Increase Decrease -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Reminder this link party is for all types of crafts, craft tutorials and craft product reviews!

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 to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Do you knit? I know the basics but get a bit nervous when it comes to harder things. Although my mother assures me I can do harder patterns. Well one of the things that always confuses me (and scares me) is when you have to increase or decrease your stitches. I only know a few basic ways to do this and it is not always the right way for the pattern. I found the perfect aid for me and it is Increase, Decrease by Judith Durant. 

Sharing Saturday 16-29

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 the features include Parenting, Summer, and Crafts.

The Colors of Asia -- A Relaxing Friday Adult Coloring Book Review

 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. 

After yesterday I need a relaxing Friday and definitely need the anti-stress of coloring!! Let's just say whatever could go wrong basically did and it kept going wrong. Ugh!! But today is another day. So today I am going to share with you The Colors of Asia published by Tuttle Publishing.

Gaga for Googles! -- Summertime Fun with Googly Eyes!!

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.

Today we are sharing a fun craft book for kids--Gaga for Googles!: Tons of Totally Fun Things to Make with Googly Eyes! by Walter Foster, Jr. Creative Team.  Now I will admit I was not sure how Hazel would like this. Around Halloween last year eyes started grossing her out. However she loves it!!

Travel the World & Through Time with Books -- Summer Reading

Disclosure: I was sent these books 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.

Do you remember how the world opened up to you when you began to read? Books seem magical. They can transport you to different lands and different times all while you are sitting in your comfortable reading nook. The books I ma sharing today do this. They take you to different times and places and three of them are historical books. 

Ultimate Friendship Bracelets -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Reminder this link party is for all types of crafts, craft tutorials and craft product reviews!

 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. 

Today we are sharing another friendship bracelet kit. The Ultimate Friendship Bracelets by Patrizia Valsecchi comes with different color skeins of craft floss and beads as well as a book and a DVD. 

Summer Reading -- Chapter Book Reviews

Disclosure: I was sent these books 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.

Last week I shared the start of my summer reading reviews with picture books and I promised to do some chapter books this week. Earlier this week I did language fun that also included some picture books. Since my chapter book reviews did not get written yet I am sharing them with you today. (Do the summer days seem to fly by for anyone else?) One book is perfect for the younger chapter book readers--grades 2-5 and the other two are for middle school grades 5-8. The first book is Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans by Gary Northfield. 

 

Sharing Saturday 16-28

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 starts on Sunday!!

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! It was a very small party this past week, so there is just one group of features this week. A very special thank you to everyone who did come and share with us last week!!

Colour Your World -- Relaxing Friday Adult Coloring Review

Disclosure: Kregel Publications sent 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.

Today is Friday so I need to write my Relaxing Friday review. Although today was not very relaxing and thus why this review is being written so late. Hazel and I had a busy fun day starting with going to see Beauty and the Beast at a local live musical theater then after some lunch we ran all the errands that needed to be run before the weekend. However I have been enjoying coloring in Colour Your World by Marcel Flier this week. 

Learning with Lego Fun -- Summertime Fun

Disclosure: I was sent a digital version 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. LEGO^® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.

Are you trying to have some learning going on this summer? Do you want to make it fun? Then The Unofficial Guide to Learning with LEGO^®  by Danielle Buckley, Dayna Abraham, Laura Marschel, Nicolette Roux, Samantha Sopher-Caetano and Sarah McClelland is perfect for you. This amazing book has over 100 different activities to make learning and playing fun. They use LEGO building blocks in many different ways.

Summertime Fun -- Bedtime Fun

Disclosure: I was sent these sheets 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.

Part of summertime fun is the change in our routine. Without school at 8 a.m. we are letting Hazel stay up a bit later and this is making her sleep later, which means I get to sleep later!! She has been so excited for the change in the bedtime routine. We are still working out the kinks since some nights she is staying up later than Daddy. We also have allowed her to stay up even later on Tuesday nights to watch Chopped Junior. 

Our summer night time routine has been that Hazel has to read to my parents on the phone and be ready to go to bed by 8 p.m. and then I read to her. Steve goes in and lays with her for about ten minutes (while her baby music toy plays) and then he leaves. He puts a body pillow in the bed beside her to trick her into thinking someone is there when she is sleeping. She hates being alone. 

Language Fun -- Summertime Fun

Disclosure: I was sent these books 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.

Today I am sharing some books and products to have fun with new languages this summer (or any time). Two of these are books that use words from a different language in the stories and the third are a flash card and more set. I always find that these type of books and products help us continue to learn about different countries and cultures. We will start with Asha Loves Science Over in the Meadow by Dr. Najla Ahmed. I am reviewing this book as part of Multicultural Kids Product Promotional Services. 

Sewing for Your Girls -- Crafty Weekends Review and Link Party

Reminder this link party is for all types of crafts, craft tutorials and craft product reviews!

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.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend last week. Our party lasted two weeks because of the holiday. I know the weather here or should I say on Cape Cod was absolutely perfect and the fireworks were amazing with reflections from the high tide in the marsh and a gorgeous sunset. Now it is time to get back on track with my crafts. Today we are sharing a book to make your girls beautiful clothes. Do some of the clothes in the stores bother you for your girls? They do me. I feel lucky to find a few stores where I like the clothes and then supplement it with homemade clothes. This book is perfect for people like me. The book is Sewing for Your Girls by Yoshiko Tsukiori. 

Postcards of Blessing -- A Relaxing Friday/Saturday Adult Coloring Book Review

Disclosure: Kregel Publications sent 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.

I am a day late with my Relaxing Friday. Yesterday was a bit busy so my review did not get written. Sorry!! However today's adult coloring book is a fun one!! It is Postcards of Blessing by Marcel Flier.

Sharing Saturday 16-27

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 we have butterfly and bird features and activities, books and snack features.  Enjoy!! Now I will admit I have been a bit on vacation from here. I spent the long weekend with my parents and have had a bit of a crazy week. However here are some fun pictures from the fireworks we saw last weekend!!

Summer Reading -- Fun Picture Books

Disclosure: I was sent these books 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.

Are your kids working on their summer reading and/or summer homework? I know we are and I have to admit I find it to be a bit of a pain. The part we enjoy however is the daily reading. Hazel reads at least a book or a chapter if it is a chapter book to my parents each night before bedtime. If they are not available, she reads to me. She is loving reading from her summer reading list but she also loves to read some of the new picture books we have received. Here are four fun ones to share today. Next week we will share some middle grade chapter books and have some suggestions throughout the summer. Be sure to check back for all of our recommendations. The books today are fun books. Many of them are rather funny.

Summertime Fun Supplies -- Where to Buy

Disclosure: I will receive thank you products for writing this post. All opinions are my own. I have not received or used any of these supplies, but am sharing ideas with you.
 
Where do you get all of your supplies for Summertime Fun? My go to place is Oriental Trading. They have great prices and lots of fun things. Many people know them for their party supplies, but they have so much more!! Of course they have everything you need for your picnics and barbecues as well as for any luaus you may want to throw. And of course they have everything for Vacation Bible School (or just some Bible learning at home). Every Sunday School teacher knows that Oriental Trading is the place to go for Bible crafts and religious toys.

However some of my favorite things are to get your kids active and outside enjoying the beautiful weather!! Perhaps you could set up an obstacle course with products like these Crawl Through Arches and Tropical Potato Sacks (there are many different designs to choose from but I liked these) which are available in the Games & Activities. 

Sharing Saturday 16-26

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 I grouped them all together since I'm already starting my Fourth of July long weekend.  Enjoy!! 

And Happy Fourth of July!! God Bless America and all the brave soldiers and their families that protect us and our freedoms!!

Exploring Pakistan -- Global Learning for Kids

This month we have been exploring Pakistan as part of Global Learning for Kids. I have to have a proud mommy moment and tell you that our exploration of all these countries helped Hazel tie for third in her school Geography Bee and it was first through six grade!! I was so proud of her! Now onto our exploration of Pakistan. 

Pakistan By TUBS [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Summertime Fun Ideas from Oriental Trading

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to the products for your convenience but do not receive anything if you buy from them.

So one of the things that got me going on our Summertime Fun Series is this amazing review for Oriental Trading. We picked out a variety of things to review to bring different summertime activities to you. Hope you will try some of them out.

Dory's Ocean Secrets -- A Parragon Book Buddy Review -- Fun with Dory

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.

It seems like Disney Pixar's Finding Dory is everywhere this summer. Have you seen it yet? We haven't, but it is on our to do list since I have heard good things about it. Well today we are going to have some Dory Fun as part of our Summertime Fun Series. Today I am going to share Disney Pixar's Finding Dory: Dory's Ocean Secrets with you. 

Horse Play! -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

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

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.

Do you know a child that loves horses? Then you will love today's book or should I say she will. The book is Horse Play! by Deanna F. Cook and Katie Craig. 

Sharing Saturday 16-25

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. 

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 (and a recipe) and parenting.  Enjoy!!

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.