book review

I was able to get an advanced copy of the new book Sneaky Fitness: Fun, Foolproof Ways to Slip Fitness into Your Child's Everday Life. This book is by Missy Chase Lapine, the author of The Sneaky Chef (New York Times Bestseller) and fitness expert Larysa DiDio. It's for parents who want to find "sneaky" ways to add exercise and calorie-burning activities into their child's daily routine. It also has 50 new Sneaky Chef recipes.

So what's this book all about? It breaks down a child's age into 3 categories: Preschooler (ages 2-4), Grade-Schoolers (ages 5-8) and Tweens (ages 9-12). Each activity is labeled with which group would benefit from it. I mostly paid attention to all the preschool activities. I think this book is great for the parent who wants to get their kids to do more, but has no idea what to do! Pretend play is hard for a lot of parents. There are activities like "Window Washer" where your child takes shaving cream or colored soaps and you let them draw on the outside of a sliding glass door. You then hand them a bucket of water, sponges and/or a squeegee to wash it off. By doing this activity your child will burn 27 calories in 20 minutes and they are moving and stretching. Each activity tells you exactly what you will need, what age group can play, how many kids you need (some of these are great for parties) and when the prime time is to do them. It also tells you the fitness factor, calories, sneaky supercharge and safety precautions (like don't use menthol shaving cream).

I know lots of really creative parents who already do amazing activities every day with their kids. But for a mom like me, It doesn't hurt to have a book full of ideas to keep my kids entertained. Plus, we don't want to be raising couch potatoes.

You can buy it here!

good read

I just finished this book, it's a quick read. I loved it. It's a true story written by Mitch Albom (author of Tuesdays with Morrie) about writing a eulogy for the rabbi from his hometown as well as the story of a unlikely Detroit pastor. Although this book is filled with religion (of different variations), I find that it is more about the human spirit, more about living a full life and about change. It warmed my heart, it made me think and it gave me a new outlook.

My favorite part was actually about the rabbi's view on marriage.

"Like Sarah says (his wife), twenty good minutes here, forty good minutes there, it adds up to something beautiful. The trick is when things aren't so great you don't junk the whole thing. It's

okay to have an argument. It's okay that the other one nudges you a little, bothers you a little. It's part of being close to someone."

"But the joy you get from that same closeness-when you watch your children, when you wake up and smile at each other-that, as our tradition teaches us, is a blessing. People forget that."

the best gift

I joined the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club before Brody was born. I honestly believe that there is no greater gift that you can give your child than the gift of books and the love for reading. Not only will your child do better in school, but having good reading skills will help them throughout their life. My dad had me reading out of the womb and sharing the joy I have for reading with my kids is priceless. I joined the club so that I could easily get all kinds of classic and new books for the kids at good prices. In fact, I have done the club three times over. Best part is that they have made it easier for you and less intrusive to get your books and fill your commitments. Our children's book library is amazing and I plan on making it grow even more over the years.

*Side note: I do love taking the kids to the book store to pick out whatever book they want too! It's so cool to see them look at all the books and pick out which one they like best.

nightly readings

I bought the book Adventures of Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel at Barnes and Noble, not realizing that it is an I Can Read Series. I picked it because now that Brody is four, I was thinking that it was time to try a chapter book for nightly readings. I wanted him to get a glimpse of a book that takes a little longer to read. This book was perfect for that! The chapters are short so we would read a few each night, and the chapters are each little stories so he didn't have to remember what we read the night before for that night to make sense. Online it's around $8 but it was on sale for $6 at the store. Now I love that I can save it and we can get reacquainted with it when he is ready to read on his own. I'm going back to B&N soon to buy some more of these types of books.

ah damn

I joined the club. I actually spent time purposely resisting it. I hate seeing a movie before reading the book, and I never get to read books anymore because I work at night. So I resisted Twilight. I never understood the appeal of Robert Pattinson or the obsession people had with the series. I don't even like vampires. Hot damn, I watched the movie and have now started the book. I may be in love (did you hear that Lauren?). I read some reviews about the movie after the fact, and reviews were mixed. Not enough violence, action, sex. But for me, it was a movie about innocence. I loved that it didn't need so much darkness to be beautiful. So here I am reading a little bit at a time, and joining the Twilight obsession, even checking when the next movie comes out (11/20/09).

working on my fitness

This book is perfect for people who love pilates but needs some help remembering the exercises. Why do I love it? It doesn't just have mat work like all the other books, it has reformer exercises too, as well as other apparatuses. It's by Rael Isacowitz and I got it here. I have a pretend pilates machine like the one below. In this economy I can't afford to keep going to classes so I have to do it on my own. And this book helps so much! I can't tell you how happy I am with it!

kind to the waistline

Just got this cookbook! We made the fajitas tonight...yummy. Can't wait to try other recipes. They seem simple and satisfying, while good on the nutrition. 

Baby Bear's Books

I adore this book, I think it's the sweet words and rhymes that gets me. My favorite paragraph in the book:

"Or read something gentle

and happy and sweet.

We'll snuggle real close

on the old garden seat."

It is written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Pick up a copy if you can, you will never get sick of reading it to your little one. Happy reading!

Children's Books

I love this book A Boy and His Bunny. It's a fun read for little kids. The author also has the book The Juggling Pug, which is another favorite....mainly because it mentions how he "poops on the rug," which makes any 3 year old laugh! Thanks to Grandpa Steve for discovering these!

 You should check them out!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I just finished reading this book and I liked it so much I finished it in two nights (I'm a fast reader).  The novel is told from a dog's point of view (his name is Enzo) and it is a story about a family, about love, loss and hope. Reading it made me feel better about my own current trials and it made me remember to be strong and brave. It was touching and sweet and I definitely recommend it. In fact, let me know if you want to borrow it! Sometimes I think we get so caught up in our busy lives that we don't take time for the small things, like reading a good book that can shed light on your own life. I feel lucky I could break away to do this.