It is becoming more and more popular to become “green.” Not only are more and more families making wiser decisions, it is also becoming a popular topic of conversation in classrooms. My daughter did a major unit last year in 3rd grade on “the 3 R’s” – Reduce, Recycle, Reuse. Over the summer, she was a part of the summer reading program which included a Recycling Art Project contest to be turned in at the end of the session.  20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth is a children’s book that focus on simple things that children can do in their goals of implementing the 3 R’s in to their lives.

The book is authored by Pedro Rita, who is a husband and father in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Part of his parenting duties, included coaching youth soccer. One afternoon, while walking along the soccer field, he noticed the amount of trash laying around, and knew that most of this was left around by the children on his team.  He wondered how he could get them to realize just how wrong this was, and thus the birth of 20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth.

20 Easy Ways to Save the Earth focuses on how kids’ actions can affect thir homes and communities or offers them easy-to-use, Earth saving tips to protect the environment.

What I Liked About the Book

1. The graphics/colors.  It is so colorful and eye appealing that you want to read it.
2. The language – The book is in both English and Spanish.  Not only is this great because both English and Spanish speaking children can read it, but for older children (like my 9 year old) it is a great tool for them to go back and forth and learn a little more of the other language.
3. The tips. While some are more challenging (like planting trees), many are very simple and easy actions that we could all incorporate into our lives such as picking up others and throwing away your trash, not giving animals human food, turning off the water when you are not using it, turning off electrical stuff when you aren’t using it, and using rechargeable batteries.

]]> http://anovelmind.com/20-easy-ways/feed/ 2 http://anovelmind.com/knitting-club/ http://anovelmind.com/knitting-club/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:18:02 +0000 Kimberly http://anovelmind.com/?p=567

Surprise, tears, and the desire to share. After being an avid reader forever, I find that I usually see an ending coming. I’ve usually recognize the foreshadowing and even though I enjoy a book, it’s rare that a book actually totally surprises me at the end. It’s even rarer for it to surprise me with tears. The Friday Night Knitting Club did just that though. I had read good reviews for the book so I purchased it one day on a whim, and I’m so glad I did.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I started this book three times before I actually read it though. There was something about the beginning that seemed slow, and I had a hard time getting involved; however, after the first few chapters I was anxious to get to know the characters more. By the time I made it halfway through the book, I did not want to put it down. I was so anxious to continue the story. And then when the end took such a surprising twist. I was SHOCKED! Kate Jacobs truly did an amazing job of coming up with a real shocker.

The Friday Night Knitting Club is the story or Georgia Walker and her yarn shop, Walker and Daughter. Georgia is a single mom to a teenager in New York City. She’s raised her daughter on her own (maybe one of the reasons that this book appealed me as I’m doing the same?) – only having the help of store employees and customers who have become friends. The group of friends forms The Friday Night Knitting Club as a time to bond (and for some to knit). One amazing quality of the club is that they don’t even all knit well. It’s more of a social bond – a connection.

Of course, then things go crazy – each of the women seems to have some major issues in their personal lives – from an unexpected pregnancy, Georgia’s daughter trying to find herself, an ex love coming back into the picture, children who think they should make decisions for elderly parents, and a divorce – it’s a roller coaster of emotions. However, The Friday Night Knitting Club presents a place for each of the women to find an escape and ultimately because of the friendships formed a peace with their problems.

I enjoy most books I read.  I just have an appreciation for reading.  However rarely do I read a book that I start telling everyone I know that they need to read it too, but this is one of those books.  I’ve already passed it on to my grandmother who read it and enjoyed it because she said “it was so realistic.”  I’m passing it on to a coworker next and then another friend of mine that loves to read.

The book has a sequel, Knit Two, that I have already purchased and will be reading and reviewing soon.

I bought The Diary by accident to be honest. I’m not sure how it ended up on my booklist at Book of the Month Club, but I must have been looking at it and clicked “add” somewhere along the way because sure enough it came in the mail a few months ago. I knew I’d need a couple books for my trip to Chicago so I threw this one in my bag for the trip home. I had read the summary a couple times, but it didn’t really get my attention so it kept being placed further down in the stack. I’ll even admit that I only put it in my suitcase knowing when it was the only book in my suitcase, I’d have to read it.

So as soon as I took my seat on the plane, I pulled out The Diary and started reading – bound and determined to successfully finish it so it could be moved to the “finished” stack. Imagine how surprised I was when by the third chapter I was really into it and loving every page – daring the man next to me to speak and distract me from my book (luckily he was reading too) or the stewardess to ask if I wanted a drink or snack.

The Diary is the story of two sisters who recently lost their father and their mother is now on the verge of death herself. They are going through and cleaning out the family home when they discover their mother’s diary from when she was in her early twenties. It is then that they discover that their mother once had a life (imagine that!), but not just any life – a pretty dramatic life. She professes to have only truly one love and the man is not her father. They have no doubts that her mother and father loved each other, but in her 20’s her mother loved another man – and this is devastating news to the girls. How did their mother make the decision to “settle” for the father? They don’t know as the diary ends with all those decisions left unsaid.

Eileen Goudge does such a good job pulling you into this book, that you too are flipping each page hoping to find the answers to all the questions left unsaid in the diary that the sisters are searching for themselves. Will they find a follow up diary? Will Mom wake up from her stroke and finish the story for them? As I flipped each page, I was anxious for those answers, but never saw them coming from the source that Eileen provided. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the messenger and the message.

The Diary may be the ultimate love story – a reminder of what “genuine love” is, how hard it is to make decisions between your heart and your mind, and that our parents are real people with real emotions now matter how we’ve looked at them as we grow up as infallible.

When I was asked if I would like to read/review/giveaway The Unexpected Gift by Meaghan Gonzales Wagar and Michelle Bulmer Atha, I clicked over and read the summary and knew from the beginning that I would love this book.  And I have to admit that I was not disappointed. It’s a thin book so I chunked it in my carryon bag when I was leaving for Blogher thinking it would be nice to have something lightweight to add to my bag.  I arrived at the airport super early Thursday so I pulled it out and started reading.  I was so involved that time flew while I waited on my plane.

As soon as I loaded on the plane, I pulled it back out, anxious to see what happened next. By the time the plane landed, I only had two chapters left to read.  The book is about two remarkable women. The first is a recently divorced wife and mother who is looking to find herself and raise her children alone.  Still loving her husband ex-husband makes this a challenging road. She’s also now needing to make her entrance back into the full time work world. The second woman is a young pregnant girl living in poverty, but working hard to make a better life for herself. The two meet by chance when the divorcee donates baby clothes to the young girl.  After a couple more chance meetings, they start to build a friendship that becomes quite strong and helps each of the women become strong and conquer the issues in their lives.

I’ve been both of these women to some degree – the young pregnant girl without much money (though my life was much easier than the girl in this book) and the single mom trying to raise her children so I felt so connected to each of them as I read it.

Does The Unexpected Gift sound like something you’d like to read? If so, you might be in luck as I have three copies to give away.

Required Entry:

Who in your life came to you unexpectedly and has made a difference?

Bonus Entries:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed. You can still enter if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet – already a follower, just tweet and let me know)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.
6. Enter any other contest here or at Southern Girl Reviews through the duration of this contest. You may have an entry for every contest that you enter between now and then.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Sunday, August 16 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Don’t want to wait until the contest ends? You can buy it now for $11.01 at Amazon.

You may remember how much Cameron liked the first book in the Precious Girls Club series, A Little Bit of Faith.  Thanks to the Precious Girls Club and MomSelect she just received the second book, Operation Kindness, and it was just as much a hit as the first one – maybe more so.

In case you have not heard of this series, it’s a book series and virtual world website for young girls from the makers of Precious Moments.  Just as the figurines are inspirational, so are the books.  The protagonist in the book is Kate Bennett and she struggles just as the young girls in our lives do to “fit in” and at deciding just who they really are.  Through the help of her guardian angel and family, Kate does find her own group of friends in the first book, A Little Bit of Faith.

In this book, Operation Kindness, Kate and her group of friends (The Precious Girls Club) have decided that they want to volunteer at the local community hospital to cheer up sick children.  They run into some problems and through the use of joining together, they are able to overcome these obstacles and develop a puppet show.

Once again, Kate and her friends present real problems with solutions based on values and morals.

If you have a young reader in your home, I think that the Precious Girls Club series, may be the books I recommend over any other that Cameron has read.

And in a fashion, I love – you can introduce this series to your favorite reader for FREE thanks to A Novel Mind, Mom Select, and the Precious Girls Club.  I have a hardback copy of Operation Kindness for one lucky reader.  BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!  I also have a stuffed puppy from the series, and special codes for the online world of the Precious Girls Club, some bracelets and stickers.  There will be LOTS of winners for this contest.  I also have two copies of the first book, A Little Bit of Faith.

This is how we’ll break up the winners:

• 1 Grand Prize Winner will receive Operation Kindness, the stuffed puppy, as well as bracelets and stickers.  If the Grand Prize Winner does not own the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, they’ll also receive a copy of this book.
• 1 or 2 Runner Up Winners (depending on Grand Prize winner prize) will win the first book, A Little Bit of Faith, bracelets, and stickers.
• The First 60 Entrants will be selected to receive the online code for their little one to have special privileges on the online world of the Precious Girls Club. (will be sent via email)

How to Enter:

Required Entry:
Tell me the little girl in your life’s (that would receive this package) favorite books – or the books you wish she would read!

Bonus Entries:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed.  You can still enter if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet – already a follower, just tweet and let me know)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.
6. Enter any other contest here or at Southern Girl Reviews through the duration of this contest.  You may have an entry for every contest that you enter between now and then.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Sunday, August 9 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Don’t want to wait until the contest ends? You can buy it now for $9.95 at Amazon.

CONTEST ENDED! COMMENTS CLOSED! WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

Do you ever feel like school, state standardized tests, peer pressure – all the things that are such a part of our children’s lives so early now are stifling their creativity.  I remember going out to play and making up games to play outside, but I see less and less of that now.  Children spend more time on the couch playing video games and watching tv. As this happens, creative thought is being pushed aside. I have worked hard to keep creativity in our house, by limiting how much electronic time is allowed per day, buying board games, arts and crafts, and insisting on outside play, but I’m always looking for ways to make sure that my daughter is able to successfully play “make believe” while she’s young and then later to use that creativity more maturely to find answers and solutions to life.  New World Kids: The Parents Guide to Creative Thinking by Susan Marcus and Susie Monday caught my attention immediately.  I mean I’ve tried “my ways” for 9 years, but never thought of any formal plan to encouraging creative thinking.

Marcus and Monday combined their experience and research from founding Learning About Learning Educational Foundation, a Texas-based institution conducting aplied research in creativity, individuality, media, and play. That research can be read in New World Kids where we (as parents) “can recognize and foster children’s individual creativity to create innovative thinkers for the 21st century.”

This book is sort of a “How-To” book for parents (now many times have we wished for that?).  It goes through and analyzes just what is creative thinking. It is important for us to realize that creative is nothing something you have or don’t – it’s something that can be taught.  And then the book reveals how by teaching your students to use the Sensory Alphabet – color, line, shape, sound, texture, light, movement, space, and rhythm.

What did I think about the book?  First, the book was hard for me to read.  It took me two or three times to read the 200 pages than it typically takes me to read a book.  It was like I was reading one of my school textbooks.   However, with that said the information was WONDERFUL.  The ideas to encourage creative thought were such good ones.  I’ve alreayd started paying attention to situations and incorporate the use of the “sensory alphabet” in our daily lives from time to time. Another thing I liked was that while the writing was “formal” and not very entertaining, the book was full of pictures and color that broke up the reading some.  I also am a quote person so I liked that each chapter started with a quote to relate back to creative thought.

I do think with the rapid pace that this world is evolving, we must raise our children to be ready for the future, and being able to use creative thought will be imperative.  Even the best of parents can use tips and help for the parenting process, and New World Kids: The Parents’ Guide to Creative Thinking is a great book to help with guiding our children to be creative thinkers.

Find more information at the New World Kids website or purchase New World Kids through Amazon.

]]> http://anovelmind.com/new-world-kids/feed/ 0 http://anovelmind.com/nutcase/ http://anovelmind.com/nutcase/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:35:42 +0000 Kimberly http://anovelmind.com/?p=464

I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I sat and read a book cover to cover in one setting.  I’m still sort of in shock to be honest with you.  When we got home from going out to eat tonight, a storm was moving in – that much was obvious. Knowing that our television and Internet comes in via satellite, I thought there was no point in turning on the television or computer so I went over to the bookshelf to pick a book to read.  I tend to pick those sent to me to review first and save the ones I actually purchased for “later.” But something about this book caught my eye so I grabbed it and one I was sent to review and headed off to my room.  I looked at both and thought, what the heck.  It’s been forever since I read a book I personally picked out in the store.  I think I’ll read this one – Nutcase by Charlotte Hughes.

After just glancing at the cover, I remembered why I bought it – there’s a quote by Janet Evanovich (one of my TOP FAVORITE authors) on the front, and if she endorsed it, I had thought when I was in the bookstore, I need to read it. Of course then I came home, life happened and it ended up in the “to read” stack that never seems to grow any smaller.  In my typical fashion, after finishing the book, I realize this is a SERIES and it’s not BOOK 1!!!  As it turns out, that’s what happened to be when I became a Janet Evanovich fan – I picked up one of her Stephanie Plum books in a bargain bin on a school trip and started reading only to realize that it was a series.  Luckily for me this time (unlike with the Stephanie Plum series), I discovered that Nutcase is only book 2 (unlike that book 5 I ended up with by Evanovich).  But once again, I’m upset that I’ve started a series in the middle.

But back to the book. The focus is on the protagonist – Kate Holly, a psychologist who just might need her own psychologist (oh! wait…she actually goes to counseling in this book).  Like my favorite heroine, Stephanie Plum, everything in Kate Holly’s life is “crazy.” She seems to draw out the “crazies” just like Plum.  Wow!  That might explain this glowing review.  That’s not where the similiarties end – Kate has 2 men in her life – Jay, a husband/ex-husband and an Thad, ex-boyfriend hoping to rekindle their “love” with the husband is officially the ex-husband. Noticing a trend?  Then there’s the crazy family – Stephanie has Grandma, Kate has her mother and aunt (twins).  And don’t forget the sidekick – for Stephanie it’s Lula, for Kate it’s Mona.  Yep…..Charlotte Hughes is after my heart, and I can see why Janet Evanovich said this book was “Great fun!”

So what kind of mayhem does Kate find herself in? Kate runs her own office where she tends to have more nonpaying patients than paying ones, her marriage is on the rocks (even though she knows that Jay is the only man for her), her aunt decides to marry one of her patients, she’s been evicted from her office, she has an overbearing ex-boyfriend, oh! and her husband who is a firefighter is battling a very dangerous arsonist.   I won’t tell you how any of these things turn out, but I will assure you that you’ll love every twist and turn in this book…oh, and if you can’t tell there’s a few mysteries thrown in too – a mysterious patient who claims to be Marie Osmond and the arsonist.  Have I mentioned my two favorite genres? Chick Lit and Mysteries!  When you combine those two as the McDonald’s slogan goes, “I’m Loving It!”

In fact, within 15 minutes of finishing Nutcase, I had scanned Charlotte’s website/blog and headed over to Borders.com to order the first book in this series, What Looks Like Crazy.  I’ll be reading it the day it comes in I’m sure!   The third book in this series will be titled Hanging By A Thread (Just read on Charlotte’s blog it will now be called High Anxiety), and I can’t wait to read it as there was a preview in the back of Nutcase of Kate subbing at an anger management meeting that of course goes “crazy.”

Who doesn’t love an adventure? I know I have always loved adventures and mysteries so how happy was I when Carol Ottley-Mitchell asked me to review her book, Adventure at Brimstone Hill.  This is a children’s mystery – the first in the Caribbean Adventure Series.  I originally passed this book on to Cameron to see her reaction, and as she started telling me about her readings the first day, I had to join in and read it behind her.  After she fell asleep each night, I’d take the book off of her nightstand and read what she had read that day.  I think I may have enjoyed it as much as she did.

There’s no way that Carol could have known, but Cameron is really fascinated by monkeys right now. Her last two Build A Bear pets? Monkeys. So when she found out that this story was about 3 children – Kyle, Ingrid, and Mark and their MONKEY, Chee Chee she was hooked from the beginning.  Did I mention one of her dogs name is Chee Chee?  That was one of the first things she had to tell me about the book  - the MONKEY NAMED CHEE CHEE!! She loved to read about their adventures of the children on their field trip at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. The adventure takes place on a tiny island called St. Kitts in the Caribbean. Maybe better than Chee Chee? The fact that the children are 9 – so close to her own age.

What did Mom like?  I loved the vocabulary in the book. The book was full of words that Cameron didn’t know that served as great spring boards into vocabulary lessons.  After the first chapter, I gave her a highlighter and she started marking any words she wasn’t sure of the meanings.  We then worked on context clues and looked up some of the words that she couldn’t guess.  The English teacher and Mom in me was proud that the book was interesting enough to keep her attention and made for a great lesson too.

Another Mom plus?  The fact that the setting is a true location that Cameron (and I) had never heard of – Brimstone Hill.  After finishing the book, we browsed the Internet to learn more about this historical location.

The story? The story begins with us meeting the 3 children and Chee Chee on the day of the class field trip to Brimstone Hill.  Chee Chee, of course, isn’t welcome on the field trip, but makes it anyways.  As the children search for Chee Chee, they are taken into the past – right in the middle of a battle between the British and the French during the 18th century. The book centers around the adventures the children have when they are taken back in time to this battle. I won’t reveal more of the plot, but if you have children between 7 or 8 and 12, I think you’ll find this to be an enjoyable story for them to read, or maybe you could read it as a family.  It has so much history throughout the book, that a great summer project could be researching the history surrounding the setting and battle after you finish reading Adventure at Brimstone Hill by Carol Ottley-Mitchell.

Want to know more about Carol and her series? Even read a preview of book 2 – Pirates at Port Royal at http://caribbeanadventureseries.com/.  You can also read more about Carol here.

And do I have great news for you!  This is your lucky day as you can now enter for a chance to win your very own copy of Adventure at Brimstone Hill.

Required Entry:
Tell me where you would go if you could go on your very own dream adventure – you can choose a past or present location!  Or maybe even somewhere in the future!

Bonus Entries:

**To earn these entries you must first complete the REQUIRED ENTRY**
**For each extra entry, you must leave an additional comment**

1. Place my button in your sidebar (Grab it on the right sidebar) or add a text link
2. Subscribe to my feed.  You can still enter if you already subscribe.
3. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this contest out! (you must leave a link to the tweet – already a follower, just tweet and let me know)
4. Add me to your Technorati favorites (leave your username)
5. Blog about this contest (WORTH 3 ENTRIES – LEAVE 3 COMMENTS) linking to this post.

The Fine Print

• Must be a US Citizen
• Contest ends Saturday, August 1 at Midnight CST.
• You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address.
• All entries will be verified before naming the winner.
• Winner has 72 hours to claim prize and then a new winner will be selected.

Don’t want to wait until the contest ends? You can buy it now for $12.95 at Amazon.

PLEASE NOTE CONTEST IS OVER!!!  WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED AND ANNOUNCED!!

Along Came You written by Karona Drummond and Illustrated by Estelle Corke came in our mail recently to review.  From the time we opened it, Cameron was excited. The pretty pink and glittery cover had Cameron’s attention immediately.  The fact that the little girl on the cover was blonde made it even better.

Karona Drummond is a home-based teacher (with a degree in elementary education) and serves as an instructor for a home school enrichment program.  She writes not only children’s books, but also inspirational poetry for adults.  Another plus that made us excited to read the book? Finding on that Karona is a Texan.  She resides in Denton, Texas. That’s pretty close to my sister and her family.

Along Came You is the story of a mother and daughter. The mother is telling her daughter what life was like before she was born and how she makes it so much better.  Cameron would read a page or two and then ask me, is that true?  Was it like that for you?  She was intrigued.  I actually wanted to cry at moments at how true it was.  We also spent a while talking specifically about our life and how my life was made better.

If you have a small girl, I can’t even begin to tell you what a great book this would make for snuggle moments. It’s that special.

Not only is the story great, but the illustrations just add to it.  Along Came You was illustrated by Estelle Corke, from Bath England.  She’s been drawing since she was 8 years old and did a fabolus job with this book.

To conclude, I would like to share with you this quote from the Drummond, “Before becoming a parent, I wondered what it would be like. A few years into it, I looked back and pondered all the changes they brought to my life, such as a house filled with joyful noise, dancing in the rain and story books read again and again.”

Along Came You is bound to be one of the books that you and your daughter will enjoy reading again and again.

I was recently sent a book to read and review that I have to admit to thinking “UGH!”  I really wasn’t looking forward to reading it.  The book? Enough Already by Peter Walsh, host of TLC’s Clean Sweep..  I didn’t even read the cover (beyond the title).  I just thought a book on getting organized? Great! Just what I need. Has he seen my small house? There’s no way to organize the clutter any other way.  However, I was bound and determined to be a good blogger and give it an honest read, and then I was surprised. It was nothing as I expected, and I actually enjoyed reading it.  Don’t you love when that happens?

Turns out the book isn’t even really about “decluttering” my house – it was about clearing my “mental clutter,” and yes, I know I have TONS of that.   I could fill up my own book just describing the clutter in my mind most of the time.  Peter divided the book into six main sections – Relationships, Work, Family, Money, Health, and Our Sense of Well Being.  In each section I found a little of me and really liked the way that Peter looked and it and the steps he recommended to clear the clutter. Another nice break from the reading (and a way to really apply the book to your life) is that there are activities and quizzes throughout the book for you to assist you in really applying the book to your life and finding ways to remove that clutter.

I admit to being a fiction fan.  My preference is always with my fiction books, but I do like to read a little outside my fiction world from time to time and this book is one I would recommend to others.  In fact, my mom and one of my best friends have both already read this book (since I passed it on with my recommendations). Thanks Office Max and Peter Walsh for the opportunity to read Enough Already and share it with my readers.

Other Organizational Books by Peter Walsh: