Color Me Fearless -- Relaxing Friday Adult Coloring Book Review

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Have you seen all the various adult coloring books out there? There are so many and it is hard to know which ones you will like. I have been getting quite a few to review and thought I would start a Relaxing Friday Adult Coloring Book Review Series to get through them and to share them with you so you can make some choices. To start I am featuring Color Me Fearless: Nearly 100 Coloring Templates to Boost Strength and Courage by Lacy Mucklow and illustrated by Angela Porter. 

The Curious Nature Guide -- Summertime Fun Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Storey Publishing. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links  for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase from  them.

This summer I feel like all I want to do is spend time with Hazel. Perhaps it is the fact that she just completed her first year of full time school and I missed my time with her. It also helps that we have had beautiful weather so we have been getting outdoors a lot. Or perhaps it is the combination of those two things and this great book as our guide. The book is The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie. 

Chinese Meets Japanese with Chinese Origami for Children -- Product Review for Summertime Fun Series

 

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of these products free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

 

Sometimes in the summer one needs some quiet or indoor activities due to various reasons--tired, busy momma, or bad weather. Origami is a perfect activity for those times. Today we are sharing a fun book where the Chinese culture meets the Japanese culture as well as some fun packs of origami paper to try out the various projects. The book is Chinese Origami for Children by Hu Yue and Lin Xin and illustrated by Samoo Tang. 

Making Books with Kids -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

This summer I am running a Summertime Fun Series and today's book has a great activities for this series. The book is Making Books with Kids by Esther H. Smith and illustrated by Jane Sanders and type-o-graphics by Dikko Faust. 

Sharing Saturday 16-24

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.  A new one will start Sunday morning!

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week our features are lessons, crafts and parenting themed.  Enjoy!!

Science Fun -- The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments -- Summertime Fun

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Have you begun your Summertime Fun yet? We have and today's post is all about bringing learning and fun together! Today we are sharing a new book by some of my favorite bloggers called The 101 Coolest Simple Science Experiments by Rachel Miller, Holly Homer, and Jamie Harrington. These three amazing women are the team behind Kids Activities Blog and the Quirky Momma Facebook Page. If you don't know them you probably will love them too!

Imaginative and Fun New Picture Books -- Book Reviews

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me copies of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Are you looking for some new fresh books to spark your child's imagination? Today I am going to share two new books from Penguin Young Readers that do just this. The first is for the younger kids who like the humor in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The book is Me and Annie McPhee by Olivier Dunrea and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. 

Baby & Sibling Fun -- Book Reviews

Be sure to check out my on-line Thirty-One Review & Party!! Get all your summer organizing essentials!!

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copies of these book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own, and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

As we enter our summer I think about family. Summer to me is a time for family. It is when our family reunions happen or have happened and when I had more time to spend with my siblings. It is also when we took our family trips. Today I am going to share three books with you. The first is about a baby (gorilla) and the other two are about siblings and their relationships with a bit of a twist. First we will start with Who Woke the Baby? by Jane Clarke and illustrated by Charles Fuge. 

Thirty-one Party -- Review & Party!!

Disclosure: Your purchases at the party will give me special hostess buying opportunities. 

Are you ready for summertime fun? I know I am. I'm going to share a secret with you. Are you ready? I am ready and organized for summer with my latest find--Thirty-One Bags!! Now I had bought a couple different bags a few years ago when a friend hosted a party. My favorite bag from that purchase is my Fresh Market Thermal Bag. I love using this bag at the Farmer's Market. I am able to put all of our purchases in and keep them cool. It also works well for bringing various food items to my parents (a 2 hour drive). Often I pack some of our favorites so my mother doesn't have to try to find them at her stores.

Perfect Gift Wrapping Ideas -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print? There are only one more day to enter!!

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

How do you wrap gifts? Do you just throw them in a gift bag? I'll admit I often do at least for gifts for kids. However I always love playing with gift wrapping. At work we charge at least $6 plus the supplies for gift wrapping. I'm always amazed when people pay it. I will admit the gifts always look beautiful when they are done. They are usually done in a seam line wrapping style. And today's book that I am sharing gives a tutorial in this kind of wrapping!

Sharing Saturday 16-23

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print? There are only a few more days to enter!!

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! These week included lots of parental advice as well as crafts for kids to do and crafts to make for kids. Those are basically are themes for features this week!! Enjoy!!

Bible Fun -- Summertime Fun!

Disclosure: I was given copies of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Yesterday I shared a book about the importance of adding fun to our lives and the start of my new series--Summertime Fun. For our first Summertime Fun I thought I would share some fun resources for fun with the Bible. Since Hazel goes to a Christian school, I know during the summer there will be less church and Bible time for her, so I wanted to make sure to give her some resources to keep up with her Bible time. To start we are sharing two of Marcia Goldlist's The Bible in Rhyme. Marcia emailed me e-copies of Enjoying the Book of Esther and Enjoying the Book of Ruth. 

What the Fun?! -- A Book Review

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print?

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

What do you really want for your children? One of the most important things to me is for Hazel to be happy and healthy. Well the best way to help that to happen is to create more fun in your family's life and Donna Bozzo has over 400 simple ideas to help you do this in What the Fun?! 

Indian Boyhood: The True Story of a Sioux Upbringing -- Book Review

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print?

 Disclosure: Wisdom Tales Press gave me a copy of this product free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Wow, I'm way behind on my posts this week. I was planning on writing this one for Multicultural Monday, but with Hazel's last week of school my schedule has been crazy!! I don't remember my parents coming to lots of end of the school year events when I was little? For that matter I don't remember there being so many end of the school year events. Do you? Things sure have changed. Which is a perfect introduction to today's book, Indian Boyhood: The True Story of a Sioux Upbringing by Charles Eastman (Ohiyesa), edited and adapted by Michael Oren Fitzgerald and illustrated by Heidi M. Rasch. 

Audio Books for Crafters & DIY Teacher Gifts -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print?

Disclosure: I was given audio versions of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

What do you do when you craft? Do you craft in silence? Or are you like me and watch television (or at least listen to television) while you craft? With the summer reruns season starting I am finding television pretty boring. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing came to my rescue. They have a page dedicated to crafters with recommendations as well as free knitting patterns!! On this page there are links to articles, free coloring pages and patterns as well as some book suggestions. There is even a place to say how long you want to craft for book recommendations. All of the books have sample clips so you can get a taste for the story and the telling of it. I was lucky enough to be sent four audio books to check out. I will admit since I have not been crafting very much lately that I have not listened to them yet.

Sharing Saturday 16-22

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print?

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! I'm finally starting to feel a little better, but I still have the lingering cough and have had a rough week. This week's features are summer themed and the other ones.  (Does anyone else have summer on their minds?)

Two Fun New Picture Books

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print?

Disclosure: Penguin Random House Books gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation.  As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Are you looking for some fun books to read aloud or have your children read to themselves? Here are two new ones that are perfect!! Now I will say that you may not want to read them at bedtime, because they had us laughing so much I think it got Hazel a little restless and not really ready to fall asleep (Sorry, Steve). The first book is a reimagined version of Hansel and Gretel, it is Hensel and Gretel Ninja Chicks by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez and illustrated by Dan Santat. From the name you can tell this book involves chickens!!

Canvas Factory Review & Giveaway

Disclosure: Canvas Factory sent me a coupon to get this print free of charge for this review and are providing the winner of the giveaway with a coupon code. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the site for your convenience.

Do you have a favorite photograph that you have taken recently? Have you noticed the new thing is to have canvas prints done of your photographs? When I took Hazel and my nephew in to have their pictures taken I got one with our package. (Don't tell my parents since the pictures are their Christmas gift.) At many of the photo studios these canvases can cost over $100. Imagine my excitement to be offered a free 16 x 20" canvas to review and one to give away!! And right now they have a sale going on where it costs $38.70. You can even create canvas collages with various size prints and more!!

Ramadan in Singapore -- Ramadan for Kids, Global Learning for Kids & Asian Pacific American Heritage Blogs Series & Giveaway

For my final 2016 post for Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month I thought I would combine it with our Global Learning for Kids exploration of Singapore and kick off our Ramadan for Kids Blog Hop. Did you know about 15% of the Singapore population is Muslim (according to 2010 statistics)? There are 69 mosques in Singapore.  (Source) The Sultan Mosque or Masjid Sultan is considered one of the most important mosques in Singapore.

Nightfall at Sultan Mosque By Erwin Soo from Singapore, Singapore [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Craft Factory: Friendship Bracelets -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Parragon Books sent me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Before I begin today's post, I would like to take a minute to remind all of us in the United States that this is Memorial Weekend and we need to remember all the people who have sacrificed for our freedom and safety. Please say a prayer for the armed forces as well as their families and a very special pray for the families of soldiers not returning home. 

Today I get to share this month's Parragon Book of the Month for their Book Buddies. It is not really a book, but a craft kit. It is their Craft Factory: Friendship Bracelets. It was released this past February. It comes with metallic threads, as well as some black thread, an instruction book, star beads and a needle. 

Sharing Saturday 16-21

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! My week has been a bit crazed with getting sick after Hazel was sick last week. I'm a bit behind in everything and having trouble staying focused. This week our features are Craft  and Activities.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids -- Book Review with one full lesson

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them. This activity has been reprinted with permission from the publisher from book 100 FUN & EASY LEARNING GAMES FOR KIDS.

Today I get to share an amazing book with you which is being released today!! It is from fellow Kid Blogger Network bloggers, Amanda Boyarshinov and Kim Vij. They are the creators of The Educators' Spin on It.  The book is 100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids. 

Exploring Singapore with Books, Food & Maps -- Global Learning for Kids

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me copies of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This month Global Learning for Kids is exploring Singapore. I requested some books about Singapore from my contact at Tuttle Publishing. She sent me six books and a traveling map. We shared Singapore Children's Favorite Stories with you a few weeks ago as one of our posts for Multicultural Kid Blogs' Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month Series and Giveaway. (Have you entered the giveaway yet?) The first book we are going to share is Singapore: World City by Kim Inglis. 

Pop-Up Cards -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Have you seen the pop-up cards lately in the stores? They seem to be the latest rage. Of course for eight plus dollars they are also very expensive. Today's book will help you make your own fun pop-up cards for any occasion!!  The book is Pop-Up Cards by Emily Gregory. 

Sharing Saturday 16-20

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And for all of your cultural posts come share them at the monthly Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week our features are animals and flowers & paint.

A Big Surprise for Little Card and More-igami -- Two Fun Books

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me copies of these books free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own, and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease but receive no compensation.

Here are two new books that bring paper, cards and origami to life. The first is A Big Surprise for Little Card by Charise Mericle Harper and illustrated by Anna Raff. This book takes a little mix up and makes it fun as well as reminding the reader how fun books and the library can be!



Little Card and Long Card are the only two cards in the building without a job yet. When the letters arrive to tell them which school to go to they get mixed up and Little Card goes off to train to be a birthday card. Little Card loves everything about birthdays and especially loves the singing!! Then it is time to go to work and Little Card finds out he is not a birthday card. At his new job he is told to be quiet since it is a library. However Little Card learns quickly that he and his owner, Alex, will have many adventures in the library and they love reading the books. Plus Library Day is not just one day a year!!



This fun book reminds the reader of the excitement of getting one's first library card as well as the adventures the books take us on. It also shows that there is more to libraries than just reading and being quiet. The illustrations are fun and colorful and some even really demonstrate getting into a book. It demonstrates the fun and excitement of reading and learning. It is such a cute book!!



Our second book is More-igami by Dori Kleber and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. In this multicultural book, Joey loves folded things: tacos, old road maps, accordions, etc. Imagine his excitement when his classmate's mother, Mrs. Takimoto demonstrates origami at school one day. He has to learn. She warns him that it takes a lot of practice and patience. He is willing. He practices and practices making a paper crane and has many failed attempts. He using any paper he can find which of course gets him into trouble. He goes next door to the Mexican restaurant after his mother tells him to stop folding every paper. At the restaurant he folds his napkin and the owner is impressed and asks him to fold more. Soon he practices folding the napkins every day until he can fold one into a crane!! He has mastered it and solved his practice issue by being helpful to Mr. Lopez.


This book is great for any child who wants to learn origami!! It demonstrates the amount of practice and patience it takes to become good at it. Then at the end of the book there are instructions to make an origami ladybug which is rather simple for beginners.

We used balloon patterned origami paper from Tuttle Publishing.

I love how this book brings so many different cultures together and finds purpose to each one. Plus I love how it demonstrates the amount of practice put in to really succeed at origami.

I hope you will check out these two fun books. We love them!!

Chimpanzees for Tea & Snappsy the Alligator Did Not Ask to Be in This Book -- Fun Book Reviews

Disclosure: Penguin Kids gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Are you in the need of a laugh? The two picture books I am sharing today will definitely get you laughing. They are so fun and entertaining. The first is Chimpanzees for Tea! by Jo Empson. 

Happy Home Outside -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Quarto Books USA. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

The spring weather finally is here or at least was last week!! I am finally ready to be outside (or at least the weather was ready for us to be outside finally). After a mild winter we have had an unusually cool spring thus far. However, we finally got into the 70s last week. It was gorgeous!! Then to add to the fun Steve finally had a patio and fence added to Hazel's clubhouse. He has been planning this for several years and finally decided to do it. (I will admit I didn't care much about it, but they both really wanted to do it.) It came out looking really cute and I personally love having the chairs on the patio, so I have a place to sit and read or work on my laptop while Hazel is playing outside. 

Sharing Saturday 16-19

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And a new Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop will start on Sunday morning on Multicultural Kid Blogs.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week our features are Crafts, Activities and Parents & Lesson.