Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing

I pre-ordered Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing soon after I learned that it would be available.  It arrived yesterday and Ben and I spent a while looking through it and reading bits and pieces.  I love it.  So does he.
 

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: WINNER!

These two lucky girls will receive their Llama Llama Holiday Drama book in the mail tomorrow!




If you didn't win, now's your chance to get it for yourself!

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: Llama, Llama Holiday Drama

Okay, I know what you're thinking . . . Llama Llama Holiday Drama would have been a great giveaway, oh, about two weeks ago. You're right. My apologies.

So we'll make this a fast one. I'll announce two winners on Tuesday morning and if you get me your address by 3 PM EST, I'll have the book to you by Thursday.

Wait, what? Two winners? That's right. My book commission will be depleted with the purchase of two more books, so I'm going to go ahead and do that before the end of the year.

Anyway . . . on to the book.

You know we love the Llama Llama books. Who doesn't? And when you throw a couple of Llamas and the holidays together? Now that's what we call a good time. We bought Llama Llama Holiday Drama when it was released in October and have read it enough that when Jack posed for this picture, he was reading it back to me.

So, leave a comment (only one per person, on the original post, Facebook comments won't be included) with your name and A WAY TO CONTACT YOU! If I can't contact you, I might not get your address on time to get this into your hands by Christmas. Comments will close at 9:30 AM on Tuesday and I'll post the winner soon after.

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: WINNER!

The winner of the Halloween books left this comment:

Agreed, Megan.

If you didn't win, you can go ahead buy them here:

The Ugly Pumpkin

AND

The Hallo-wiener

The next book I'm giving away won't be released until this TUESDAY, but I am already sure it's going to be one of our favorites, because it's from one of my the boys' favorite series of books! After it arrives next week, and we've read it a few thousand times, I'll post about it and give away another copy.

Thanks to everyone who has been buying the books from the links on my page, and making it possible for me to give away these books!

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: The Hallo-wiener and The Ugly Pumpkin

We're not ones to really get into Halloween. In fact, during this time of year, I get sick of all of the Halloween ideas in the magazines that I read. I don't really want to make food that looks like real fingers or eyeballs floating in my drink, you know? We do a little bit of decorating for fall, and the boys go trick-or-treating, and that's about the extent of it.

However, there are a couple of Halloween books that we love, and I wanted to share two of them with you.

The Hallo-wiener
I'm not going to lie . . . the hot dog puns in this book are what drew me to it. It's about a dog named Oscar who is described as half a dog tall and one and a half dogs long. He gets made fun of by the other dogs who call him "Wiener dog! Wiener dog!" I don't want to give the whole plaot away, but let's just say that by the end of the book, the other dogs are referring to him as a "Hero Sandwich" instead.

The Ugly Pumpkin
This book rhymes . . . and you know how much I love rhyming! It's about a different looking pumpkin who is just looking for a place to fit in. Throughout the Halloween season, he gets made fun of and harassed, until one day he realizes, "OH MY GOSH, I'M A SQUASH" and finds his place at Thanksgiving.


I'm giving away both of these books to one lucky winner. Leave a comment on this post and be sure to include an e-mail address or blog address, or some other way to contact you (only one entry per person). I'll draw a winner on Friday and if you send your address that day, I'll have them to you by Monday or Tuesday. If you can't wait until then, go ahead and buy them now . . . I can't believe how cheap they are on amazon!

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: WINNER!

The winner of How I Became a Pirate left the following comment:

Unfortunately, you didn't leave any contact information! Contact me at sarawiety [at] hotmail.com or leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll get your copy to you.

If you didn't win, purchase a copy here.

In the next week or two, I'll share two of our new fall favorites . . . books that I've read to my boys at bedtime every night this week and still love! Check back . . .

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: How I Became a Pirate

How I Became a Pirate is another one of our favorite books. A little boy tells about the day that he was chosen to join a group of pirates. He has lots of fun as a pirate until evening, when he realizes that there are no bedtime stories or goodnight kisses and begins to miss home.

Again, we want one of our favorite books to become one of yours! Leave a comment and I'll choose a winner on Friday, October 1. Only one entry per person.

Giveaway: SEPTEMBER 17 WINNER

Wow . . . I have not written a single post since I posted the giveaway. I need to get on that.

Anyway . . . here's the winning entry:

I have your address Joy . . . it's on its way!

If you didn't win, you can purchase The Remarkable Farkle McBride for yourself! You won't be disappointed!

I'll post another soon, so check back!

Favorite Books GIVEAWAY: The Remarkable Farkle McBride

Jack received The Remarkable Farkle McBride for his birthday in June and it's become a favorite for all of us! It's about a little boy, a prodigy, who starting at 3 years old masters an instrument in every section of the orchestra, but quickly tires of each of them.

The lyrical nature of the text makes it so fun to read! Each instrument's sound is spelled out (the flute went rootle-ee, tootle-ee, tootle-ee too, with all of the winds at his side . . .).

Also, it rhymes. And I love kids' books that rhyme.

Part two of this post is a giveaway. Let me explain . . .

Whenever I've linked to a book from my blog, I've always used my amazon associates account. I get credit for anyone who clicks on the link and actually buys the book. Until a week or two ago, I hadn't checked my account. Ever. And guess what?! You guys were really buying the books I recommended last spring! I'm flattered.

What should I do with that money? It's not a massive amount, but its enough to do something fun! So, I plan on giving away every book that I recommend here until the money runs dry! And because I don't get very many entries for giveaways, you have an excellent chance of winning each time.

This week, I'll be giving one copy of this book (The Remarkable Farkle McBride) to a lucky winner. It'll be shipped from amazon.com directly to your house! Even if you don't have kids, it would make a great gift or something to save for when you do have kids.

Only one entry per person . . . just leave a comment with your name and a way to contact you. I'll draw a name on Friday, September 17 and will contact the winner to get a shipping address.

And if you don't win . . . just come back here and click on the link to buy the book, thus adding to the pot for future book giveaways. It's nice how that works out, huh?

One last thing . . . if you're reading this on facebook, you need to click to my blog to enter. Facebook comments don't count.

Books: Wisdom Chaser

I finished a book a couple of weeks ago. I read it in its entirety. I used to do that weekly . . . sometimes daily. But during this season of my life, it just doesn't happen that often unless it's a board book or features a Berenstain Bear.

I ordered Wisdom Chaser: Finding My Father at 14,000 Feet by Nathan Foster as soon as I heard it was available. I wanted to read it, mainly because I know the author. Kyle and I were in a small group with Nate and his wife, Christy, for a year.

There's so much to unpack from this book, and I won't even try to touch on it all here. A couple of years ago, when I first met Nate, I asked him what his book was about. He responded, "It's about climbing mountains with my dad, and what I learned on each of those climbs."

And it is . . . but that description doesn't do it justice. Nate writes with a unique type of authenticity that makes the words comfortable and uncomfortable all at the same time. I'm still processing quite a bit of what I've read and the corners are turned on several pages marking where I'd like to go back and re-read. But one of the passages that stuck with me . . . one of the things that I still think about daily . . . is this (pages 42 - 43):

"Time lets us know that we are loved. In periods of isolation or sadness when someone shares their time, it doesn't just mean a lot - it means everything. The only thing I have any control over is what I do in this fleeting moment. Time, my most valuable possession, is quite possibly my only real possession.

Isn't one illustration of God's love the offering of his constant presence to us? Even still, my struggle to show up for others remains. What does it say when I withhold this valuable commodity? Busyness is the ultimate trump card. It will get you out of virtually every social situation, or at least buy you amnesty a few times when you let a friend down. 'I'm so sorry I forgot your birthday. I've just been so busy.' . . .

. . . If I'm busy, I don't have to be responsible for what I fail to do. Yet my actions send a message whether I intend them to or not. Of course, it's probably no coincidence that most people set up a life of near panic. Like any other addiction busyness works so well. It gives us the edge to avoid emptiness, loneliness, unpleasant memories, hurt, intimacy - and, subsequently, the clarity that silence and an unhurried life can bring. Still, almost everyone I know is trying to get caught up, trying to commit to fewer things, and aching to get away from the frantic race that consumes modern America. Self included. Truth is, sometimes I don't want a slow-paced, intentional life. I have systematically engineered a life of chaos. The consequences at least appear better than facing the reality of my own life. And so each generation is more disconnected than the last. When I look around a the world, I see a bunch of people desperate to know they are loved living in the shadows of a community too busy to pay attention to anyone but themselves."

There can only be one winner . . .

The winner of Wild Things is fblife!

So, congratulations to you! E-mail your address to sarawiety [at] hotmail.com and I'll get that in the mail to you.

If you have boys and didn't win, go ahead and buy it for yourself.

As a consolation prize, you can visit the design blog to find free downloadable pillow boxes, perfect for Easter treats. They're not that helpful with raising boys, but they sure are cute!

*And I just realized I posted this before the 9 AM deadline. Whoops. My apologies to anyone who shows up to enter in the next hour. Contact me and I'll see if I can make it up to you.

Favorite books: One for the moms (and a giveaway)

You might remember that when my friend Annie guest posted about parenting boys, she mentioned the book Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys.

She gave me a copy as a gift after Ben was born and I tell you the truth - it has become my handbook for raising boys. It doesn't give all the answers and I still have a lot left to read (I've read & re-read the information for the stages that my boys are in), but I find myself sitting there with wide eyes, nodding my head and shouting things like, "YES!" and "EXACTLY!"

One of the most poignant parts is when the author talks about (and explains why) parents of boys so often say to themselves, "WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!" The book has made me feel less alone, and reassured me that Jack dumping full cups of water all over the bathroom floor because he wants puddles to jump in is perfectly normal behavior. Not necessarily acceptable, but normal.

I'm so thrilled with this book that I want to give a copy away to someone. So, that's what I'm going to do. If you have boys, know someone with boys, think that maybe you might have a boy someday, or think that you might know someone who might have a boy someday, you should enter. If you already have it, I'm happy to send it to someone else and include a gift note from you.

Here's how you can enter up to three times:
1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you blogged about it.
3. Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you post a twitter or facebook status update with a link to this post.

**If you're reading this on facebook, only comments on the blog count . . . click here to go to the blog.**

I've only done one giveaway before and I had maybe 10 - 15 people enter, so I'd say your chances of winning are good. Don't miss out.

Edited to add: Whoops. Forgot a deadline. Let's say Friday, April 2 by 9 AM.

Favorite Books: Board books

I know I've made lots of recommendations of books that Jack loves, but now that Ben's getting older, I'm pulling out the board books that have been abandoned for a few months. Oh, boy . . . the memories! I can recite all of these from memory!

These all would make excellent baby shower gifts, as well!

I Love You All The Time
We received this as a shower gift. The illustrations aren't my favorite, but the words are so special. This is one of the first books that Jack would sit and listen to all the way through without trying to wiggle away or eat the book.

Goodnight Moon
Is there any child that doesn't have this book? Is there any parent that doesn't have it memorized? This was the first book that Jack knew well enough to read to me.

Gossie and Gertie (Gossie and Friends)
This isn't MY favorite book, but Jack went through a stage where it's the only book he wanted to read. And because of it, when ever I talk about two individuals being friends, I always want to add, ". . . best friends."

The Going-To-Bed Book
A classic bedtime story . . . whenever I see the cover, I think of the last words that say "They rock and rock and rock to sleep." Jack and I would always say that line together as we rocked in his glider.

I Love You Stinky Face
This is a FUN book. It's about a boy saying, "What if I was a (fill in the blank)? Would you love me then?" And then the mom tells exactly why she would still love him and what she would do to show him that she loved him.

Favorite Author: Mo Willems

One of my favorite children's authors is Mo Willems. I love his books as much as Jack does and like I said in my last "favorite books" post, I think the best children's books are the ones that I don't want to hide can enjoy, too.

He wrote one of our bedtime favorites . . . Leonardo, the Terrible Monster.

It's all about a monster who is terrible at scaring people. SPOILER ALERT! He eventually realizes that he can become a wonderful friend, instead.


While we don't own the Knuffle Bunny books, they are our absolute favorites by Mo Willems. We've checked them out from the library more times than I can count and as I type this, I'm wondering why I haven't purchased them yet. All of the illustrations are drawn into New York City photos.

Also, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed . . . I, uh, I mean Jack loves that one, too! It's all about a Naked Mole Rat who is made fun of because he likes to wear clothes.

We also have Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, There Is a Bird On Your Head!, and I bought the new Cat the Cat, Who Is That? books for Jack's Easter basket.

While I haven't read them all, my guess is that there isn't a book by Mo Willems that we wouldn't love!

Favorite Books: Spoon

The best kids books are the ones witty enough to make adults smile, while still being interesting enough to children to keep their attention. Spoon (another one by Amy Krouse Rosenthal) is at the top of the list of that kind of book. This one was a gift from my sister, and it became a fast favorite at our house.


It's about, well, a spoon who envies the knives, forks and chopsticks of the world because of all of the cool things they get to do. In the end, he realizes that spoons have it pretty good, too.

The best part of the book is the second to last page, when spoon and his parents are snuggled warmly in their beds in the silverware drawer and spoon says, "I can't sleep." His dad says, "Come, snuggle." And his mom says, "Come, spoon." I love it.

P.S. I just saw this set on Amazon that allows you to get Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little Oink all together for a low price and as BOARD BOOKS! Which means no dust covers to get tattered and torn and pages that are a little more durable.

P.P.S. Just FYI - we remove all dust covers from children's books at our house and keep them stacked in a closet. They're just a nuisance.

Favorite Books: Llama Llama

My ALL-TIME favorite kids books are the three (Llama Llama Red Pajama, Llama Llama Misses Mama, Llama Llama Mad at Mama) by Anna Dewdney. Jack really likes them, too. Jack gets really quiet and sad about halfway through Misses Mama right before Mama Llama comes back . . . it's so sweet.

They're so cute and if you hear me calling Ben "little llama" or hear Jack telling Ben to "quit his llama drama" you now know where it comes from. My favorite line from Llama Llama Red Pajama is, "Little Llama! Such a Tizzy! Sometimes Mama's very busy."


Oh, and if your child happens to have a birthday party this weekend, don't run out and buy these just yet.

Favorite Books: Little Pea

Have you read Little Pea by Amy Krous Rosenthal? We love it around here. It's about a pea who has to eat all of his candy before he can have dessert . . . dessert being spinach. It's such a cute book and it's one of Jack's favorites.


We also love "Little Hoot" . . . an owl who wants to go to sleep, but has to stay until his bedtime.

We love this book!

We checked this book out of the library a few weeks ago and LOVED it!

Henry and Amy: (Right-Way-Round and Upside Down)
by Stephen Michael King

The story is so sweet and the illustrations are fantastic!



I think I'm going to buy a copy for us to keep!