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Second Chance – Kip Moore tells a true story that is one part a compelling story of a family’s never-wavering support of a sick child and one part warning on the dangers of food-borne E. coli bacteria. Large parts of the book are about spirituality and may provide comfort for those in similar situations. Share on Facebook
Category Archives: Books
Smile when you see your kids – Excerpt from Parking Lot Rules
June 15, 2009 – 10:03 pm
SMILE WHEN YOU SEE THEM The Nancy Armato Rule Antonina’s mother, Nancy Armato, is the ultimate child greeter. She smiles and beams and bursts with pride at the sight of her three children and her six grandchildren. No child who enters her home has any doubt whatsoever that he or she is completely welcome-there is no room for doubt. Grandma Nancy’s hugs, kisses, compliments, questions about a new toy or shoes, recognition of a sterling report card, or her recalling a goal in a recent soccer game-all are part of her fabulous greeting. Every child gets his moment. The children around her respond in kind. They feel so loved and welcomed by her that it literally and physically changes them. They open to her like roses bathed in the warmth of the morning sun. She adds a patina of grace to their lives when each one realizes they have given her reason to smile. Watch your son walk into a room. What is the first thing he does? He looks around at the faces watching him walk in. He is instinctively searching for the visual cues that tell him that he is welcome and a part of the family, that he is loved and wanted, and that he was missed while he was gone. The easiest and simplest way to give him the approval and welcome he seeks is to smile when you see him. A smile instantly sets him at ease. A smile says, “Yes, I love you.” A frown, or only a grunt of recognition, faint praise, or sheer disinterest, sends a message of dismissal. Let your son feel welcome from the first moment he sees you. Let him know that he is loved and important to you, always and forever. When you see him, smile, and leave no doubt that at that moment he is the most important person in your world.
Treat your wife like your boss? Excerpt from Parking Lot Rules
June 12, 2009 – 1:31 pm
TREAT HER LIKE YOUR BOSS No matter how tired or fed up you are with how things are going at the office or store or school, or wherever you might work, if the person who signs your paycheck walks in, somehow there is a little reserve of goodwill saved up, just for him or her. … This is the source to which you might consider turning when you are completely fed up with your daughter, when she has found your last nerve and is standing on it, when you realize you have memorized the phone number of the private military academy over in the next county. But instead of raising your voice to her, instead of saying some things you may regret later, instead of reminding her that you brought her into this world, instead of embarrassing her in front of the entire family, even though that is precisely what she deserves, just imagine . . .
Fathers Day Book Review- “Reading with Dad”
June 10, 2009 – 2:44 pm
A Great Father’s Day Gift for a Dad Who Reads to His Kids Tuesday June 9, 2009 If you are looking for a Father’s Day gift for a dad who has always enjoyed reading books to his kids, I highly recommend Reading With Dad. … The book ends with her reminiscing, [From A Great Father's Day Gift for a Dad Who Reads to His Kids ]
Here’s my review of it: My daughter got Reading with Dad and as the dad who had to read it to her, I’d have to say that I disagree with this review.
The secret of the junkyard shadow
June 3, 2009 – 5:51 pm
It is about three cousins who happen to see a man taking stuff from a junkyard. … It turns out that the junkyard shadow was only trying to do good deeds! … This book is not violent at all, but it is a very intriging story.
Parking Lot Rules – new parenting book by Tom Sturges
June 2, 2009 – 2:10 pm
While some of the tips are just plain practical (4 times to wash hands) and seem a little out of place compared to the more emotional issues he faces, such as how to communicate your love to a sixteen year old boy without embarrassing him. Other advice, such as the importance of thank you notes, also seems like filler though I can tell from other parts of the book that social conventions are important to the author. I tend to share his views on the importance of teaching basic social habits like saying “please” and “thank you,” but you might be surprised to see this advice sandwiched in between other more sentimental issues.
New Dadlabs book out in time for Fathers Day
June 2, 2009 – 1:04 pm
Our friends at DadLabs.com are at it again with a new book that tries to put in prose what they do so well in video. … It has many practical tips on subjects like picking a baby name and how to change a diaper, just as you will find on DadLabs TV, but much of the value of this book is the ability to laugh at the early stages of parenthood, just as your pregnant partner is taking it so seriously. There is a time for soulful feelings about incipient fatherhood, but also a time for having a beer and making some crude jokes using all the new vocabulary you’ve just learned in Childbirth class.
Why aren’t dads in children’s books?
May 27, 2009 – 2:53 pm
I have not given this much thought, but the idea behind this article is that dads are way under-represented in kids’ fiction, save for the famous Hop on Pop . … Name kids’ books with dads who are at least present in the story and extra points if they are positive literary forces. Where are all the nice, normal dads in children’s books? … But as dads do more childcare, it’s time publishers took note [From Where are all the nice, normal dads in children’s books?
Buddy Talk
May 15, 2009 – 4:13 pm
My nine year-old daughter has written a review of the new Buddy Talk, a new conversation starter toy from www.aroundthetablegames.com . … Pepsi , a book that asks people to make choices between two things to get them to talk about what kind of person they are.
… Around the Table Games has other variations on this theme for families and kids needing new topics to talk from. Her (very short) review: Buddy Talk is fun to play by yourself or with your friends.
Watchdog Group Says Scholastic Is Selling Not Just Books to Children – NYTimes.com
February 15, 2009 – 5:34 pm
Scholastic Inc., the children’s publisher of favorites like the Harry Potter, Goosebumps and Clifford series, may be best known for its books, but a consumer watchdog group accuses the company of using its classroom book clubs to push video games, jewelry kits and toy cars.
… While we like a lot of books Scholastic publishes, and their program to provide books to schools, it’s hard not to be quite miffed when we receive what is basically a toy catalog about three times each school year. … You have to go through every page of your child’s choices to determine whether they are a good choice for your child.