Wes (4 years old)

It's Not Your Fault, Koko Bear: A Read-Together Book for Parents and Young Children During Divorce

Amazon.com Review ~ How do you talk to your children about your divorce? How can you best handle their responses? Here's a children's book and parenting tool rolled into one. It's Not Your Fault, Koko Bear is a picture book designed to be read by parents to their children. At the bottom of each page, there are bullet points for parents that give information and advice about what the kids are going through, and the best way to handle each issue as it arises. (Ages 3 to 7 and parents)

I used this book when telling Wes that his Dad and I were separating. It made the extremely difficult task a lot easier for me. It also made a difficult-to-understand situation a little more understandable for Wes. Wes really identified with Koko the preschool-aged bear in the story. He asked lots of questions about Koko and his bear parents. Wes has asked me and his sisters to read this book to him several times over the past few weeks. I believe it is a comfort to him.

Little Cooks with Books ~ Blueberries for Sal

2010-05-26T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hop on Over!

An Amazing Field Trip

2010-05-25T21:27:00.000-04:00

Last week I was lucky enough to get to go on field trip with Samantha's class to Ellis Island. We had a great time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the exhibit signs. I learned so much (and so did the kids, of course!). Here are just a few pics from the trip.

Class photo

The Main Hall

NYC Skyline

View of Statue of Liberty from Ferry

My sweet girl

May Day

2010-05-13T07:36:00.002-04:00

Sam and Gracen participated in a May Day celebration at their school. Gracen and the rest of the first grade helped the senior class plant a tree. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture. The third grade classes did a May pole dance. They had a blast!

Gracen and her friends watch as the third graders perform the May pole dance.

Getting started

Skipping to the beat

The end product

ABC and 123

2010-05-12T06:50:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that I have joined ABC and 123 as a contributor. I will be posting "Little Cooks with Books" there bi-weekly on Wednesdays. Please stop by to learn about our yummy fun.

For more details, check out my intro post.

The Trike-a-thon

2010-05-10T00:01:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who supported Wes in the Trike-a-thon. He raised over $100! All of the donations were sent to St. Jude Children's Hospital. Great fun for a great cause!

Mentally Preparing

Getting his ride on

Go, Wes!

The Hardest Words to Write

2010-05-07T10:47:00.000-04:00

I have been struggling with the decision of whether or not I should write this post. However, after mentioning that I was having family issues on We Teach, I received heartfelt, supportive emails from many of my friends in the blogging community. This outpouring of love, made me cry tears of happiness and relief. It also proved to me that my blogging friends are truly my "FRIENDS". To nurture these special friendships, it is only natural to be honest and upfront about what is going on in my life. I also know that my life circumstances will affect the things about which I blog. With all that being said, here goes...

My husband and I have decided to separate. It was not a sudden decision, but it is still very difficult. We are not bitter and are getting along fairly well, considering. We both have our children's best interests at heart, so it makes it easier for us to make decisions and move forward.

At this point, I am focusing on taking one day at a time and being present for my children. I still intend to continue blogging, but I am not sure how much time I will have to devote. I want to thank, in advance, my friends and followers who will continue to read. I will definitely need companions as I embark on this new journey.

Many Hugs!

Our Recent Favorite Reads...and a Giveaway

2010-05-06T13:19:00.002-04:00

This giveaway is closed.

Wes's Pick

Funny Lunch (Max Spaniel)

David Catow's loveable spaniel is back!
Readers will dine with delight as Chef Max serves up one hysterical meal after another at his very own diner. New readers will laugh-out-load as Max's pizza pie special creates one wacky lunchtime.
Read more about MAX!

Wes thinks this book is a huge crack-up! He loves it.
He thinks the illustrations are hilarious and laughs out loud about Max's mistakes. His favorite part is when a little dog tries to order a hot dog (Wes's favorite) and Max brings her a dog that is hot and panting.

Gracen's Pick

Chizzy's Topsy Tale

In Chizzy's Topsy Tale, Donna J. Shepherd's whimsical rhymes speed Chizzy and Dotty into the jungle on a whirlwind search for tempting fruit. Kevin Scott Collier illustrates Chizzy's rollicking escapades with a deft and humorous touch. Solid values, like helping a friend in need and minding Momma, make Chizzy's Topsy Tale a wonderful read-aloud choice.

Gracen, my budding artist, truly appreciates the vivid, colorful illustrations in this book. In fact, she has even sketched and colored the characters in her own sketch pad.

Samantha's Pick

Pandas' Earthquake Escape

Pandas' Earthquake Escape is a fictional story based on a real-life event. In real life, XiXi, a giant panda did escape from the destroyed Wolong Panda Reserve when the 7.9 earthquake rocked Northern China on May 12, 2008. Author Phyllis Perry uses the adventures of a mother panda, LiLing, and her one-year old cub, Tengfei, to teach children about earthquakes, animal survival, and to reinforce a mother s instinct to protect her child.

Earlier in the school year, Samantha's class did a comprehensive study of China. They even went to The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. to see the panda exhibit. Needless to say, she fell in love with the pandas. Therefore, I knew she would appreciate this book. Boy, was I right! She has read it several times and comments on the adorable panda illustrations each time. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the story is heartfelt and endearing.

My Pick

Motherhood is Murder (A Maternal Instincts Mystery)

Nights out are hard to come by for new mommy Kate Connelly. So when Kate and her husband are invited to a dinner cruise hosted by her new mommy club, Roo & You, they jump at it. But when the president of the club takes a deadly spill, everyone becomes suspect-and Kate's on deck to solve the mystery.

Motherhood is Murder is the second novel in Diana Orgain's Maternal Instincts Mystery series. I read the first novel, Bundle of Joy, a while back and loved it. Therefore, I was excited to dive into this one. Motherhood is Murder did not disappoint.

Kate, the main character, learns a lot about herself as she continues to find her way as a new mother and private investigator. I easily identify with Kate on many levels. For example, I completely understand her deep desire to want to stay home with her new baby. I felt the exact same way when I had my children. Although Kate does not want to return to work full time, she knows that she has to have a source of income. Therefore, she throws herself into the world of private investigating. I love this facet of the story because it is exactly why and how I developed The Itty-Bitty Bookworm.

For this giveaway, I am offering two lucky readers a copy of Motherhood is Murder.
To enter please leave me a comment telling me
what you would choose to do if you could begin a new career.

For additional entries ~
Subscribe to my blog.
Follow Diana Orgain on Twitter.

Winners will be randomly selected on May 14, 2010.
They will have 48 hours to respond.
Contest for US addresses only.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-04-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

Burger Chore Chart

Letter Soup

Mini Unit Studies for Mini Hands

Scholastic Facebook Fan Page
Scholastic will donate one book to a child in need through
Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.) for every fan who joins
the Scholastic Facebook Fan Page.
Please join today!

Accessories Inspired

Gussy Laptop Bag

Vita Muffins

This post is linked to I'm Lovin' It Fridays at Tidy Mom and Finer Things Friday at The Finer Things in Life.

Happy Earth Day (and a funny video)

2010-04-22T08:26:00.002-04:00

I just saw this video on Carrots 'N' Cake. It is so cute that I just have to share it with you. If you have children, please share it with them. Besides being absolutely adorable, it teaches some important lessons.

Have a wonderfully "Green" Day!

Dirt Don't Hurt

2010-04-21T09:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Jennifer, from Sisterly Savings, and I took our children to the All event in NYC. The event was held to introduce All Oxi-Active and to promote the importance of PLAY. Gotta appreciate that!

To demonstrate the stain fighting ability of All Oxi-Active several play stations were set up and children (and any willing parents) were invited to wear jerseys and get dirty. My kids were all about that. After the activities the super nice All people washed all of the jerseys to demonstrate the amazing power of their new detergent.

Cookie and Cupcake Decorating Station

The Balloon Man was a huge hit.

Blowing bubbles

Kid Friendly Snacks
My kids loved the mini sloppy joes
and macaroni and cheese in mini waffle cones.

Painting with grass.
(Yes, real grass. They blended it up to make a paint.)

Cupcake Decorating

Gracen wipes her hands on her shirt.
Will it come out in the wash?

Sam decorates her shirt with glitter glue.

A company lab scientist does a stain fighting demonstration.
All Oxi-Active vs. Arm and Hammer
All won!

Fun Stuff for Earth Day

2010-04-20T21:01:00.006-04:00

~ Dirt Girl World ~
Wes (and I) are very excited about the premiere of Dirt Girl World, a new tv series that encourages children to "go out and get grubby".

For more info check out the Dirt Girl's website. For activities, games, coloring pages, and videos check out Dirt Girl World's page on the Sprout website.

~ Free eBooks ~

Lose that Remote and Seize the Day!
TV Turnoff Week Overlaps with Earth Day this Year

Mount Pleasant, SC (April 13, 2010) – Join Sylvan Dell in celebrating national TV Turnoff Week April 19-25 and Earth Day, April 22. Every year this week challenges families to turn off their television sets and find an alternate form of entertainment. Earth Day, celebrating its 40^th year, happens to fall right in the middle of TV Turnoff Week this year and provides a perfect excuse to turn off the television and learn about the earth.

So, instead of channel surfing, do something good for the Earth. Here are some suggestions:

Visit an animal rehabilitation center near you. Ask what types of animals do they help? Are any of these animals endangered or threatened? What can you do to help?
Take a trip to the zoo or your local aquarium. Turn it into a learning activity. Draw or make a list of the ways the animals are alike or different.
Go hiking in a nature reserve. Collect leaves, shells and flower petals. Draw a tree or make a nature journal.
Visit a nature museum. Quiz yourself after, what do you remember? Write down what you learned.
Read a book like “Where Should Turtle Be?” or “What’s New At the Zoo?” Sylvan Dell books are great educational resources that promote awareness and appreciation for animals and the environment.

Sylvan Dell is participating by giving schools, libraries and families free access to their 50 eBooks for the week of April 19-25. More than 40 of these eBooks explore Earth Day related themes including marine animals, habitats, wildlife, zoo animals, earth and physical science, birds, and astronomy. So, before deciding to turn on the TV, read an eBook and learn about the wonders of the Earth!

For more information about Earth Day, visit http://www.earthday.net/earthday2010
For more information about “TV Turnoff Week,” visit: http://tvturnoff.org/
For more information about Sylvan Dell Publishing, visit: http://SylvanDellPublishing.com
eBook access instructions are located on the Sylvan Dell website at: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/TVTurnOffWeek.htm

~ Art Activities to Celebrate Earth Day ~

Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids (Bright Ideas for Learning)
Over two hundred projects for painting and drawing, sculpture and mobiles, collage and printing, weaving and crafts, and handmade art supplies emphasize recycling and natural materials.

~ Great Earth Day Links ~
Planet Pals
Earth Day Crafts ~ Kaboose
Craft Projects for Kids ~ Family Fun
Games, Activities, and Craft Ideas ~ National Geographic Kids
Celebrating Learning and Sneaking in Some Learning ~ Teach Mama
Win a Kid's Vegetable Growing Kit from Terracycle ~ Mommy Niri

Dog is Boy's Best Friend

2010-04-20T19:31:00.001-04:00

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Healthified

2010-04-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

photo credit

My children love this Zucchini Chocolate Chip cookie recipe from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In an effort to make the recipe a bit healthier (and use up some of my plethora of zucchini), I experimented with it this weekend.

Finish Reading

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2010-04-15T08:00:00.004-04:00

The Good

I am 5 lbs. lighter this week
and can run a little farther.

The Bad

photo credit
Sickness has found its way back into my home.
John now has Strep throat and Wes has croup.
Ugh!

The Ugly

This was the tangled mess I had to detangle this morning.
How does this happen?

Yummy Green Smoothies and Tweet, Eat, Post

2010-04-12T11:04:00.002-04:00

Green Smoothies

We have been making a LOT of smoothies. They are so simple to make. We just dump everything into our Blendtec, push the "Smoothie" button, and in less than 30 seconds our nutritious breakfast is prepared. My kids are still loving this strawberry banana smoothie. However, I have been experimenting with some green smoothie recipes, as well. Here is one of my favorites:

photo credit

Spinach - Mango Smoothie

1 big handful of Spinach
1/2-1 cup of Trader Joe's Frozen Mango
*1 cup of Water, Milk, or Unsweetened Almond Milk
**Ice - Enough to get the consistency you like

*I do 1/2cup water and 1/2 cup whole milk.
**I do about a cup of ice.

I have also discovered Vega's Whole Food Health Optimizer, which I am loving. I started putting it in my smoothies because I have trouble with anemia and it has lots of iron. Within just a couple of days, I am feeling like a new woman. Seriously, this stuff is wonderful. Here is how I have been using it:

My Vega Smoothie
1 scoop Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer
(I have the Vanilla Chai.)
1/2 banana
1 cup of water
1 cup of ice

Tweet, Eat, Post

In an effort to lose some weight, eat healthy, and be accountable, a friend and I have started food journaling through the use of Twitter. It is so easy and convenient. You just tweet each time you eat. Then, you can generate a food table of your daily intake. You can read all about how it works on Roni's Weigh. If you are interested in following my food journal, here is the link. If you decide to start using this, let em know and I will follow you, as well. It could be a great way to get some new healthy meal planning and snack ideas.

This post is part of the Mouthwatering Monday Blog Carnival over at A Southern Fairytale, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdsays at Blessed with Grace, Tasty Tuesdays at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff. Stop by for more yumminess.

Fashion Playtes

2010-04-11T18:16:00.002-04:00

The girls and I recently had the opportunity to do a Fashion Playtes segment for Action News 6 Philadelphia. It was so much fun. Fashion Playtes sent the girls outfits to wear during filming and a very generous gift certificate, so that they could create their own designs. If you have a daughter, granddaughter, or niece between the ages of 6-12, you have to introduce them to this fabulous website.

For young aspiring writers ~ Fashion Playtes is having a "My Mom Rocks (This Belt)" contest. Five winners and their lucky moms will receive custom belts and a $50 gift certificate to spend on custom girls apparel on the Fashion Playtes website. The belts are super CUTE, so I am really hoping Sam or Gracen enter!

photo from Fashion Playtes

A Crazy Week

2010-04-11T15:13:00.001-04:00

Wow! The past week has been quite crazy around here. Sam was recovering from Strep throat, Wes had pink eye and a 24 hour bug, and I was having trouble with anemia. Double yuck! Thankfully, we were all finally feeling better.

Sam started swim team conditioning this week. She swims three afternoons a week at one of the local high schools. It has been working out well because while she swims I am able to use the track. I am hoping to be able to do a 5K in May. So far, so good. I do need some new running shoes, though. Any suggestions?

Gracen and Wes had their first soccer practice of the season this afternoon. It was Wes's first time playing an organized sport. They both had a great time. Gracen was especially excited because one of her BFFs from school was on her team. Here are some pics I got of them at practice.

I was only able to get one of Gracen because ~
well, she is in first grade now and too cool to have her mom
snapping a bunch of pics of her.

In the car, on the way to practice,
Wes confessed that he was a little
"wowwied",
but he was fine once we got there.

Learning to dribble.

When Sam was younger she used to stick
her tongue out when she was concentrating.
Now, Wes does it.

See what I mean?

By the end of the hour and a half practice,
we had one tired little man!

Now, I am off to tackle the mountain of laundry in my basement.
Wish me luck!

Little Cooks with Books: Peanut Butterflies

2010-04-05T18:26:00.001-04:00

Gracen is so excited that after Spring Break her class will be observing as butterflies prepare to hatch. I thought it would be fun to read a few butterfly-themed books over the break. Here are our two favorites.

Where Butterflies Grow (Picture Puffins)

Where Butterflies Grow describes the complete life cycle of a butterfly. The author brings the process to life through her use of sensory imagery. My girls especially loved the pictures in this book. They are realistic illustrations that actually look like photographs. A fun special feature of this book is the small creatures which are hidden among the plants. This encourages readers to use their observation skills to locate as many of the creatures as they can. My kids challenged each other to see who could find the most.

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly

The girls and I love this book. It is about a first grade girl who feels like she will never compare to her older sisters. She feels like they were the most perfect first graders ever. However, while on a school field trip to a butterfly conservatory, a butterfly lands and roosts on Velma's finger. This experience gives Velma some extra special attention. I appreciate how the author uses the beautiful colorful pictures and a story with which children with siblings can relate to help teach facts about butterflies. Everyone will love Velma!

Peanut Butterflies

To go along with our butterfly books, we decided to make Peanut Butterflies. They were fun to make and Wes and Sam thought they were yummy. Gracen did not care for them. I think they were to peanutty for her. John loved them.

Here is how we made the butterflies:

Make the peanut butter dough.
Roll two large balls of dough, place them side by side on a baking sheet, and gently flatten them.
Roll two smaller balls of dough, place them underneath the flattened balls on the baking sheet, and gently flatten.
Gently press all of the balls together so they are forming a butterfly shape.
Roll a small cylinder shape to create the body of the butterfly. Place it in the middle of the butterfly wings.
Decorate with mini chocolate chips.

Printable Recipe with Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Recipe

This recipe and idea came from The Kids-Did-It! Cookie Bookie This deliciously cute cookbook is an introduction to baking for kids ages 3 to 12. It includes 14 tasty, easy-to-follow and fun-to-look-at cookie recipes, each illustrated with colorful animal paintings and other watercolors created by kids.

Happy Easter

2010-04-05T12:35:00.001-04:00

I hope you had an Easter day full of family, sunshine,
and blessings!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-04-01T20:25:00.004-04:00

Things I am loving...

These Aerosole Sandals
So cute and would go with jeans, skirts, or
This Dress from Shabby Apple

Starbuck's Dark Cherry Mocha

e.l.f. Hypershine Gloss in Mauve

White Fudge Dipped Easter Oreos
Recipe and Picture from Picky Palate

I will be making these to take to
Meeting for Worship on Easter morning.

* DIY Pixie Hollow

I think I am more excited to make this than my girls.

*Plastic Bag Transfers

I will be saving my bags for this craft.

*Both of these crafts are from my new favorite craft blog

Filth Wizardry
Pictures from Filfth Wizardry

This post is linked to I'm Lovin' It Fridays at Tidy Mom and Finer Things Friday at The Finer Things in Life.

Artichoke Spinach Dip Quesadillas

2010-03-31T13:23:00.002-04:00

We are a dip family. Queso, salsa, onion, bean, we love them all. One of our very favorites is artichoke and spinach. I made some over the weekend and had leftovers, so I decided to make quesadillas out of it. They turned out super yummy!

Ingredients

1 can of Artichoke Hearts (drained and chopped)

1 box of Frozen Spinach (thawed and drained)

1/2 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Mozzarella

1 tbs Lowry's Garlic Salt (adjust to your taste)

Burrito-size Tortillas

Combine all of the ingredients (except tortills - of course).
Scoop the mixture onto one half of of a tortilla.
Fold the tortilla over.
Cook in a buttered skillet or on a griddle until the bottom is nicely browned.
Flip and cook until the other side is browned and the filling is all melty and gooey.

Printable Recipe

For more recipes using Hellmann's mayonnaise, visit www.Hellmanns.com. While there, check out their Real Food Project, which features how-to tutorials (hosted by Bobby Flay) offering tools and techniques for great tasting, at-home meals.

*Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Hellmann's® prize package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.

** This post is linked to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Colleen's Kitchen Recipe Swap at And Baby Makes Five, and Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen.

Glitter Easter Eggs and Lots of Easter Links

2010-03-31T09:22:00.006-04:00

This year we decided to create glitter covered Easter eggs. All I had was brown eggs, which I have never used for dyeing eggs. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, but we left them in the dye for an extra long time and they turned out really pretty. After the eggs were completely dry, we painted them with watered down glue and sprinkled spring colored glitter all over them.

I think they turned out beautifully,
and the kids are thrilled with them.

Here are some other fun Easter egg decorating ideas:

Disney Family.com

The Crafty Crow

Family Fun

Tissue Paper Eggs from Blue Cricket Designs

Easter Printables and Crafts

Easter Egg and Bunny Patterns

Easter Card to Print and Color

Adorable Bunny Coloring Page from A Winding Road

Build a Bunny Printable Game from Homeschool Creations

Carrot Letter Search from Prekinders

Printables from The Itty-Bitty Bookworm

Writing Paper (Black and White)

Writing Paper (Color)

Name Tags (Black and White)

Name Tags (Color)

Chicks and Nests Math Game

Bunny Cards

Easter Egg Cards

Easter Basket Lacing Card

This post is linked to Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs, Get Your Craft on Thursday at Life as Lori, and We Made It! Friday Showcase at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Alphabotz ~ Superphonic Decoder Cards: A Review and Giveaway

2010-03-30T21:42:00.002-04:00

This giveaway is closed!

As many of you know, I used to be an early childhood teacher. I taught Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade. When teaching I used a literature-based approach and incorporated whole language, as well as phonics. I have to admit that phonics was not my favorite thing to teach. My school used the Open Court program to teach phonics, and I found it a bit boring. I would have loved to have had the Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Cards.

The Alphabotz Cards are oversized flash cards featuring colorful robot characters. Each card displays a robot who wears a letter on its chest and an icon on its head. These serve as visual references to the particular sound that the character represents. To make the robot letters come alive to the children, each card also contains stats about the character's life and personality. This helps make the sounds memorable.

For some Alphabotz fun, visit their website. There you will find lots of free printables: A Superphonic Funzine, a Decoder Club Chart, Alpha-Tastic Song Sheets, Bookmark, and a Coloring Sheet for each of the robot characters.

At only $19.95srp, the Alphabotz Superphonic Decoder Alphabet Cards are a great value. They include 46 character cards, 2 game and activity cards, 2 bonus cards, and 1 sturdy matchbox-style box with sliding drawer. For even more info, check out this "Take a Peek" packet.

Now for the best part ~ Alphabotz is offering one lucky reader a set of their Superphonic Decoder Cards.

To enter: Visit this page on their site and read about the other Alphabotz products that are "In the Works". Then come back here and leave me a comment about the product that most interests you.

For additional entries:

Follow Alphabotz on Twitter.
Become a fan of Alphabotz on Facebook.
Subscribe to Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms

*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry, so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! The winner will be announced Wednesday, April 14, and contacted by email. She has three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*

**Ideopolis provided the Alphobotz Cards for us to review. However, as always, I blog with integrity and these are my honest opinions.

Smoothies in Our New Blendtec (and a picture recipe for preschoolers)

2010-03-29T19:16:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to experiment with some different smoothie recipes, but my blender was the absolute pits. It was a cheapo that we got when we were first married and always left chunks of ice in our smoothies. Therefore, I was so excited when I received a Blendtec to try and review. I had read so many glowing reviews of the Blendtec and could not wait to give it a whirl.

For our first experience we made Strawberry Banana Smoothies. They were ridiculously simple to make because the Blendtec has a specific digital touchpad setting for smoothies. We just loaded up our ingredients and pushed the "Smoothie" button. We didn't have to hold the lid down or even stand and wait near the blender because this magical machine automatically turns off when the cycle is complete.

Making our smoothies was truly so easy that I knew my girls could make them by themselves, so I made this picture recipe to make it easy for Gracen to read and follow. The next morning the girls made their breakfast smoothies all by themselves. Lovely!

Printable Recipe

The smoothies went over well, so next week I am going to experiment with some green smoothie recipes. Anyone have a good recipe?

This post is part of the Mouthwatering Monday Blog Carnival over at A Southern Fairytale, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdsays at Blessed with Grace, Tasty Tuesdays at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff. Stop by for more yumminess.

A Week with Wes

2010-03-26T12:51:00.002-04:00

A day at the Please Touch Museum

Playing with these Beehives from Plan Toys

Perfect for developing fine motor skills.

Use the forceps to match the bee to the correct colored hive.

Building race tracks for our hermit crabs

Painting bird houses

*Plan Toys generously sent us the Beehives as part a product testing opportunity. The beehives are just one of the educational toys in their new product line. In addition to quality, well-made developmental toys and baby toys, Plan Toys products are also made of chemical-free wood, non-toxic paints, and safety conscious ergonomic shapes.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-03-26T08:57:00.005-04:00

In her Fashion Friday post, Big Mama mentioned a ~~store~~ phenomenon that I had never heard of ...Sam Moon. She described it as the "home of cheap jewelry". Being a huge lover of cheap, fun jewelry, I had to check it out. I have to say ~ they have some interesting (*cough, cough*) stuff.

Like this.

And this.

However, they also have some pretty cute stuff.

Here are some of my favs.

Just because ~ it is dirt cheap and would go with a lot.

To go with this white shirt.

To go with an orange shirt that I have not yet found,
but desperately need to go with a scarf that
my lovely husband gave me for Valentine's Day.

Thanks, Big Mama for pointing this one out!

This post is linked to I'm Lovin' It Fridays at Tidy Mom and Finer Things Friday at The Finer Things in Life.

Little Cooks with Books: An Easy Easter Treat

2010-03-25T08:32:00.009-04:00

These Little Bird Nests are the perfect Easter treat.
They are cute, easy, and yummy.

Ingredients
Bag of chocolate chips
1 C. Peanut Butter
Box of Mini Frosted Shredded Wheat
Cadbury Mini Eggs (my favorite Easter candy)

Directions
Crush the shredded wheat (about half a box).
Melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a large bowl.
Add shredded wheat until you get get a nice consistency.
Lightly grease a muffin tin.
Add some of the nest mixture to each muffin cup.
Mold the mixture in each cup into a nest shape.
Put the muffin tin into the refrigerator.
Once the nests are completely hard, remove them from the tin.
Add a few Cadbury Mini Eggs to each nest.

Printable RecipeChocolate Bird Nests

To accompany this cooking project we read Whose Nest is This?. It is a rhyming picture book that describes the many types of nests animals make. "There are mammals and reptiles and insects who nest. Birds, too, build unique nests that suit them the best. Some nests provide shelter, and some are for show, but the best nests are those in which young babies grow!" Gracen and Wes enjoyed this book. They especially liked it's riddle format.

For older children, I recommend Even an Ostrich Needs a Nest: Where Birds Begin. This book describes how birds make their nests. "Many birds build intricate nests out of twigs, leaves, feathers, mud--even dollar bills and clothespins. Some nests are gigantic, housing hundreds of birds or weighing as much as a car, while others are just large enough to keep one egg safe and warm. Whether simple or fancy, every species finds a unique way and clever place to raise its young."

What are your favorite Easter treats to make?

This post is linked to Get Your Craft on Thursday at Life as Lori, We Made It! Friday Showcase at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman , stArt at A Mommy's Adventures, and Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

My Favorite Easter Tradition

2010-03-23T10:24:00.001-04:00

Easter morning is a busy, but fun time at my house. We always begin by waking up early to see what the Easter Bunny has left. After the children have eaten half of their chocolate bunnies, several Peeps, a handful of bubble gum eggs, and a hundred jelly beans, we have breakfast. Needless to say, they don't ever eat much but they have to have something to chase down all of that sugar. I usually prepare a breakfast casserole the night before, so that all I have to do is pop it in the oven. In the past few years, I have made this and this. This year I am going to try this breakfast casserole from Mommy's Kitchen.

After breakfast, we all go outside to see if anything grew in our jellybean garden. Each and every year, the children are amazed that where they planted jelly beans (the night before) loads of lollipops have sprouted up. This is my very favorite tradition.

After we pick lollipops, we go inside and get dressed for church. In the past, after church, we have always gotten together with family for a big Easter dinner. However, since we have moved, my in-laws will be coming to visit us. This will be the first year that we have hosted Easter dinner, so I am excited to plan and cook. It is my family's tradition to serve ham, macaroni and cheese, collards, and biscuits, so I will be making these and some new recipes, as well.

This Year's Easter Dinner Menu:

Ham with Pinapple-Orange Dijon Glaze
Corn Spoon Bread
Collard Greens
Macaroni and Cheese Casserole
Potato Casserole with Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Cream Cheese
Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
Coconut Cream Cake

What are your Easter traditions? What is on your Easter dinner menu?

This post is linked to Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs.
photo credit: Easter dinner

Healthier Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2010-03-22T10:01:00.006-04:00

My children love chocolate chip muffins. However, my old recipe was not very healthy. Besides the chocolate chips, it contained white sugar, white flour, and vegetable oil. Since I have been trying to cut out white sugar and processed foods, I decided to come up with a recipe to make them a bit healthier. It turned out great. These muffins are super moist, chocolatey, and have the perfect amount of banana flavor.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup sucanat

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1 overripe banana

1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine first five ingredients.
In another bowl, combine the vanilla, egg,
sour cream, and coconut oil.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Add the mashed banana and chocolate chips.
Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Do you have a healthy muffin recipe that your family enjoys? I would love to try it out.

This recipe is part of the Mouthwatering Monday Blog Carnival over at A Southern Fairytale, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdsays at Blessed with Grace, and Tasty Tuesdays at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Stop by for more yumminess.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-03-19T11:36:00.001-04:00

These cute, and very comfy wedges from Aerosoles.

I got mine at Steinmart for $25 less than SRP!

Gotta love a bargain!

This tote.
Reminds me of one my mom had back in the early 80's.

Francesca's Collections has lots of great bags, jewelry,
shoes, and clothes.
I love these sandals, too.
So cute and only $18.

White western shirt from The Gap to wear with turquoise jewelry.

A Southern Fairytale's Honey Chipotle Glazed Salmon
We made this for dinner last weekend.
Spicy yumminess!

picture from Enjoying the Small Things

This treat.
Perfect for Spring.
Can't wait to make them with the kids this weekend!

Picture from Real Southern Living

This paint color for my living room.

Hamburger Stroganoff

2010-03-16T14:15:00.007-04:00

I used to make a hamburger stroganoff that used canned cream of mushroom soup. My whole family loved it. It was one of those "no leftovers" recipes. However, I know that the canned cream of... soups are not all that healthy, so I decided to try and create my own recipe. The result was perfect. Maybe even better than the original. Proof...no leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger Meat

1 packet Simply Organic Brown Gravy Mix

1 c. Water

Mushrooms

1/2 Block of Cream Cheese

Splash of Milk

1/2 c. Sour Cream

Worcestershire Sauce

Salt

Egg Noodles

Brown the hamburger meat and drain the fat.
Add a packet of Simply Organic Brown Gravy Mix
and 1 cup of water.
Simmer for a few minutes.
Add cream cheese, a splash of milk, sour cream,
and salt, pepper, and Worcestershire to taste.
Stir and simmer for 10 minute or so.
Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Hamburger Stroganoff

For more yummy recipes, visit Tasty Tuesday over at Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Some "Wee" Fun on the Weekend

2010-03-15T20:53:00.002-04:00

We had a Wee Bit O' Irish fun this weekend.

Gracen and John built a leprechaun trap. There are pennies (spray painted gold) on the inside of the box. Gracen said these were the "lure". There is also a little note written on the inside of the box. It says, "Pull the bar for more gold!". The idea is that when the greedy little leprechaun pulls the bar, the door will slide shut and trap him. I can't wait to see if she catches one! Neither can she!

We baked The Barefoot Contessa's Irish Soda Bread .
It was so good! In fact, it was so yummy that it was devoured
before I could get one good picture.
Thanks, Flickr for this one.

What are you doing to celebrate?

What We Are Eating: Week Eleven

2010-03-14T21:29:00.001-04:00

Favorites from Week Ten

Real Mom Kitchen's Crockpot Southwestern Chicken Nachos - These were a huge hit with everyone! I will definitely be making these again.
My Pinkalicious Pasta Primavera

Weekly Goals
We have come a long way in the past eleven weeks. We have established some new healthy eating habits and routines that I am confident will stay with us. We are eating many more whole foods and a lot less processed foods. We are baking our own breads and baked goods. We are limiting our sugars, drinking more water and raw milk, and eating grass fed beef and pastured chickens raised by local farmers. Don't get me wrong ~ we still enjoy junk food on occasion (especially Queso dip and tortilla chips and homemade chocolate chip cookies). We just don't have it around all of the time. Due to our progress, I will not be posting weekly goals. Instead, I will just update with any new finds that I think may be of interest to you all. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me through this process. I appreciate your support!

Dinners
Honey Chipotle Glazed Salmon and Chipotle Rice and Veggie
Homemade Sausage Lasagna
Panko Crusted Chicken Strips
Crockpot Baked Beans and Sausage
Out to Dinner
Cheeseburger Soup
Loaded Baked Potatoes

Check out what other bloggers are cooking at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

F is for Fisherman Bear

2010-03-14T15:14:00.002-04:00

Wes loves Little Bear (An I Can Read Book) and the cartoon based on this book. One of his favorite episodes is Fisherman Bear's Big Catch. In this episode Little Bear and Fisherman Bear go fishing and they meet an Octopus who takes Fisherman Bear to tea. He is fascinated with "Fisherman Bear" and even named his favorite teddy bear after him. So when we stopped by Build-a-Bear a couple of weekends ago, we just had to get this fishing outfit...

So cute!

Wes and Fisherman Bear go fishing (via a cardboard box "boat").

Notice the Tinkertoy paddles.

Our Fisherman Bear craft.

So proud!

More Little Bear...

Little Bear Printables

Little Bear Coloring Pages and Mask

Little Bear: Preschool Thinking Adventures (Jewel Case)

Finding Time... (and a "Just for Mom" Giveaway)

2010-03-11T20:25:00.003-05:00

This giveaway is closed.

As a busy WAHM of three, it is often hard to find time for myself. However, I know that I am a better mom when I have had time to rejuvenate myself. Therefore, I have been trying to run 3-4 times a week and make a date with a friend at least once every other week. Even these small amounts of time help me to feel energized and motivated.

I was so excited to win a giveaway from The Centisble Life for a night at Harrah's in Atlantic City and a couple's massage at the Red Door Spa. It has been so long since I have had a entire day and night away. Unfortunately, after we had booked our date, my husband found out that he has to speak at a fundraiser that same night. Stinks! Luckily, though, my friend Renee is up for a girl's night out, so next Saturday she and I will be living it up!

Because Disney Family recognizes that many moms are short on time and cash, they provided tips and advice on easy and inexpensive ways moms can shine. To help moms find their inner beauty & outer glow, Disney Family.com recently added new beauty-related content to their site in the Makeover Mom section, including how to build a better wardrobe, how to make the most of drugstore makeup, three steps to beautiful skin, and more. They are also hosting a Mom’s Makeover Madness Sweepstakes for a chance to win a glamorous trip to LA for you and a girlfriend!

To spread the word about the new beauty resource, Disney Family.com is offering one of my readers a beauty must-have kit! Included in a Family.com branded makeup tote are a sleep mask, mini manicure set and Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy candle (approximately a $60 value.)

To enter, please leave a comment telling me how you make the most of “me time” or let me know your biggest indulgence when it comes to pampering yourself. A winner will be randomly selected on Friday, March 19, 2009. She will be contacted by email and will have three days to respond.

This post was sponsored by Disney Family.com

Pinkalicious Pasta Primavera

2010-03-10T08:45:00.005-05:00

The weather was absolutely beautiful yesterday. The sun was shining, it was warm, and birds were chirping right outside of my window. Needless to say, the kids and I were dying to get outside. Therefore, after school we all played in the backyard for a loooong time. It was great! However, when we finally came inside, I realized that it was later than I thought and I had not thawed out the hamburger meat for dinner. Necessity being the mother of invention, I looked around at the ingredients I had on hand and came up with the following recipe. Funny thing is...it turned out really good! We all enjoyed it. Of course, Gracen and Wes picked out most of the veggies, but they ate the pasta and sauce. What can I say ~ I gotta keep trying!

Pinkalicious Pasta Primavera

(because the sauce looked kind of pink,
we named the recipe after Gracen's favorite book)

2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
Your favorite Veggies ~ I used Zuchinni, Mushrooms, and Yellow Peppers.
1/2 Block of Cream Cheese
1 Jar of Your Favorite Ragu Sauce
1/4 c. Heavy Cream
5 Slices of Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Your Favorite Type of Pasta

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add veggies and sautee until tender (but not soggy). Cut the 1/2 block of cream cheese into smaller pieces and add to the veggies. When cream cheese is melted add the jar of Ragu and heavy cream. Salt to taste. Allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta and top with crumbled bacon.

I have entered this recipe in the Recipe for a Good Start Contest.

Ragú® is asking moms to share their recipes for a good start for a chance to win a $5000 scholarship. Visit

Recipe for a Good Start Contest and submit your recipe for a good start in life and your original Ragú® recipe that has the family running to the dinner table! Ragu will choose three first prize winners,who will be awarded a family trip to New York City where they will compete in a nationally televised Ragú® Recipe Challenge for the chance to win the ultimate prize of a $5,000 college scholarship.

I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® family package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.

Bucks County Crumb Cake

2010-03-09T09:58:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to a used book sale at my children's school. I was so excited to find a couple of vintage cookbooks there. One of them is "Bucks, the Artist's County, Cooks". It is a compilation of recipes from The Woman's Auxiliary Trinity Chapel of Solebury, PA. It was created in an effort to raise funds for the enlargement of their chapel. The first printing was in 1950.

I love the variety of recipes in this book. Some are Pennsylvania Dutch, some are regional, a few are Southern-influenced, and all most all use traditional ingredients. A little bit of everything!

There is even a chapter on pickles and preserves. I can't wait until this summer. I am going to try and make some bread and butter pickles and peach preserves. Yum! The following poem is in this section. I thought it was cute.

Preserving Children

Take one large grassy field,
1/2 dozen children, 3 small dogs,
and walk along a narrow strip of brook, pebbly if possible.
Mix the children with dogs and empty them into field,
stirring constantly.
Sprinkle the entire with daisies and buttercups,
pour brook gently over pebbles,
cover all with a deep blue sky
and bake in hot sun for several hours.
When the children are thoroughly browned,
they may be removed.
They will be found right and ready
for setting away to cool in the bathtub.

The first recipe we made from this cookbook was a crumb cake. It turned out perfectly! It was literally devoured in 2 days.

The Best Crumb Cake Ever

Monday Morning

2010-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Overslept a little.

Spilled coffee grounds.

Made lunches ~ out of zip-loc bags ~ plastic containers in dishwasher that I forgot to run.

Pulled clothes out of dryer for girls to wear to school ~ chap stick left in pocket resulted in spotted clothes.

Using a Thunder Cats sword, rescued a hermit crab that had crawled underneath the dresser.

All of this before 8:00 in the morning. Whew...wish me luck!

What We Are Eating: Week Ten

2010-03-07T16:48:00.003-05:00

Favorites from Week Nine

Lynn's Kitchen Adventure's Pepperoni Pizza Pie Quiche
My kids absolutely loved Lynn's Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal. I did not have quick oats, so I used old fashioned and it came out perfectly.
A new recipe I created for hamburger stroganoff (I will be sharing it later this week).

Goals for Week Ten

Continue with Couch to 5K Program.
Experiment with smoothie recipes.

New Breakfast Recipe

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Dinner
Saturday - Orange Chicken with Snow Peas and Vegetable Egg Rolls
Sunday - Roast chicken with Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole, Green Beans, and Homemade Yeast Rolls
Monday - Pizza Rolls
Tuesday - Southwestern Creamy Chicken Nachos
Wednesday - Pink Pasta Primavera
Thursday - Thai Beef Over Rice with Broccoli and Carrots
Friday - Out to Dinner

Check out what other bloggers are cooking at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Our Latest Reads (and a giveaway!)

2010-03-05T00:17:00.003-05:00

This giveaway is closed.

With all of the snow and freezing cold weather (ugh!) we have been making a lot of library trips. Our library has a nice children's section, so the kids really enjoy going. We usually read a few books while lounging on the comfy bean bag chairs, play a couple of games on the computers, and pick out some books and movies to check out. Amongst all of these reads, we have made some great finds. I thought I'd share some of our favorites with you.
*Notice the author and character websites, as well. They are awesome!

Sam's Picks

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin (one of my favorite authors)
Grace Lin's Website

The New Girl (Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls) by Meg Cabot
Allie Finkle Website

Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park Linda Sue Park's Website

Gracen's Picks

Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) (Junie B. Jones, No. 18)
Junie B.'s Website

FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS (READING WITH HELP, LEVEL 2)

Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia (I Can Read Book 2)
Amelia Bedelia's webpage

Wes's Picks

Cars and Trucks and Things That Go (Giant Little Golden Book)

How I Became a Pirate

Wes has also enjoyed some books from BubbleGum Books. They generously sent us three books to review. All three books feature a likable main character named Sam. Sam has a wonderful imagination that will inspire young readers.

The Things a String Can Be

With rhyming, repetition and bold colorful graphics, children are mesmerized with Sam and his fascination with a silly old string. Sam’s imagination takes children on adventurous journeys that lead to a heartwarming ending. The book includes free fun and educational "string" activities.

Something Shiny, Something Round

With all of the snow we have had, Wes could totally relate to this book about how

...Sam and his friends turn an ordinary object into extraordinary adventures. This time, the ordinary object is a hubcap and the adventures are as clever as ever with a lesson of responsibility in the end. The book includes a free activity guide/lesson planner filled with fun, educational activities that complement a number of scenarios from the story.

The Topsy-Turvy Towel (Our Favorite)

Sam, Sally and Suzy continue to wow children with their elaborate imaginations. This time, their object d’art is a big, colorful beach towel. In their minds it becomes a hot air balloon, a flying magic carpet, a superhero’s cape… and that’s just the beginning. See where this remarkable towel and their playful imaginations take them! Beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations with computer-enhanced graphics. Text that sings. Places where only the mind can take you. The book includes a bonus activity guide.

Wes particularly liked The Topsy-Turvy Towel. It was easy for him to relate to the concept of pretending a towel is a cape, a magic carpet, etc. because he uses his "blankie" in imaginative ways almost every day. He even commented on this coincidence, "Mommy, I use my blankie like Sam uses his towel!".

As an educator and mother, I appreciate the related activity ideas at the end of each book. They are all fun and engaging ways to encourage children to stretch their imaginations.

The BubbleGum Books website offers free printables, as well. Check out this page.

Now for the best part ~ BubbleGum Books is offering two lucky winners a copy of The Things a String Can Be.

To enter: Leave a comment telling us about something imaginative your child likes to do.

For additional entries:

Become a BubbleGum Books Facebook Fan (1 entry).
Become a BubbleGum Books Follower on Twitter (1 entry).

*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry, so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! The winners will be announced Friday, March 19, and contacted by email. They have three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*

Promo Code ~ They are also offering my readers a 20% discount off of any of these three books. Simply, order from their website and enter the voucher code "itty" at the bottom of the shopping cart page. They will even have the books autographed by the author. Great deal!

**BubbleGum Books provided the books for us to review. However, as always, I blog with integrity and these are our honest opinions.

S is for St. Patrick's Day: Printable Activities for Preschoolers

2010-03-03T08:57:00.001-05:00

To help you plan a fun St. Patrick's Day, I have created some printables for you.

Five Little Shamrocks
Felt Board Activity ~ Print out this poem and clipart. Attach felt or velcro pieces to the back of the clipart pieces. As you recite the poem, invite the children to put up the corresponding pieces.

Have the children match the rhyming words.

Name Plates
Use these name plates as labels ~ or ~ laminate and have the children use dry erase markers to practice printing their names on them.
Shamrock - Capitals

Shamrocks - Lowercase
These alphabet shamrocks could be used to play matching games: match capital to lowercase or print two copies of each set and match capitals to capitals and lowercase to lowercase.

You could also fill your sensory table/tub with scraps of green construction or tissue paper and hide the shamrocks in it. When the children find one they try to identify the letter on it.

Hide the shamrocks in your classroom or home and go on a shamrock hunt.

Colored Coins

Children color the coins the correct color. For children who do not recoginize color words - use a corresponding crayon to color the color word on each page. The children will then know what color they should use to color the coins on that page.

Have Fun!

Share a Story ~ Shape a Future

2010-03-02T10:51:00.001-05:00

Share a Story is an annual literacy blog tour with the goals of celebrating reading and communicating practical, usable, literacy ideas. It is a one-week event that launches the second full week of March. There are five literacy and/or reading themes for the week. Each day one blogger hosts the theme. Moms, dads, librarians, teachers, reading specialists, literacy advocates, anyone with a (noncommercial) interest in reading and kids share their ideas about that topic.

This Year's (March 8-14) Line-up ~

Monday - The Many Faces of Reading Change hosted by Terry Doherty @ Scrub-a-Dub-Tub
Tuesday - Literacy My Way/Literacy Your Way hosted by Susan Stephenson @ The Book Chook
Wednesday - Just the Facts: The Nonfiction Book Hook hosted by Sarah Mulhern @ The Reading Zone
Thursday - Reading Through the Ages: Old Faves & New Classics hosted by Donalyn Miller @ The Book Whisperer
Friday - Reading for the Next Generation host by Jen @ Jen Robinson's Book Page

Sponsors ~ Along with Reading is Fundamental and Sleeping Bear Press, The Itty-Bitty Bookworm is proud to be a sponsor of the Share a Story blog tour. This year, all of the giveaways will be directed to helping readers in need. Winners will include schools (classroom or school libraries), family services organizations (e.g., those who do home visitation and work with children of families who have no reading material at home), and/or public libraries. If you or someone you know meets the eligibility requirements, please share this information with them, as well as this link about how they could win a year of The Itty-Bitty Bookworm's literature-based preschool curriculum.

Little Cooks with Books: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2010-03-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

My children love the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. They think it is hilarious and like to discuss what they wish would fall from the sky. The girls heard from their friends at school that they movie was great, so we bought it this weekend. It was really cute, and all three children enjoyed it (which is a miracle).

After spending a weekend in Chewandswallow, it only made since to make meatballs for our Little Cooks with Books cooking lesson, so that is exactly what we did. This cooking lesson went much better than our lesson last weekend. The girls took turns and cooperated nicely. Best of all the meatballs turned out perfectly! Sam and Gracen were so proud to serve them at dinner (with spaghetti marinara).

My Goals for This Lesson ~

Practice reading a recipe.
Discuss abbreviations commonly used in recipes (For example: T for tablespoon and tsp for teaspoon).
Measuring dry ingredients.
Cracking eggs.
Roll the meat into balls.

The Recipe ~ This recipe came from Mommy's Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (85% lean)
2 - eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. dried minced onion (We used fresh onion.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp pepper

Cutting an onion with our Curious Chef Large Nylon Knife and Green Pepper Cutting Board.

Gracen sautes some onion.

Squishing all of the ingredients together.

Scooping meatballs with our Curious Chef Ice Cream Scoop.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

The finished product.

The Results ~ The girls did very well with all of the goals. The only part with which they needed assistance was making the meatballs a consistent size. I gave them a scoop to use and that helped. I also used the opportunity to explain that when they make meatballs or cookies they all have to be the same size so that they will cook evenly and at the same rate. I told them that if they had some big meatballs and some little ones then the little ones would be done way before the big ones. This made sense to them.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Activities and Printables

Curious Chef offers real kitchen utensils for small hands. Their products are available as individual pieces, Gift Sets, and Build-A-Kitchen Sets. Curious Chef generously sent my children and I the following products to review: Ice Cream Scoop, Non-Stick Rolling Pin, 3 Piece Nylon Knife Set, and the Green Pepper Cutting Board. My children are truly enjoying these utensils. They like being able to safely cut, chop, and roll with easy-to-use products. We will be using these products in many of our Little Cooks with Books lessons.

Check out our other Little Cooks with Books lessons!

What We're Eating: Week Nine

2010-02-28T14:20:00.002-05:00

Favorites from Week Eight

Passionate Homemaking's Chicken Curry
Musings of a Housewife's Cookie Corn Muffins

Goals for Week Nine

Drink more water. I know I need to drink more water. I drink it with my meals, but I am bad at drinking throughout the day. I think I just get busy and don't think about it. Maybe I need to keep a bottle near me. Any water drinking suggestions?
Continue with Couch to 5K Program.
Register for a 5K for me and a fun run for the girls.

New Breakfast Recipes
Sweet Potato Pancakes
PB Baked Oatmeal

Dinners
Marinated Steak Sandwiches with Basil and Red Pepper Mayo
Pepperoni Pizza Pie Quiche and Spinach and Tomato Quiche
Red Beans and Sausage
Black Beans and Rice
Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos
Hamburger Stroganoff
Orange Chicken and Vegetable Egg Rolls

Check out what other bloggers are cooking at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

The Snow Made Me Do It...Candy Bar Brownies!

2010-02-25T10:46:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true! It is snowing again and the kids are off from school. We are all a little tired of the snow (to say the least), so (thankfully) the kids really haven't felt like going out in it. Instead, we are watching movies, drawing/coloring, playing with play dough, building with blocks, and

baking this yumminess which I call Candy Bar Brownies.

Make your kids happy ~ go make these brownies!

Candy Bar Brownies

Skin MD Naturals: A Giveaway

2010-02-23T20:09:00.007-05:00

This contest is closed.

Skin MD Naturals Shielding Lotion is one of my new favorite things, and now you have a chance to win some for yourself. Skin MD Naturals has generously offered to send one of my lucky readers a bottle of this natural, eco-friendly lotion.

First Entry Requirement ~Visit their website and then come back and leave me a comment about one thing you learned about Skin MD Naturals or their shielding lotion.

For Additional Entries:
1. Subscribe to Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms (1 entry).
2. Become a fan on Facebook. (1 entry)
*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! Winner will be announced Wednesday, March 10, and contacted by email. Winner has three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-02-23T07:50:00.002-05:00

Ina Garten - The Barefoot Contessa has always been one of my favorite Food Network celebrities, but now she is my new best friend. This is why:

From Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again

John made this Grilled Tuna Salad this weekend, and it is truly one of the best things I have ever tasted! You have to try it.

Grilled Tuna Salad

Smashbox Cosmetics - I have been a faithful Bare Minerals customer for several years. However, my faith has been tested. This weekend I went to Ulta to get some Bare Minerals foundation and saw this Smashbox Beauty Confidential Kit. I decided to give it a try, and I am so glad I did. I love everything in this kit. The foundation primer makes my skin look so smooth, the eye and blush colors are classic, natural, and matte, the eye colors stay in place all day, and the lip gloss is a nice neutral and tastes yummy. I am hooked!

Skin MD Naturals Shielding Lotion - When I was contacted about reviewing this product my hands were so dry they were cracking and Wes was having an eczema outbreak. Needless to say, I was anxious to give this lotion a shot. It did not disappoint. After using it exclusively for a few days my hands looked (and felt) so much better. In addition, Wes had stopped scratching and his tummy no longer felt like scaly lizard skin. Yay! If you are suffering from the vicious cycle of dry skin, you should check out this natural, eco-friendly product.

Gock's Frocks - I have been lusting after this Yoga Collection for women for a long time, so I finally decided to treat myself. I chose to get a custom made skirt, so that I could choose the fabrics and designs. So exciting! The only problem is ~ it is so hard to choose! Here is one of my favorite color schemes. Hint, Hint ~ I will be hosting a giveaway for a child's size skirt in April. Be sure to check back!

Little Cooks with Books: If You Give a Pig a Pancake

2010-02-22T15:22:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is National Pancake Day. To celebrate, I thought we should do our Little Cooks with Books lesson on Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Pig a Pancake. This book about an adorable, but demanding, piglet, is one of our favorites. When Wes was 2 I must have read it at least 1,000 times!

My intention was to have the girls take pictures of the different steps in the recipes they cook. However, we did not do to well with this one. Sam and Gracen had a bit of trouble working together. They both wanted to do everything. We had to talk about taking turns and dividing up the tasks. Hopefully, our next lesson will go a little more smoothly.

My Goals (or Objectives) for This Lesson ~

Practice reading a recipe.
Discuss abbreviations commonly used in recipes (For example: T for tablespoon and tsp for teaspoon).
Measuring dry ingredients.
Cracking and whisking eggs.
Flipping a pancake.

The Recipe ~ I have been working on a healthy whole wheat pancake recipe that is tasty and not too heavy. I combined several reciepes and came up with the following one. My kids love these, so I think I have found a keeper.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

The Results ~ Overall, our first lesson went well. Sam was able to read and comprehend the recipe easily. She does have trouble with fractions (1/4 cup) . We will be working on that skill. Both girls can crack eggs with no problems. They can both measure dry ingredients, as well. The skills we will need to practice are whisking eggs and flipping pancakes. We all loved the pancakes and the book (especially Wes).

***If you aren't up for making your own pancakes, stop by IHOP tomorrow between 7am - 10pm for a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake Activities

The Itty-Bitty Bookworm - Bo's Curriculum for June Year 2 - SampleDecorate a Cake for Pig
Pick the Correct PigPig's Letter GamePrintables Classroom Activity Guide

Pancake Activity LinksBaker Activities and Printables
Pancake Ideas and Activities

P is for Puppet

2010-02-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

Wes played with these two little puppets all day. He and John put the monkey puppet together. It was a Martha Stewart puppet kit. The tiger puppet was something he made at nursery school. He had so much fun with these that I thought I would look for some additional puppet craft ideas. Look at all I found!

Web Sites

LOTS of Puppet Ideas and Printables
Enchanted Learning - Finger and Paper Bag Puppets
First School - Paper Bag Puppet Animals
Artists Helping Children - Puppet Art
Making Friends - Puppet Making
Family Fun - Playful Puppets
Martha Stewart - Sock puppets

Blogs

Craft Jr. - Giraffe Sock Puppet
Craft Jr. - Easter Finger Puppets
Dollar Store Crafts - The Three Little Pigs Finger Puppets
Oh Amanda - A Puppet-Inspired Birthday Party
Kid's Crafts Weekly - Puppets
Pink and Green Mama - Felt Finger Puppets
Pink and Green Mama - Sponge Bob Square Pants Felt Puppets

How to Make a Puppet from an Old Stuffed Toy

What We Are Eating: Week Eight

2010-02-21T18:11:00.004-05:00

Favorites from Week Seven

GNOWFGLINS Basic Soaked Muffins - I added in some unsweetened shredded coconut and a handful of mini chocolate chips. My kids loved them! Here is the printable recipe.
Mark Bitten's Crunchy Granola ~ Super easy and yummy!
My Bacon and Beef Chili.

Week Eight Goals

Begin Gnowfglins Fundamental eCourse.
Pick back up with Couch to 5K Program.

Dinners
Sunday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Monday - Chicken Curry with Brown Basmati Rice and Chick Peas
Tuesday - Browned Cabbage with Egg Noodles
Wednesday - Chicken Strips and Baked Fries
Thursday - Beef and Bean Burritos
Friday - Out to dinner
Saturday - Sloppy Lentil Joes, Corn, and Veggies and Dip

Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Over the Top Mornings

2010-02-19T07:52:00.001-05:00

OK, so I have to know. Is everybody's house crazy in the mornings? Please say, "Yes", so that I won't feel so bad.

Our mornings here are slightly insane, regardless of what time we get up or how much planning I do. It seems there is always...

Tired whines

Nothing to wear

Only one pink sock

A missing library book

Hair full of knots

No hair accessories to match outfit

Any of this sound familiar? Man, I hope boys are easier! Mornings with my girls may very well put me over the top!

A Dinner Enjoyed by All

2010-02-18T22:03:00.003-05:00

My two youngest children are picky eaters. This makes it quite difficult to find recipes that everyone enjoys. I found a winner tonight, though. Score one for Mom!

Here is what I made..

*Please excuse the photo ~ I have a lot to learn!

Bacon Beef Chili

3-5 slices of bacon

1 small onion

1/2 green pepper

1 pound of ground beef

1 packet of Simply Organic Chili Seasoning

1 bottle of beer (optional)

1 can of tomato sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 large can of dark kidney beans

cheddar cheese

sour cream

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the diced onion and green pepper to the bacon grease and cook until tender. Add the ground beef and brown. Pour in the can of tomato sauce, the can of diced tomatoes, the can of kidney beans (undrained), and about half of the beer. Next, add the packet of chili seasoning. Allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes. Add the bacon pieces back in and stir. Top with cheddar cheese and sour cream. Scallions would be yummy, too.

*If you do not drink beer, you can use an additional 1/2 can of tomato sauce.

Little Cooks with Books

2010-02-18T11:47:00.001-05:00

Jamie Oliver's Ted Talk got me thinking about a lot of things, but one thing in particular. American families and schools are no longer teaching children how to cook. I really hadn't thought about his, but it is so true. How can we expect our children to grow up and cook healthy meals for themselves (and/or their families) when we don't directly teach them how?

This truly resonates with me because I was never taught to cook. My mother died when I was nine years old and my father never remarried. Dad did the best he could, but with little time and money he turned to many convenience foods. This left me with little to no skill. Luckily, I married a man that enjoys cooking.

For most of our marriage John has done the cooking. Yes, I am lucky. However, when I began working from home it just made more sense for me to cook dinner. Therefore, I decided to teach myself how to cook. I watched lots of Food Network, read cookbooks, and experimented. This was not the easiest way to learn. For this reason, I have decided to consciously teach my children how to cook.

Both of my girls are used to helping me in the kitchen and most of the time they really enjoy it. However, they usually only want to help when I am baking. Sure it is great to know how to bake cookies and quick breads, but they aren't great "go-to" recipes. So, starting this weekend, the kids will be preparing one dinner a week. To make it fun, I am going to connect the dinner with a children's book. We will read the book as a family and then the kids and I will cook the accompanying dinner. I think this will be a fun and motivating way for them to learn how to prepare healthy, "real food" recipes.

To make it even more fun ~ the girls will be blogging about their experiences. They will take the pictures and will write about their experiences. I will type the post and add links when necessary. Our blog series will be called "Little Cooks with Books". I hope you will follow along. It should be interesting!

Why I Love Jamie Oliver

2010-02-17T23:05:00.003-05:00

Please take the time to watch this video.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Trailer

The show begins Friday, March 26 @ 9pm on ABC.

Download Jamie's School Food Charter and Two Week Menu Planner. How does it compare to the lunches served at your child's school?

For more information about school lunches check out:

Fed Up: School Lunch Project: A Teacher Who is Eating School Lunch Everyday in 2010
School Lunch Talk - dishes out the latest on public school food, from chicken nuggets and chocolate milk to legislation and regulations.
What's for School Lunch? - Pictures of school lunches from around the world

What We Are Eating: Week Seven

2010-02-14T22:55:00.003-05:00

Recap of Week 6

Try making rolls from Master Recipe in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients I did not try to make rolls. However, I did use the master recipe to make sandwich bread. It was delicious. I also added rosemary and olive oil to a portion of the master recipe to make a loaf of bread to go with our linguine with clam sauce. Awesome!
Start a collection of family friendly vegetarian meals. I found a couple of blogs and cookbooks that have some yummy family friendly recipes.

Research how to make homemade kefir. I did not do this because I have registered for the GNOWFGLINS Fundamentals eCourse and there is a lesson included on how to make kefir.

Good Finds

Total Mom Haircut's post ~ I Love Trader Joe's
Kitchen Stewardship's Pepper Steak - Very simple and very yummy!

Week 7 Goals

No white sugar. We all had too much Valentine's Day chocolate this weekend!
Work on decreasing the amount of juice Wes drinks.
Begin to develop a Menu Planner (master list of dinner ideas).

Breakfast
Egg in a Hole (heart shaped) and Bacon
WW Bagels and Cream Cheese
Granola and Yogurt
Fruit and Kefir
Corn Muffins (left over from dinner on Tuesday)

Dinner
Sunday - Ribs, Red Rice, and Coleslaw
Monday - Black Bean Burritos
Tuesday - Lima Bean Soup and Corn Muffins
Wednesday - Shrimp Scampi and Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan
Thursday - Beef and Bean Chili
Friday - Homemade Pizza - Pesto, Tomato, Black Olive, and Feta/Double Cheese
Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Do you have any kid friendly "meatless meal" ideas? Please share!

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Simple Plan ~ Healthy Food

2010-02-14T17:27:00.001-05:00

For the past six weeks, I have been diligently working to change my family's ways of eating. We have been eating less sugar, eating grass fed meats, drinking raw milk, soaking our grains, and baking our own breads. I am very proud of the changes that we have made. However, the more I read the more the more I realize that there are still additional changes we need to make. I also realize that I still have a lot to learn.

To help me on my journey to healthful eating, I have registered for GNOWFGLINS Fundamentals eCourse.
This is a brand new, on-line healthy and traditional cooking course. It will focus on the simple, fundamental, traditional cooking skills that should be a part of every healthy kitchen.

The ecourse will consist of a combination of audio, video and/or print formats. In addition, there is a member forum where I will be able to get to know and exchange ideas with other members. I am very excited to get started.

Here is an overview of what I will be learning:

Lesson 1: The GNOWFGLINS Foundation
Lesson 2: How to Soak Whole Grains, Nuts and Seeds
Lesson 3: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods I
Lesson 4: How to Make Soaked Whole-Grain Flour Baked Goods II
Lesson 5: How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans
Lesson 6: How to Sprout Beans
Lesson 7: How to Cook a Chicken and Make Chicken Stock
Lesson 8: How to Make Skillet Dishes: A Dinner Formula
Lesson 9: How to Make Water Kefir
Lesson 10: How to Make Dairy Kefir
Lesson 11: How to Make Soft, Spreadable Cheese
Lesson 12: How to Make Sourdough Bread
Lesson 13: How to Sprout Whole Grains for Sprouted Grain Flour & How to Bake With Sprouted Grain Flour
Lesson 14: How to Make Natural Pickled Foods

Check out this Sneak Peek video: Basic Whole Grain Soaked Muffins.

Here is the printable recipe.
Soaked Muffins Recipe Notes 1

Although I am only six weeks into this journey, I am already experiencing positive outcomes. I have more energy, less digestive trouble, and have lost a few pounds. The only hard part has been the cost. Our grocery bill has definitely seen an increase. This is another reason I am excited to begin this ecourse. It will teach me how to make (from scratch) some of the items I am currently buying. This will definitely reduce my grocery costs.

This 5-month cooking eCourse costs just $27 per month (that’s $6.75 per lesson). I know I will save at least that much on my grocery bill, and will learn lessons that I can carry with me on this journey.

Gnowfglins Fundamental eCourse registration is currently open. It closes on February 22nd (5pm), so check it out and register today! Spaces are limited.

Wikispaces: Bo the Bookworm Resources

2010-02-14T13:44:00.000-05:00

For those unfamiliar with "wikis", they are simple web pages to which groups, friends, and families can contribute. The Itty-Bitty Bookworm now has a wiki. You can find it here. I would like to invite all of you to use our wiki to find great, theme-related activities and printables. I would also like to invite you to contribute by adding ideas, links, and pictures to it. Feel free to add links to your blog posts or blog posts that you find inspiring.

Our wiki is organized by the months of the year. On each month's page you will find themes that are currently taught during that month. There is also a page of Alphabet Ideas and a page of Free Printables. If you have an idea for an additional page(s), feel free to add that, as well.

I look forward to seeing our Wiki grow and grow!

Recipes From Around the Blogosphere

2010-02-09T06:49:00.001-05:00

Reprinted from Tasty Eats at Home ...

Since the earthquake in Haiti, Lauren at Celiac Teen has been working hard to gather recipes from contributing food bloggers all over the world in an effort to help. She has diligently put these recipes together in an e-book, available for purchase on her blog. All donations received for the e-book will be sent to the Canadian Red Cross (Lauren is Canadian) for purposes of helping victims of the Haiti earthquake. The e-book has many wonderful recipes, and many of them are gluten-free or easily gluten-free adaptable. Read more about how to obtain this e-book and contribute here.

What an amazing teen! Please support her in her efforts!

A Sweet Treat for Teachers

2010-02-08T08:08:00.003-05:00

I wanted to do something nice for my children's teachers, but could not think of anything original. However, this weekend, I saw a great idea for a sweet treat on Giada at Home. Heart shaped Strawberry and Rosemary Scones. Yum! I am going to bake these and put them in cute little Valentine's Day Chinese take-out shaped boxes (from Michael's). The kids will be making cards using construction paper and heart shaped foamies (also from Michael's). Hope the teachers like them!

Do you have any creative Valentine's Day gift ideas? If so, please share!

*Check out more yummy ideas at Mouthwatering Mondays hosted by A Southern Fairytale.

What We Are Eating: Week Six

2010-02-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

Recap of Week 5

Experiment with making Musings of a Housewife's Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Recipe a Soaked Bread Recipe and try Upon Our Hearts's. - I was able to adapt the recipe to a soaked sandwich bread recipe. It is so yummy! However, I did not have a chance to try Upon Our Heart's recipe. I will have to try it this week.
Apply for CSA/Buying Club. - I did not get a chance to fill out the application last week, so I will do it this week.
Try Kefir and introduce it to kids. - We all liked the kefir we tried. It was a vanilla flavor. Super good.

Good Finds
Books - Two of the books that I checked out from the library this week are phenomenal. I will be purchasing them.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients - I love this book. It has recipes for bread dough that you can make in bulk and store in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you want a fresh loaf, you just pull off a portion, let it rise, and bake. Super easy and so good...seriously! I will be making all of my artisan-style loaves with this recipe. I may even try it for sandwich bread sometime.
Bob's Red Mill Baking Book - This book has so many recipes that I want to try. This week I made the Parmesan Muffin recipe. They were delicious.

Products

Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo and Conditioner - These smell so good. They really do make your hair extra shiny, as well. I ordered from Vitacost. They have great prices on vitamins and bath and body products. Plus, shipping is only $4.99.
*These have a hazard score of 2 on the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. Pretty good - a "1" is the best.

Recipe

Calabacitas from Sarah's Musings - Very rich, cheesey, and gooey. Great comfort food.

Week Six Goals

Try making rolls from Master Recipe in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients
Start a collection of family friendly vegetarian meals. Grass fed meats are more expensive. Therefore, to stay within our budget, we will now be incorporating a few more "meatless meals" into our meal plans.
Research how to make homemade kefir. We all enjoy kefir. However, it is a little pricey, so I thought I would see if I could make my own.
Apply for the CSA and Buying Group.

Breakfast
Granola and yogurt
Apple Cinnamon Muffins using GNOWFGLINS's Basic Soaked Muffin Recipe
Soaked Pancakes (in blender)
Egg in a Hole
Breakfast Tacos

Lunch
Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies and Dip/Pretzels
Pasta Marinara, Bread
Bagel with Cream Cheese, Fruit
Beans and Franks, Fruit, Veggies
No school on Friday

Dinners
Sunday - Superbowl Party
Pioneer Woman's Simple Perfect Enchiladas
Ina's Chicken Noodle Soup and Homemade Bread
Ina's Mozzarella, Pesto, and Tomato Sandwich
Kitchen Stewardship's Pepper Steak
Friday - Babysitting Night at Nursery School/John and I Out to dinner ~ Yay!
Leftovers

Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Do you have any kid friendly "meatless meal" ideas? Please share!

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Our Favorite Sandwich Bread

2010-02-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

If you have been following along with me on my family's quest to healthier eating, then you know that I have been trying to find the perfect sandwich bread recipe. Well, good news... Mission accomplished.

We all loved Musings of a Houswife's Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. However, I really wanted to find a recipe that used soaked flour, so I decided to adapt Jo-Lynne's. The end result is perfect! I have made it twice and both loaves came out lovely and yummy.

If you are looking for a soaked sandwich bread recipe, give this one a try. Then let me know what you think ~ good or bad. This is my first time adapting a recipe like this, so please let me know if you see something that needs to be adjusted.

Soaked Sandwich Bread Recipe

The Bookworm's Bookbag

2010-02-04T16:00:00.004-05:00

Each and every time that I browse through my Google Reader, I am amazed at how many creative and talented educators there are out there in the blog world. I often send links to my favorite posts to some of my friends in the early childhood field. They are always so appreciative because they love the fun, fresh ideas. Many of them tell me that they wish they had more time to regularly read blogs because it gives them so many activity ideas to incorporate into their classrooms. This got me to thinking....

I am sure many of you are familiar with Mailbox magazine. Well, my idea is similar. Let's combine the best early childhood blog posts and publish them as e-books (one for each month of the year). I think this type of compilation would help all of those educators who simply don't have time to read through lots of blogs.

Here is how it will work: At the beginning of the month I will post a topic (such as Valentine's Day). If you have an activity idea based on a Valentine's Day book, you can email it to me. Your idea can be one that you have already posted on your blog or something new. I will collect all of the submissions and after the deadline I will select the ones that will be published. If your idea is published, we will pay you $10 or you may choose one of The Itty-Bitty Bookworm downloads absolutely fee. When we publish your idea, we will site your blog link. Hopefully, this will drive some additional traffic to your site.

Interested? Go to We Teach and sign up to become a member. Then join The Bookworm's Bookbag group. There you will find the submission guidelines, current themes, etc.

Please send a link to this post to anyone you think may be interested.

Any suggestions? Thoughts on a title for the publication? I am all ears (or eyes)!

What We Are Eating: Week Five

2010-01-31T18:40:00.003-05:00

Recap of Week 4
Here is how I did with Week Four's Goals

Transition to Raw Milk - This went very smoothly. My children love it. In fact, I think they have been drinking more milk than normal. I have never been much of a milk drinker. I never really liked the taste, and it usually bothered my stomach. I have had no stomach issues with the raw milk, and I actually like the taste. YAY!
Continue to look for a Homemade Sandwich Bread Recipe. So far my family likes Musings of a Housewife's Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Recipe the best. This week I am going to try soaking the flour before I bake the bread. I'll let you know how that goes. I also want to try this recipe from Upon Our Hearts:

Here's a simple bread recipe I use. I have found that the texture turns out a lot better with a finely ground whole wheat. Soak overnight 2.5 cups flour in 1 cup water and 1 to 2 T. apple cider vinegar. Next morning place dough in bread machine and add:
2 t. yeast
2 T. melted butter
2 T. sugar or honey
1 t. salt
1/2 C. flour
Let bread machine knead bread. Shape and place in greased bread pan. Rise to double (I usually set the bread pan in a cake pan filled with warm water). Bake 30 minutes at 350.

Research Local Farms (Beef, Poultry, Dairy). - I wasn't very successful on my own. I was having trouble finding farms that weren't far away. However, my friend Beth helped me out. She sent me a link to this cooperative which offers a CSA and a Buying Club. Perfect!

Good Finds
Some favorites from last week:

Musings of a Housewife's Tried and True Chicken Nuggets - We all loved these!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Soaked Baked Oatmeal - Super yummy with a little cream and maple syrup on top.

Week Five Goals

Experiment with making Musings of a Housewife's Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Recipe a Soaked Bread Recipe and try Upon Our Hearts's (above).
Apply for CSA/Buying Club.
Try Kefir and introduce it to kids.

Breakfast
Heavenly Homemaker's Giant Breakfast Cookies
Homemade Granola with Yogurt and Fruit
Egg in the Hole
Egg and Bacon on WW Bagel

Lunch
Tuna salad
Quesadilla
Turkey and Cheese on Crackers
Pasta Marinara
Sandwich - Almond Butter and Honey or Peanut Butter and Banana

Dinner
Paula Deen's Salmon Croquettes with Green Salad
Kitchen Stewardship's Dad's Cheeseburger Helper with Green Beans and Asparagus
Lentil Tacos and Pinto Beans and Avocado
Calabacitas from Sarah's Musings with a Mixed Green Salad
Spaghetti Squash with Clam Sauce
Roasted Chicken with Macaroni and Cheese and Brussel Sprouts
Left Overs

Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

How did your week go? Did you accomplish your goals? Did you learn/find anything you would like to share? I would love to hear from you!

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Play Appeal...And a Giveaway

2010-01-31T07:43:00.009-05:00

This Giveaway is Closed.
MaryAnne from Mama Smiles is the lucky winner!

With Christmas a month in the past, it is always interesting to observe which Christmas presents are being loved and which have already been forgotten. This phenomenon happens each year in our house. It isn't that my children don't appreciate their gifts, it is just that some have more "play appeal" than others. This is what is currently being loved at my house.

We all love My Busy Kits, so when the company offered to send me one of their newly designed kits I was thrilled. I wrapped it up and gave it to Wes as a Christmas present. Of course, as I expected, he loves it. We take it with us to appointments where "waiting" will be involved, to dinner at sit down restaurants, and on long car rides. Busy Kits never disappoint!

All three kids have enjoyed this set of Melissa and Doug Lace and Trace Pet Cards available from Gummy Lump, an on-line shop specializing in creative and educational wooden toys for children ages 0-6. Samantha likes to trace them onto paper, color or paint the animal shapes, and then cut them out. She even used the cut outs to decorate a school project. Gracen likes to lace them. It is great fine motor practice for her. I have also pointed out to her that the down and up motion is good practice for learning to sew (which she really wants to do). As for Wes, he really doesn't use the cards for their intended purposes. He likes to lace the strings onto the cards just a little bit. He then proceeds to pretend that the string is a fishing line and that he is "catching" the animals (doesn't seem to matter that the animals aren't all fish). He also pretends that the strings are leashes and walks the animals around the house. What can I say...he has a great imagination!

This Dolphin Explorer Boat has been one of Wes's favorites. It is made by Sprig, an amazing eco-friendly toy company which makes battery-free, kid powered, expandable toys. This Explorer Boat is a great bath toy, but it could also be used in pools and water tables. Wes plays with this just about every night.

Wes loves to read about and play "Astronaut". Therefore, he had this Explorer Rocket Ship from Back to Basics Toys at the tip top of his Santa list. It set Santa back a couple of dollars, so I am very happy that he loves it so much. He plays with it all of the time. He also incorporates other toys into his play. For example, he has used his unit blocks to create a launch pad and the surface of the moon . I have to say ~ I love this toy, too. It is made extremely well, was easy to put together (or so I am told ~ thanks, honey!), and came with lots of additional play pieces (martians, astronauts, and space vehicles).

According to my girls, we are one of the last families they know to get the Wii. It may be true, as I am not a huge fan of gaming systems. However, I have to admit, the Wii is a bit different. We have all had a ton of fun playing bowling, golf, boxing, and tennis as a family. The girls and John liked to play Super Mario Brothers. I stink at it, so I usually just watch them. They get very excited and quite competitive. Thankfully, we are all good sports!

And last, but definitely not least, ... American Girl Dolls. Samantha and Gracen play with them a LOT. I am thrilled because I think too many little girls are trying to grow up too fast. I like that my girls still find dolls entertaining and stimulating.

How about your children? What are their favorites?

Itty-Bitty Promotion and Giveaway

Promo ~ For the month of February, My Busy Kits is offering my readers 20% off of their purchases. To take advantage, simply enter the promo code "bittybookworm" at check out in their Google store.

Giveaway ~ Gummy Lump is offering one lucky reader a set of the Melissa and Doug Lace and Trace Pet Cards.

First Entry Requirement ~Visit Gummy Lump and then come back and leave me a comment about a toy your kiddo(s) would like.

1. Become a Gummy Lump Fan on Facebook (1 entry).
2. Follow Gummy Lump on Twitter.
3. Subscribe to Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms. (1 entry)

*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! Winner will be announced Monay, February 11, and contacted by email. Winner has three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*
**Sprig, Gummy Lump, and My Busy Kits all provided the toys for us to review. However, as always, I blog with integrity and these are our honest opinions.

What We Are Eating: Week Four

2010-01-24T19:05:00.005-05:00

Recap of Week 3
Here is how I did with Week Three's Goals:

Make Nourished Kitchen's Beef Stock - I did make beef stock using this recipe. However, it did not turn out very rich. I am not sure what I did wrong. I roasted the bones first and followed all of the directions. The only thing I can think of is that I used too much water. Any suggestions?
Find a Good Soaked Bread Recipe - I tried Inspired Homemaking's recipe for Soaked Whole Wheat Bread in the Bread Machine. It turned out pretty and the texture was nice. Not a favorite, of my children, though. I think they may like it better with a tad more honey and 50/50 mix of ww and white flour. This week I am going to try Jo-Lynne's (Musings of a Housewife) favorite recipe for Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread and Passionate Homemaking's Soaked Whole Grain Bread recipe. I will let you know how they turn out.
Read Nina Planck's Real Food: What to Eat and Why. I did read this and highly recommend it. Nina does a beautiful job making scientific nutrition concepts easy to understand. Her book is also full of lots of useful information which will help you in making food choices, planning meals, and making personal decisions about your nutrition. In addition, John and I watched Food, Inc. Enlightening and informative.

Good Finds
Some favorites from last week:

Kitchen Stewardship's Granola Recipe - I made this on Saturday. I added some cinnamon, dried cranberries, flax meal, and pecans. So good! All of my kids love it.
Kitchen Stewardship's Granola Bar Recipe - As Katie suggested, I used 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter in place of 1/2 cup of butter. I also added some chocolate chips. Huge hit with my kiddos. I packed them in lunches.
Minneapolis Real Food Lover's Cottage Pie with Mashed Yams - I used rutabagas instead of yams. Delicious! No left overs.

Week Four Goals

Transition to Raw Milk.
Continue to look for a Homemade Sandwich Bread Recipe.
Research Local Farms (Beef, Poultry, Dairy).

Breakfast
Hardboiled Eggs and Fruit
Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Soaked Baked Oatmeal
Tasty Eats at Home's Breakfast Tacos Made these this morning - So awesome!
Yogurt and Kitchen Stewardship's Granola Recipe
Kitchen Stewardship's The Best Pancakes Ever
Egg in the Hole

Lunch
Turkey and Swiss on Whole Wheat
Pasta Marinara
Tuna Salad
Almond or Sunflower Seed Butter with Banana Sandwich
Cheese Quesadillas
Side items: Apples with Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Easy Peanut Butter Dip, corn chips and salsa, veggies and hummus, fruit, cheese

Dinner
Cabbage and Sausage
Nourishing Day's Mexican Chicken Soup
Red Beans and Rice
Pioneer Woman's Spicy Shredded Pork
Hamburgers with Sweet Potato Fries
Musings of a Housewife's Tried and True Chicken Nuggets with Brown Basmati Rice and Veggies
*With our dinners, I usually try to serve a simple salad or another type of fresh veggie.

Check out what other bloggers are eating at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

How did your week go? Did you accomplish your goals? Did you learn/find anything you would like to share? I would love to hear from you!

To see all of the posts in this series go here!

Happy Birthday, Big Four Year Old!

2010-01-22T15:18:00.000-05:00

My baby has become a "big boy". And if you ask him, he will proudly tell you all about just how "big" he is. For example, he may tell you about how he now stands up when he goes pee-pee, how he only needs his blankie at bedtime, how he knows the names of all of his Daddy's tools, and how he can get dressed all by himself. I know I should be happy that he is growning up, but I am a bit sad. Thankful, but a little sad. Can you relate?

For his birthday he really wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese. Here are some fun pics!

Health Benefits of Salmon and Canned Salmon Recipes

2010-01-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

In reading Real Food: What to Eat and Why, I have been learning about the health benefits of wild salmon. I knew that salmon contained healthy Omega-3 fats. However, I did not understand the importance of these fats. Did you know that Omega-3 Fats...

Regulate blood sugar levels and fat burning.
Prevent heart disease.
Are being prescribed for depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
Help to prevent diabetes.
Deficiency in children is linked to dyslexia, poor motor skills and ADHD.
Deficiency in teens makes them more prone to anger, hostility, and violence.

For these reasons, I have decided to make an effort to incorporate wild salmon into my family's diet. Being on a budget does not always allow for salmon fillets or steaks, though. Therefore, I have been looking for some recipes in which I can use canned wild salmon. Whole Foods has canned wild sockeye salmon for $2.49/can. Not bad.

Here is what I have found so far...

Paula Deen's Salmon Salad Recipe
Paula Deen's Salmon Croquettes (use a traditional fat in place of the vegetable oil)
Rachael Ray's Salmon Burgers with Caesar Slaw
Salmon Chowder (use cream in place of evaporated milk)
Salmon Sandwich Stuffer (use full fat yogurt and mayonnaise)
Nourishing Days' s Salmon Cakes with Lemon Caper Butter
Emeril's Spicy Salmon Cakes with Poached Eggs and Hollandaise Sauce (recipe is for crab cakes, just substitute salmon)

How about you? Do you have a yummy, healthy salmon recipe? If so, please share.

This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Cheeseslave and Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Pennywise Platter Thursday hosted by The Nourishing Gourmet. Head on over for more real food recipes and info.