The book for this review was provided for me by Mother Talk, and I’ve got to say that I’m SO glad I was chosen for this blog tour. I don’t put in for many of them because I’m picky about what I read. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X was presented as a book that would get young boys reading. We’ve always known I’m a 12 year old boy inside, and my love for this book proves it. I’ve read all of James Patterson’s adult novels and thoroughly enjoyed them, which was the main reason I decided to review The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. (I read Double Cross while in labour with Bella, actually…that’s how my OB knew the induction wasn’t working. I was still reading after 5 hours of Pitocin.)

Patterson has created Daniel as a character with a tremendous power - the coolest of all super powers…the power to create. As an alien hunter trying to avenge the death of his mother and father, Daniel keeps himself alive by using his way-cool power. The book starts out with a preying mantis-like character entering his family home and killing his parents. He’s left alone and his character is often heartbreaking, manifesting friends and family with his power to keep himself company. Through the rest of the book, Daniel aims to kill all of the aliens on “The List.” The majority of the plot focuses on number 6 on the list, Ergent Seth. Without giving any more of the plot away, I’ll just say that he’s a crazy powerful & most dangerous alien and you can read the book to find out what happens.

It’s completely age appropriate for a young boy, with juvenile language (in a good way) and short 2-3 page chapters, but has amazing crossover potential. Dare I say, kind of like Harry Potter? When I read a little bit of it to the Big Guy, he thought the aliens sounded a little “Men In Black-esque” - full of the action that boys love with a little of the silly and none of the frilly. My 2 year old boy, of course, didn’t read it but I’ll definitely be filing it away for him for when he’s somewhere between 6 & 12 when he’s sure to love it. It’s the kind of book I’ll likely read to him in grade one or two and he’ll read again alone when he’s in grade 3 or 4. It’s not written for teenagers so anyone older than that likely wouldn’t be interested but for the younger set and the adults like me who love childrens literature it’s fantastic.

Head over to T.O.P. to enter to win a copy! (And while you’re there ignore the primarily copied and pasted review…completely different audience over there for the most part.)

…But I probably never will be. I’m a yoga pants mama from way back - long before I was even a mama. This book, though, is fantastic. I was sent a copy of The Yummy Mummy Manifesto by Anna Johnson via MotherTalk, and thoroughly enjoyed the 75% of it I was able to finish before my scheduled review day. It’s very well written (with a British bent - memories of my childhood!) and offers some great tips for women from pregnancy through the early mothering years. It’s not a book that tells you what to eat and how much to work out, but instead encourages you to be yourself and not lose yourself in the abyss of motherhood. It’s about no-guilt parenting, which I love. It’s pretty hard to sink yourself into the sheer joy of being with children if you’re feeling guilty all the time.

The book also includes delicious sounding recipes and fun craft projects that I’m going to try with my own kids. Whether you’re a fashionista-mama or a yoga-mama like myself, this book would be an enjoyable read. In fact, I think it would be a great gift for the newly pregnant friend. It gives some great insight into what’s to come - in a good way!

The Daring Book For Girls is the one we’ve all been waiting for! It was shortly after my review of The Dangerous Book For Boys that I heard of the impending arrival of this one and I’ve been waiting ever since. I was SO excited to tear into the package when it arrived (so much so that the messy innards of the strange packing envelope had to be vacuumed from my floor) and the book did not disappoint right from the first page.

The Daring Book For Girls brought back memories of playing with my cousins at my Grandma’s farm and of our huge childhood backyard (and the wicked treehouse my dad built for me). It’s the kind of book you’ll want to read from cover to cover just because and then keep it to pull out anytime you’re looking for a little bit of adventure. It’s great if you have a daughter or a niece to share it with, but it’s certainly not necessary. You can have a blast with this book alone and parts of it can be enjoyed with your sons as well (just as the Dangerous book can certainly be enjoyed by many girls). I do love, though, that much of it is really geared to girls - unless your son wants to tie a sari, and more power to him. It’s a classic, and one that should never ever be freecycled or given away. I’m saving my copy along with a threatening note stating that it had better be kept in the family for my great great grandchildren to enjoy.

This book has you covered no matter what your interests…as long as you’re not limited to playing with dolls - barf - this is for the daring among us. From playing four square and other schoolyard games to making cloth covered books and tying a sari or bandana, from climbing trees to building a campfire to tying your hair up with a pencil (I’ve always wanted to do that and now I can!), you can (and I have an will continue to) have SO MUCH FUN with this amazing book.

Check out the book’s website here, watch the video and buy it here!

Enter to win a copy over at T.O.P!!

Sure, it may seem a little weird for me to be reviewing a book called Downsizing Your Home With Style when we just upsized to a 5 bedroom, 3 full bath home with a garage for the first time ever, but hear me out.

I have a problem. No matter how much I love to freecycle and throw stuff away, I have PILES. Mostly of stuff I haven’t had a chance to do/put away/file/review etc. Piles freaking everywhere and it drives me batshit crazy. I also love love looooove to organize and that’s why I really wanted to read this book.

Written by Lauri Ward, an “interior refiner”…I love that, it’s really about moving to a smaller home and would be absolutely awesome for that purpose, from packing to unpacking, organizing to decorating to creating flow. However, that’s not what it’s doing for me, obviously. As a recently-moved-to-a-bigger-house-to-have-another-baby-in-the-
middle-of-renovating-addicted-to-organizing-hates-the-clutter-but-loves-the-stuff kind of girl, Downsizing Your Home With Style is helping me to effectively rearrange things to create that ever elusive ‘flow’ everyone’s always talking about and has inspired me to get real about things we don’t really need. In the past week I’ve freecycled at least a truckload of really decent stuff that someone somewhere will use but we just weren’t.

It’s a very affordable book (on for $16.47 @ Amazon and ships free) and has some great ideas for every home, whatever the size and whatever your situation but I’m sure it would be particularly helpful if you were…you know. Downsizing. (Yikes!)

I’m the first to admit that I don’t use cookbooks. I copy recipes that I like at restaurants, see on tv or taste elsewhere by making them up myself and they’re often better than the original. Not because I’m a great cook but because they contain things that I like! If I really need a recipe, I get it from the internet. I use recipe books so rarely that I recently gave away 30 when I moved because I couldn’t foresee using one any time soon. However, I was an easy convert when I received Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. (Yes, she’s married to Jerry.)

It’s a book full of simple ways to sneak vegetables into your kids’ food. Like pureed cauliflower in scrambled eggs. Who’da thunk? I consider myself very creative in the kitchen and I’d never have thought of that one. My son is a fruit & veggie kid, but I know there will come a day when I need to perform these sneaky maneuvers so I’m grateful to have some great ideas from this book to add to my bag of tricks. The instructions on how to puree food are, well, duh…but I can see how someone who has never really cooked would benefit from that. I did love the idea of making a bunch and freezing them to throw into recipes when you need something quickly. That would also be a great way to use cases of fresh produce that’s on sale before it goes bad.

I tried a couple of the recipes and plan to try many more. My faves so far are the french toast (with pumpkin puree in the eggs), scrambled eggs (with pureed cauliflower that you totally can’t taste) and pita pizzas (which we make all the time but now will be spreading spinach puree on) and macaroni and cheese (with butternut squash). The four recipes I had time to try all took just a few minutes and hardly any work. And yes - they were delicious! When I have some more time, I can hardly wait to try the coffee cake and some of the muffins!

I can tell I’m going to love this book!

You can head over to T.O.P to enter to win a copy I only received one extra so you can’t enter at this site.

Here’s a contest from Harper Collins where you can also enter to win your own copy!

It’s another Mother-Talk book tour! Reading is one of my favourite things to do, and so is teaching reading, which made this tour a perfect fit for me!

This time, I’m reviewing the first set of BOB Books, a box set of phonetic readers. My own set hasn’t arrived yet but luckily I had a friend with the box I was to review and she lent them to me. These are some great books which made their way very quickly into my classroom (I’m an early literacy teacher) and will definitely come home again (my own set, of course, when it finally arrives!) when the boy’s a little older. Hopefully they’ll be joined by the rest of the box sets too!

There’s so much to love about BOB Books (fun stuff notwithstanding). They’re a lot like the books that I learned with that are now out of print and very hard to find.

When kids are first learning to read, they need books that focus on initial consonant sounds and one or two vowels at a time (short or long, not both, which is why Dick and Jane suck when they’re together)with large print and little illustration to distract from the words. BOB Books does all of this perfectly, and also integrates numbers from 1-10 in their beginner set (but not the number words, thank goodness) which is a nice touch.

As the sets progress, they move through more complex letter combinations with sight words and mixed short vowels, word families (words that all end in the same sound; the -at family would include cat, sat, that, fat, bat etc), compound words and long vowels.

These are exactly the kind of books I will be recommending to the parents of my kindergarten students when they inevitably ask me what they should buy for home reading books to help their child get started on decoding and independent reading.

I didn’t notice at first but these books are from Scholastic and that’s a huge bonus! That’s the company that your child’s teacher will likely send home book order forms from and the company that offers the in-school book fairs. They’re who I buy 99% of my books from and they have great products, great quality and great prices.

This is a Mother-Talk book review cross-posted at T.O.P.

The Other Mother is a new (released this week, I believe) novel by Gwendolyn (Wendy) Gross that addresses the “mommy wars” from a fictional standpoint. While I think the mommy wars (between staunch stay at home and staunch working mothers who see no story but their own) are ridiculous and closed minded, they really do happen in some circles. I loved the way this book kept them as an undercurrent throughout the story without ever actually mentioning them.

The essential premise of the book is that the two mothers, Amanda & Thea, are truly only at war with themselves and their choices (as is usually the case in life) and they’re both envious of the other. Thea, the stay at home mom, is jealous of Amanda’s ability to have a break, pee in privacy and enjoy stimulating adult conversation. Amanda, the working mom, is jealous of the unlimited time that Amanda has with her children and the control she has over all aspects of their lives. Both of them show their envy by judging the other and justifying their own choices. Hmmmm…

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is struggling with the “mommy wars” and wants to see what they’re really all about while enjoying a great fictional read a the same time. It’s the kind of book you can choose to analyze or just read and either way you’ll likely enjoy it.

Want a copy for yourself? I’m giving away a copy at T.O.P.

Another busy week at work has begun. I’m loving the schedule I’ve got. Grade two M-Th afternoons and Friday mornings and flex M-Th mornings. I’ve been doing everything from kindergarten to grade five, special ed, field trip supervision, filing and whatever else so it keeps my brain in gear (which it really hasn’t been in over a year) and because I have no prep for the mornings I drop the boy off late at his sitter’s place and we get more morning play time. I get out of school at 3:30 and even though my school is far away I drive craftily and pick him up between 3:45 and 3:50 every day.

Yesterday he got his first injury without me and, believe it or not, neither of us was traumatized! (More unbelievable for me than him for those of you who know me, right?) He got a bad bite on his arm from one of the other boys (my friend’s daughter who’s also there got two bites today from the same kid!) He’s got a nasty bruise but no broken skin. The sitter said he just looked at him as if to ask “What’d ya do that for, you big meanie?” and then went about his business of playing. Poor kid. The kid in question has been biting for a while. She gives him his soother for oral stim but he pops it out, bites, and puts it back in! Anyway, I’m sure it’s not the last time he’ll get picked on and it’s good to know he’s so well adjusted and it takes a hell of a lot to make him freak out!

On to a book review…

I’ve been reading The No-Cry Discipline Solution: Gentle Ways to Encourage Good Behavior Without Whining, Tantrums, and Tears by Elizabeth Pantley as part of the latest Mother-Talk blog book tour. I will admit a slight parenting book addiction, though I rarely follow any of their advice and just do what comes naturally and what works for us. I like to read and talk about as many strategies as possible so that I have a large bank of things to pull from in all aspects of parenting (and teaching) though most of what I do is instinctual and also based on the way I was raised. (Yes, I want to be just like my mommy!)

In our house our parenting leans toward attachment and very gentle discipline & distraction as well as logical consequences. With a background in early childhood education I can be quite critical (via internal dialogue only) about the parenting techniques of some people because I’ve seen first hand what continuous punishment/yelling/insert ineffective parenting strategy here does to a child.

So that’s why, when I read The No-Cry Discipline Solution I was immediately caught up in it.

Part one (parenting attitudes) and part two (skills & tools) may seem unnecessary to those of us without anger & discipline issues, but to any parent who is struggling (which can be any of us on any given day, right?) these more theory focused chapters are extremely important. They give you the background which will enable you to successfully implement the strategies that Pantley presents. Part three directs anger in a non-judgmental but very helpful way. Though I’m not an angry person I can see how this chapter would almost be like mild therapy for someone who is, and I love the way that she so gently yet adamantly tells parents that anger damages children and to get help if they need it. So so true.

Part four, if you’re desperate and don’t have time to read the rest, gives concrete examples of specific solutions for the problems we experience every day. (Sibling fights, several sleep issues, doesn’t come when called, hitting a parent and so many more.) This is my favourite section of the book and I think of is as a manual of sorts. One you keep on a main floor shelf where you can pull it out easily as a reference before you deal with a situation that might either blow up in your face or frustrate both you and your child.

In all, a very highly recommended book! I’ll be referencing it regularly.

My favourite ladies at Mother-Talk recently put out a call for people to review Mamasource. It’s a networking site for mamas that’s unfortunately only for Americans but since I already offered to help out I just made up a zip code. Apparently I’m from Schenectady.

From the site:Mamasource is a safe and easy way to connect with other moms in your local area. Find the advice, referrals and insight you need, in a supportive community of moms helping moms.

As a Mamasource member, you can:
1. Ask other local moms any question you need help with.
2. Read the questions other moms have asked- and see what answers they have received.
3. Share your own advice and practical referrals with other moms who need your help.

Sounds great, right? Well, it is. Except I’ve now made some friends in Schenectady and while that’s great, it doesn’t do a Canadian girl much good. But it is a great site and I really hope someone makes a Canadian one like it very soon. It has pretty much all of the functions that a great mama support site needs and none of the advertising related spam.

Not only can you do the above mentioned three great things, but you can also read and submit reviews of local businesses. I’m loving that function. If we go to a restaurant that’s super kid & nursing friendly, I’d want to let everyone know. I’d also let everyone know if we had a bad experience somewhere in town. (Here, not in Schenectady.)

Another neat feature that I enjoy is the “so what happened” that people can add to their requests so you know how things turned out for people that you’ve given advice to. Sort of like a message board with more functionality.

Click here for my personal invitation to you to join Mamasource.com. If you’re an American mama, you won’t be disappointed.

You can also check out the other Mother-Talk reviews of Mamasource here.

It’s another Mother-Talk blog book tour day here at Much More Than a Mom. I’ve been reading up a storm and there’s more to come! I love free books, I love reading and I love telling people what I think. Thank goodness for Mother-Talk! For the last week I’ve been reading a pre-production uncorrected proof copy of The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take To Make The Most of Their Money - And Life Richly Ever After by Sharon Epperson.

For my Canadian readers, you should know that this is a very American book, with references to purely American financial tools (such as the ROTH IRA etc). However, this doesn’t take away much from the great advice contained within the book.

It starts with tips to making the money you have last. I found the chapter on setting up a budget very helpful. That’s something I’ve never really done properly or very well. We live within our means but having two professional salaries (when I’m not on perpetual mat leave) means we have what we need and some things we want too. We’re careful, but we’re by no means frugal. We don’t eat out, we don’t need much of an entertainment fund since we play and watch tv for fun and we don’t live extravagantly. We do eat organic and we don’t wear used clothing. When we do want something, we save if necessary and we buy it. We don’t have any extra money, but we don’t have any bad debt either. (We have A LOT of good debt - mortgage and student loans - but it still hurts the wallet in a big way.) Now that I’m on that perpetual mat leave, though, it’s becoming more and more important that we create a “real” budget and stick to it so that we don’t have to go into debt to eat healthily & take a few weekend road trips to visit family. I’ll be using this book to help with that.

It goes on to deal with saving for emergencies, saving for retirement, what to know before buying and/or selling a home and what types of loans are best, sending kids to college (university in Canada), health & life insurance and setting up an estate plan & will. Much of the information in the book is fairly basic and you probably already know it if you’ve done any financial reading, but it’s laid out in a very user friendly manner and it’s nice to have it all in one place.

Particularly if you’re American, The Big Payoff would make a wonderful engagement or wedding gift for a young couple just getting started in securing their financial future. Even for us Canucks, there’s only one chapter that doesn’t apply and it’s still a great read.

Welcome to today’s stop on the Mother-Talk blog book tour for Healthy Mother, Healthy Child by Elizabeth Irvine.

Beth is a mother, a nurse and a yoga instructor (and apparently a Catholic, which seems a little out of place in this book, but whatever) and she integrates her experience in all of those areas to bring us Healthy Mother, Healthy Child. The subtitle of the book is ‘Creating Balance in Everyday Life’ and really, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Two months pregnant and parenting a barely one year old, having to go back to work full time to earn a maternity leave (25% of my salary, but anything helps), running several websites, having a dad with cancer, a husband who doesn’t cook (but does everything else - bless him) I’m in serious need of a little balance around here.

The book is lovely. It’s full of lovely relaxing photos of mother & children meditating and practicing yoga. It goes through the basics, from the asanas (poses) to breathing to eating and expands into alternative therapies, challenges & ways to express feelings (based on her experiences of severe allergies with her own son).

It’s really a how-to guide to creating health & well-being using a multi-pronged approach. I really liked the way she took the principles of yoga and made them accessible to moms - including easy ways to include your children in your practice and teach them to meditate, appreciate silence and start creating a healthy life while they’re young. For anyone interested in learning how to share the benefits of yoga with kids and also explore the “granola lifestyle,” you’d like this book. If you’re not Catholic, just take that part with a grain of salt.

Check out Beth’s website and blog.

Thanks to Beth, I’ve got a copy of Healthy Mother, Healthy Child to send to one lucky reader. Email me through this link and a winner will be selected randomly!

Today is Mother-Talk’s Fearless Friday. I had actually forgotten all about it (I’m too busy to remember anything more than to wipe my butt lately) but as I was in the tub reading “Protecting the Gift” I remembered.

I’ve always thought of myself as a fairly fearless woman. The only things I’m really afraid of are intangible. Not snakes, not spiders, not eating alone in a restaurant. ‘ll bungee, I’ll skydive, I’ll run alone at night. (At least I would before I met my lovingly protective husband and he put the kibosh on that). But I am afraid. I’m afraid of someone I love getting hurt. And this, it turns out, is a very good thing.

De Becker talks about the “wild brain.” The one that gives us our instinct - the feelings that come before we start to over-think. It was built generations before the “logic brain” that people so revere today. Logic’s great, but it’s not what keeps us safe. In my classroom, I teach the kids about “tummy feelings” - those gut reactions that tell you something’s not right. It might be someone being mean to someone else, or a feeling about another person you just don’t trust. These are the same feelings that De Becker says we MUST listen to. Fear, he says, is a gift given to us in order to protect ourselves and, more importantly, our children.

I don’t feel like I can do this book justice in the short nap time I have to write about it. I can tell you that if you’re pregnant or have children from birth to 40, YOU HAVE TO READ IT. It should be required reading for anyone planning to procreate. It’s just that amazing. If I could afford it, I’d donate a copy to every new mom before they left the hospital (or send it with their midwife to their home water birth - whatever).

So, fearless?

Not me.

I’m proud of my fear.

I’m a mama mammal and I’m equipped to do whatever it takes to protect my baby.

And so are you. Listen to those fears. To those nagging thoughts and questions that pop into your head. Don’t deny them. Fear is a gift.