Breast Cancer Awareness Month ~ Free Card from Snapfish

Snapfish.com is offering a free card throughout October for Breast Cancer Awarness month.  There are 5 choices and they are all adorable.  Above is the one I think I'm going to send.  I want to send it to my Grandma.  She helps us out each August with school clothes for my daughters.  She also takes them out in the Summer to get some clothes & then buys them clothes for Christmas as well.

Just  click here, log in then go to Store.  Then click on Share to Care in the left column.  The coupon code is listed right there along with the 5 designs.

If you aren't a member yet, email me and I will refer you.  Each of us will get 50 free prints!


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Affiliate program participant.

KidKraft Grand Gourmet Corner Kitchen ~ Pretend Play Kitchens

I have two daughters ~ One thing that they both always loved was playing house.  This is one game that has so many possibilities, with imagination the world is open to them.  

I was always surprised at how quick they start playing with babies though.  Both my girls had favorite baby dolls before they were even 2 years old.  Baby dolls quickly led to role playing.  Now what mommy doesn't have a  kitchen?  This is such a fun addition to playing house with baby dolls.  Both my girls always loved playing kitchen. 

Pretend Play Kitchens has an amazing selection of kitchens for girls and boys.   There newest, and my favorite is the The Kidkraft Grand Gourmet Corner Kitchen 53185!

No detail has been left out! If you are tight on space, these wooden play kitchens are great because it fits in the corner of the room, yet it’s big enough for multiple children to play with. Girls will love the beautiful pink design, with matching pink curtains. Kids will use their imagination for hours pretending to do things in the kitchen just like mom and dad!


Features include:

• Made of sturdy WOODEN construction!
• See-through doors on oven and microwave
• Turning Knobs on the oven and sink
• Dishwasher, oven, microwave, refrigerator and freezer doors all open and close
• Cloth curtains behind the sink 
• 4 metal accessories: a pot, a pan and two spatulas 
• Removable sink for quick and easy cleaning
• Large enough that multiple children can play at once
• Convenient storage below the microwave and washer
• 36.22"W x 12.32"D x 36.02"H
• Wood, Plastic, Fabric
• Recommended for children ages 2 to 6
• Assembly required (Easy Instructions included)

 If my girls were just a bit younger, I would snap this baby up.  At less then $200 you can't beat the price of a wooden kitchen vs plastic.  Plus it is very detailed.  Even though most kids have amazing imaginations, they also like to have toys that mimic their parents.  With the details in the Grand Gourmet Kitchen, your kids are all set to explore and play in their pretend kitchen.  It is so important for kids to use their imaginations.  With the ease of technology, kids often don't get a chance to just play.  Use their brains to create.  Play kitchens are such an amazing way to jump start them.

Another feature that I absolutely adore about this newest kitchen from Pretend Play Kitchens is that it is a corner model.  What a space saver this can be.  One thing I would do with the Grand Gourmet Kitchen is set up a corner of my daughters room/play room into a little house.  The corner model makes it so easy to divide the room into different play areas. 

Of course this pink version would probably be better for a little girl, Pretend Play Kitchens does have a wide variety of other wooden kitchens available.  You are sure to find something perfect for the child in your life!

Pretend Play Kitchens also has an amazing set of accessories.  My youngest still does play house, I'm seriously wanting the Cupcake Stand Set for her.  Isn't that the cutest thing?

You can read about other bloggers thoughts on the Grand Gourmet Wooden Kitchen by stopping by Mama Bzz.

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Review ~ A Priest in Hell by Randall Radic

I got an email from Basil Spice about author Randall Radic and his book Gone to Hell: True Crimes of America's Clergy.  Never one to turn down a good story about priests going bad, I replied that I'd review it.  Unfortunately it was already gone, but then I was offered a chance to review A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers and Snitching in a California Jail.  I figured, why not and was sent the book. 


Randall Radic is a former priest in the Old Catholic Church, a convicted felon who was sentenced to 16 months in prison.   He was arrested and charged with 10 felonies after a large bank deposit attracts the attention of the authorities. After an investigation, his congregation learns that he mortgaged the parish house, took the money, and then sold off the church itself. Convicted of embezzlement, forgery, and fraud, he spends six months in prison before a plea bargain leads to his release. 

This book is basically a gritty memoir that describes the painful reality of crime and punishment in a California jail.  Randall at age 54 (which is older then the general population) soon dis covers that his background as a priest makes him both a target and a confidant within the prison walls.   As he writes about his own anger and contrition, he also introduces the stories of several of his fellow inmates, detailing their struggles and presenting a frighteningly real and powerful sense of the tastes, smells, sounds, and indignities of jail life.

I have to be be honest, I dislike Radic very much.  He seems like an arrogant jerk that does not care one bit about other human beings, nor having any morals.  Look at what he has done, he fed off the people that thought they were helping God.  He is greedy, egotistical and with no remorse. 

Not only that, to get a lighter sentence, he rats out his fellow inmates.  He has not one drop of ethics what so ever, no respect for his fellow humankind.  Now he is writing books about his "experience".  He created this experience by stealing from innocent people, ugh!!!

Anyways, onto the book.  I will admit, I did get into the book in the beginning.  You want to find out what happens next, etc.  Some parts start to get boring in the middle.  It is an interesting read into the prison system, especially if you like true crime. 

A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks

One of my all time favorite series of books are the Magic Kingdom For Sale Sold by Terry Brooks.  My mom always read Romance or Sci Fi stories while I was growing up.  I was never ever the mushy type, so Romance never appealed to me.   The Sci Fi did though, growing up I always watched Star Trek with my dad.  I tried reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in high school, but couldn't get into it (one of my favorite books now though).

My mom then gave me  Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! (The Magic Kingdom of Landover) and I was hooked.  No more Babysitter's Club or Sweet Valley High for me!  I read quickly through the entire series of 5 books.  Then I waited and waited and waited for another.  Brooks rights a lot of books, but he never went back to my beloved Landover.  Every so often, I check his website to see if he has any updates.  I never got into his other series, I ended up going in the direction of Mystery/Thriller/Suspense with only a few sci-fi/fantasy books hitting my book shelves. 

Then the other day, I stopped in Barnes and Noble to use the internet while Allie was at dance class.  Her new dance studio does not offer wi-fi like her old one.  The reason I bought a netbook was to use it while the girls were at dance.  Luckily Barnes and Noble isn't that far away.  When I first went there, I decided to look around first.  I hardly ever go into book stores, but I realized the other day it is a great way to find new books to read.  I happened to notice The Magic Kingdom of Landover Volume 1.  At first I thought it was new, then realized it was the first 3 books of the series.  A bit disappointed, I was still admiring the cover.  Then I realized it said from the author of A Princess of Landover.  What??  I hurried over to the sci-fi section and sure enough, there it was.  Of course on the very top shelf, so I couldn't even look at it.  I hurried over to the Starbucks area and requested it from my library.  I will wait to buy the paperback version because that is what my other 5 books are.  I'm so excited, I can't wait for it to come in!  I'm trying not to build it up to much, I don't want to be disappointed, just want to enjoy it.  I read the first one about a year ago again, now I have to pull out the rest so I'm ready for it.


A Princess of Landover ~

After fourteen years, New York Times bestselling fantasy master Terry Brooks has returned to the magic kingdom of Landover. The remarkable realm of dragons, demons, wizards, and wonders that wove an irresistible spell in five classic novels throws open its gates at long last for a brand-new adventure featuring a dazzling cast of characters and creatures.

Ben Holiday, Chicago lawyer and mere mortal turned monarch of enchanted Landover, has grappled with scheming barons, fire-breathing beasts, diabolical conjurers, and extremely wicked witches. None of whom have prepared him for the most daunting of challengers–a teenage daughter. Sent by Ben and his beloved sylph bride, Willow, to an exclusive girls’ prep school, headstrong (and half-magical) Mistaya Holiday has found life in the natural world a less than perfect fit. And when her latest rebellious antics get her indefinitely suspended, she’s determined to resume her real education–learning sorcery from court wizard Questor Thews–whether her parents like it or not.

But back home in Landover, Mistaya’s frustrated father is just as determined that the precocious princess learn some responsibility, and he declares her grounded until she successfully refurbishes the long-forsaken royal library. Mortified by the prospect of salvaging a king’s ransom in moldy books–and horrified by word that repulsive local nobleman Lord Laphroig seeks to marry her–Mistaya decides that the only way to run her own life is to run away from home.

So begins an eventful odyssey peppered with a formidable dragon, recalcitrant gnomes, an inscrutable magic cat, a handsome librarian, a sinister sorcerer, and more than a few narrow escapes as fate draws Landover’s intrepid princess to the last place she expected to go, and into the thick of a mystery that will put her mettle to the test–and might bring the kingdom to its knees.

Review ~ Baby Einstein World Animal Adventure

Both my girls have always loved watching the tv when animals are on it.  Something about animals, just captivates children.  That is why I'm so excited about the world Animal Adventure DVD. It is the newest product from The Baby Einstein Company that brings exotic animals from all over the world home to babies. 

While watching this dvd, viewers visit the seven continents to learn about the animals that live there. One of our favorite features is that Native music accompanies each segment. World Animal Adventure also has two new features to facilitate learning: “Select-A-Segment,” which allows you to choose shorter parts of the program to view when time is limited, and “Grow with Me,” which has added spoken and written language, plus extra puppet shows that will stimulate your child’s growing sense of humor.

Did you know that Baby Einstein has a YouTube channel?  You can view it at  http://www.youtube.com/babyeinstein to see samples of their DVDs.  Keep up to date with Baby Einstein on twitter as well.
 

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Baby Einstein and received a World Animal Adventure DVD to facilitate my candid review.
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September Round Up

Image by Let Ideas Compete via Flickr

I am missing some books I have read over the summer.  I'm getting annoyed with myself.  I'm going to try and post a round up of books read each month, starting with September

I ended up reading a ton of James Patterson ~ I read Dangerous Days of Daniel X and I'm about half way through the 2nd book in this series ~ Watch the Skies.  I also started Alex Cross's Trial, but didnt' finish that as well.  I did finish The 8th Confession though and loved it!

I also read Memoirs of Fortune Teller and Down the Rabbit Hold that I really enjoyed. 

My 7th grader has to read for 20 minutes a day in her lexile reading group.  She hates to read, but read some books she enjoyed this month

Diary of a Wimpy Kid ~ I picked up the third one at a garage sale or something.  She absolutely loved it and wants to read the first two books.

Geek Chic - Zoe Zone or something like that

Middle School is Worse then Meatballs

Lisa Lutz ~ The Spellman Files

Series I read ~

• The Spellman Files (10/09)
  
• Curse of the Spellmans (11/09)
  
• Revenge of the Spellmans (11/09)
• The Spellmans Strike Again A Novel By: Lisa Lutz
  This edition: Hardcover, 400 pages
  Publication date: March 16, 2010