Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

We love books!

We love reading!

We love Dr. Seuss!

Every time I read a Dr. Seuss story, I am amazed at the way he was able to introduce important and relevant topics into a storybook for children. His silly words and wild rhymes almost always seem to hold a deeper meaning for both children and adults. In honor of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America, I decided to send my kids to school with Dr. Seuss themed lunches for the latter half of this week. Did I change the world or the minds of my kids by doing it? I doubt it, but we sure did have fun. Here are some of the goodies my girls found packed in their lunches.

Hawaiian Punch Lemon and Berry Juice Drink has disguised itself as Pink Ink for my Yinks to drink. I was actually looking for Simply Raspberry Lemonade, but my store was out of it. I think the flatter surface of that bottle might be a little easier to work with.  The girls didn't seem to mind though.  They would ask for this to drink every day if I let them.  (Normally they only get 100% juice in their lunches.)

Could it get any easier than this? Colorful Goldfish crackers are just perfect for One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Lunch just isn't a lunch without fruit. So, my girls got some Cat in the Hat hats made by alternating strawberries and bananas on a toothpick.

Blue Jell-O and a cute red Swedish Fish made a fun and tasty Fish in the Pot dessert for my girls. I thought about making my own Jello-O, but the pre-made stuff was even easier!

I REALLY wanted to do something Green Eggs and Ham, but had a very difficult time coming up with something. My girls don't really like real eggs . . . or ham for that matter. So, the cute eggs and bacon treat turned green. (Two pretzel sticks, a white candy melt and a green m&m are all it takes!) Green Eggs and Ham / Green Eggs and Bacon - It is almost the same.

I don't remember where I saw this one, but sometimes the easiest things are the most fun. My girls absolutely LOVED their Hop on Pop(corn).

I have always appreciated the message in the Butter Battle Book, both from a global and individual perspective. Because of that, I had to do something with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any amazing ideas to borrow and modify, and it was late at night so my creative juices weren't flowing. This was the best I could come up with, but at least the book and message made an appearance in their lunches.

I couldn't leave out the Grinch! Any meat will do for this one, but my girls prefer sandwich pepperoni as their roast beast.

One of the reasons that I love Dr. Seuss is that his words are so fun, free, and open to your own creativity. Schlopp could be just about anything (as long as there is a cherry on top!), so I chose granola (My girls love Bear Naked Vanilla Almond) with Yogurt and a Maraschino cherry on top. Peanut didn't end up eating hers because she didn't like the consistency of the granola. She said it was too mushy after sitting with yogurt on it all morning. Pumpkin ate all of hers though and actually requested it again the next day.

Trying to mix up the fruits, I made a rainbow of fruit on toothpicks as Truffula Fruits.

While Yertle the Turtle might not be the nicest turtle around, these adorable Yertle the Turtle breads were a huge hit! I got the recipe from Betty Crocker and modified it to make four smaller turtles rather than one large one. The turtles were still rather large for the girls to eat at lunch. Next time I think I'll try to make 8 instead. If you do make them smaller, be sure to decrease your cooking time. I didn't time mine. I just watched them and took them out when they looked golden brown.

Did you do anything fun to celebrate Dr. Seuss and Read Across America?  I'd love to see/hear all about it!


*Disclaimer:  Ideas for these projects came from my own inspiration, various bloggers, friends, websites, etc.  I spent so much time thinking, searching, taking notes and modifying, that I no longer know who deserves the original credit.  If you know the originator of one of these ideas and would like me to mention them here, please send me a message and let me know.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

LeapFrog Learning Systems - Tag.Give.Read & DonorsChoose.org

Those of you that know me, know that I love (almost) all LeapFrog products. My first choice for my kids is that they play with non-electronic toys. I like blocks, creative play, paper and crayons - you know, the "when I was a kid" toys. However, if they are going to play with electronics and toys that interact with them, then they must be toys in which I can find some educational value. When the girls were little, I got them Tag Readers. They loved them. They liked being independent enough to read by themselves. They enjoyed the games that were built into the stories. I liked that the games tested their reading comprehension and taught them new words. It was a win-win situation. As they got a little older I got the girls a Leapster. While I was not as satisfied with that product overall (Grainy images, a lack of quality games that fit our needs, and a difficult interaction with customer service left me a bit jaded), I do think that for us it was better than a Nintendo DS. In addition, a recent brief encounter with the new Explorer has me optimistic that LeapFrog might be on the right track again with this new product.

In addition to liking LeapFrog products, I also appreciate a company that tries to give back to the community. It is great to manufacture products that can help our children succeed in the classroom, but what good is it if the products can't find their way into the hands of the children that need them most. According to LeapFrog.com

"Last year LeapFrog donated $1.5 million in Tag School Reading Systems and books to the classrooms of more than 10,000 U.S. Kindergartners. By the end of the school year, 99% of the teachers in the program said they would recommend Tag to other teachers and to parents, because their students became more enthusiastic readers and exhibited improved reading skills after working with Tag systems."

While that is a step in the right direction, LeapFrog is doing even more.  Through the Tag.Give.Read program and DonorsChoose.org, they will match donations dollar for dollar up to $100,000 to get Tag Readers into the classrooms of teachers that want them.  (Not to sound like an ingrate, but I'd personally like to see them give a bit more, perhaps even to programs on donorschoose.org that aren't promoting their specific products.  In fact, they may already do this.  I haven't done any additional research into LeapFrog  to see what their entire donation portfolio consists of.)

The best thing about the Tag.Give.Read program for me is that it introduced me to DonorsChoose.org.  Why haven't I heard of this site before?  From the website -

"Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.
Then, you can browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school.
You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students.
At DonorsChoose.org, you can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions. We call it citizen philanthropy."

The former teacher in me just LOVES this idea.  I've actually been browsing the site for the past couple of days trying to find a specific science project that I'd like to donate to.

*Disclaimer - I was initially inspired to write this post in order to get extra entries into a giveaway hosted by Life in a House of Blues.  However, after a bit of browsing, I would have written it anyway.  Information came from leapfrog.com and donorschoose.org.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF

Description (from Amazon):

HANDMADE? IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MADE IT WITH YOUR FEET.

A chicken poncho. A painting of a corn dog. A clock made out of an old “mostly clean” cheese grater. All this and more await you in the pages of Regretsy, a veritable sideshow of handcrafts gone wrong. Based on the eponymous hit blog and arranged in categories such as Décor, Pet Humiliation, and Christmas, Regretsy showcases the best of the worst, ranging from the hilariously absurd to the purely horrifying. Each page of this jaw-dropping volume features the actual seller’s online listing with a light coat of snarky commentary to give it a good shellacking. So join us as we descend into handmade hell and gawk, gasp, and marvel at the disturbingly odd artifacts that Regretsy has collected for your viewing pleasure, proving that you can never have too much of a bad thing.

I had never heard of the book nor the website, Regretsy.  So, when I received a copy of the book in the mail I glanced over it and thought, "Eh, I'll get to it."  Last night was the night.  Not feeling like watching TV, browsing the internet, or reading a "real" book, I picked it up.  Figuring that I'd probably fall asleep reading it, I went to bed so that I'd be in place when boredom struck and the book fell to the floor.  At 154 pages, it definitely isn't a long read, but I couldn't believe how quickly I read through it . . . and how many times I actually laughed out loud.  In fact, Doc was trying to sleep next to me when he rolled over and said, "What is so funny?  I might have to go in the other room so I can actually sleep."  While the book is impossible to describe, it is hilarious.  I enjoyed it so much that I went to the website this morning to see what other unique creations and commentary there were to be found.  While the website was definitely amusing, I have to say that I enjoyed the book even more.  I plan to pass this book on to my sister next.  They keep reading material in their bathroom, and I have to say that this is an ideal bathroom reader. 

Note:  All opinions and experiences are my own.  I did not receive any products or compensation in exchange for this review.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult - Review

From Jodi Picoult's website:

HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis. He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.

Honestly, the synopsis of the book really didn't make me interested in reading House Rules at all.  Previously, I had read and enjoyed My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  The fact that her writing style is easy to read and really draws you in to the characters was my primary motivation to pick up this book.  That being said, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.  Within 48 hours, I read all 532 pages of this book.  The book was very well written and definitely an enjoyable read.  Throughout the book, I came to really care about each of the characters.  I wanted them all to find a way to be happy and experience some closure in their lives. 

At the end of the book, I was slightly disappointed.  In My Sister's Keeper, I ended up being surprised by the turn of events.  House Rules didn't offer me that surprise, nor did it offer me a sense of finality.  I felt like I knew "what happened" about half way through the book and wanted loose ends to be tied.  When the book ended, I almost felt that it should have said, "to be continued . . . " since there was so much more I wanted to know. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to my family and friends.  It provided me with some interesting insight into an individual with Asperger's and the struggles a family might have in dealing with this disorder.  Not having any direct contact with a child with Asperger's, I would be curious to hear the reaction of someone that has experienced similar trials and tribulations.

Note:  All opinions are my own.  I did not receive any product or compensation for this review.

Embracing Summer Reading

Twittermoms has a new blogging program this summer to find and share ways to keep your kids involved in reading this summer.  I can't wait to read the tips and tricks that other moms use to keep their kids engaged during the summer months.  Right now, I am fortunate to have two little girls that LOVE to read.  Reading is an integral part of their lives and has been since the day they were born.  Each night before bed we read a story (or two or three) to the girls.  Some of the books we read are silly, whereas others are more "educational" in nature.  No matter what we read though, the girls love to participate either by reading themselves or asking questions about the book and the characters.  Honestly, I don't think a day goes by where we don't spend at least 1/2 hour reading together.

My girls are happy to continue their reading during the summer months.  The problem usually comes in when I get busy or just too lazy to keep them on track.  During the summer, as the days are longer, and bedtimes get later, it is tempting to skip the story to get the girls in bed faster.   One way that I have found to keep myself on track is to sign Peanut and Pumpkin up for summer reading programs.  Most major bookstores have a program that simply involves reading books to earn prizes. Some of our favorites are:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp
http://media.bordersstores.com/pdf/summerreading.pdf
http://www.halfpricebooks.com/for_parents_and_teachers.html
http://www.bookitprogram.com/summerbreak/challengesweeps.asp

Our local library has a summer reading program too.  This program has a list of different types of books to read in order to win various prizes.  For example, we needed to read 3 Caldecott books, 5 picture books, a biography, a book by an author whose last name begins with the same letter as our last name, etc.  It is like a scavenger hunt of reading.  It has encouraged us to select books we wouldn't normally read and expand our horizon a bit.  This is actually the best way we find to stay on track since weekly visits to the library are also factored in to your prize earning abilities.  Once we go to the library and pick out a book, the girls can't wait to get them all read. 

For other tips and tricks be sure to check out Twitter Moms Reading Channel.  You're bound to get some great ideas.  If you have ideas to share, the TwitterMoms community would love to hear them.  Check out their site to find out how to get involved.  I welcome your ideas and comments here as well.

*Disclaimer:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get an "I Can Read!" book. For more information on how you can participate, click here.



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