Personalized Goodnight Little Me Book

February 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Disclosure: The I See Me! Personalized Children’s Book was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
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With little ones I am always on the look out for new, neat items that can be personalized to my kiddos. I was very pleased when i cam across this wonderful new book from I See Me! Goodnight Little Me is a great book that is personalized for your little one that you love dearly.

About I See Me!:

I See Me opened for business in May of 2000, after a year of product development. The owner(Maia) and her husband (Allan) had received a book for their son and thought that the illustrations could have been much better and the story could have been more customized to the child. Therefore, I See Me was born.

Allan and Maia developed the first book My Very Own Name  as a team. Their goal was to produce an educational book that would teach young children how to recognize letters and spell their names. They then brainstormed together to develop the characters in the book.

Their mission is to increase self esteem in children through personalized books that celebrate the uniqueness of each child. The goal of their books is to show each child how absolutely unique and special he or she is, to teach the child how to spell his or her name, and to build vocabulary skills.

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National Geographic Kids Books

January 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate my post. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Gifts have been given and received, the holidays are finally winding down. Wrapping paper recycled and unfortunately some stuff returned. Now is the time to use some gift cards.
Today I am going to tell you about a few National Geographic Kids books which deserve your attention.

pic1First up is National Geographic Little Kids Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine which is geared toward kids aged 3 to 6 and as such is full of sharp huge pictures, short stories, picture games, and more.  The magazine is run by National Geographic so picture quality is out of this world and is an incredible wealth of information.  Its so great to come home to an excited little guy who seams to know everything possible about parrots.  Each subscription costs $15 for 6 issues.

pic 1For the bigger kids is National Geographic Kids Magazine, which is geared to ward kids 6-12 years old and has 10 issues a year, roughly monthly.  Sporting more in depth articles and features while still including tons of picture and illustrations.  This magazine is great for kids who are nature and animal lovers as well as lovers of science.  Both magazines are great fun but adults will find it more informative to read through the regular kids magazine. a subscription of 10 issues retails for $15.
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“Cities and Towns of the Chesapeake” Book

January 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Disclosure- I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.  All opinions are my own and honest.

This would be a great book for anyone looking to tour or spend time in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.  It is full of photos and information that is easy to read and digest, and broken down into categories the reader will find useful.  With information about Maryland’s foundations and origins and great information about locals, eateries, locations, and history, it is a good read for anyone who plans on being in the area.  You can see the attention to detail by author William B. Cronin and how much time and effort he has put into the development of this book.
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“Anvil of God” Book Review

January 17, 2014 by 2 Comments

Disclosure- I received a copy of this book in order to review it.  All opinions are my own and honest.

I loved this book- loved it.  “Anvil of God, Book One of the Carolingian Chronicles” was a real page turner, with well flushed out characters that you felt vested in.  I read this book in two sittings, only stopping because the plane landed.  It was full of historical fact with each character’s personal story woven in.  Although each story was full of historic detail, some parts were pure fiction, with details of lives and even some characters made up or enhanced for the dramatic purposes of the book (which was real and what or who was made up is explained in the book’s epilogue).  It was woven together beautifully, and made me want to read more about the real people this book was based on.  I highly recommend this book, and hope that the author continues the series.

good book

What happens when the hammer falls?
New historical novel rides the storm that follows the death of Charles the Hammer

In the wake of his death, a dangerous mix of ambition, devotion and betrayal consumes the family of Charles the Hammer as they plot to seize the Merovingian throne.
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The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen

January 15, 2014 by 1 Comment

 

My son absolutely adored this book- we have read it to him at least 6 times since it arrived, and I am sure there is more in store.  He loved how silly it was, as well as that Patrick had to help make breakfast and needed to enlist the animals help to do so.  It also reminded him of a recent stay on a farm that we had, where he was able to milk a cow, gather chicken eggs, and the like.  I am personally glad that they drew the line at bacon- that would not have made a pretty kids book, LOL.  Letting your kids know that their food has origins other then the local grocery store is a great idea, and this is done in a cute and fully way your kids will love.  The illustrations are also adorable and silly, which children will enjoy.

pic 1In The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen (Little Pickle Press), children’s author and real life farmer Diana Prichard presents Patrick O’Shanahan, an ordinary boy who has always known exactly where his food comes from: the grocery store. Always, that is, until a cow, a menagerie of chickens and some peculiar trees appear in his kitchen one Saturday morning.

The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen and/or an interview with author Diana Prichard would make for a wonderful spring or early summer feature story highlighting the importance of knowing where our food comes from, the resurgence of local farmers’ markets, and establishing an appreciation for agriculture in children.
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21-Day Tummy: The Revolutionary Food Plan

January 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

As the holidays are winding down and resolutions or goals are made many people find themselves making a goal to lose weight. It’s no wonder considering we eat the most around the holidays. We’re stuffed like turkeys and well, who can help it? Good food is hard to pass up, which makes this 21-Day Tummy diet brought to you by Liz Vaccariello a solid win for anyone needing to jump start their year and make some healthy choices.

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Diving into the book right away you are thrown a lot of helpful facts and tips. There’s practical tips everyone would need not just those trying to lose just holiday pounds or more.

Many of the recipes in this book are focused on getting the system working well. If our gut isn’t working the rest of us isn’t doing too good either. So many other plans target just dropping the pounds not the fact that some foods can trigger reacts deep within and cause us even more troubles. I found this to be a major plus in the book.

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The recipes were easy to follow as well as easy to make. There’s simplicity in here and true focus which can really help those who suffer from a slow digestive system. This should jump start the gut and get you ready to start feeling better inside and out. I made a lot of sides from the books, salads and some of the dressings which are fresh and tasty.
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Great Homemade Soups: A Cook’s Collection By Paul Gayler

December 29, 2013 by 3 Comments

I was sent a copy of the book, “Great Homemade Soups: A Cook’s Collection” by Paul Gayler in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own. This notice is in accordance to the FTC’s requirements for compensation in online advertizing.

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One of the things I most enjoy cooking is soups and sauces. It is amazing to me how something so simple can really be amazingly filling and so rich in flavor. I was very happy to review the book, Great Homemade Soups: A Cook’s Collection by Paul Gayler as I am always on the hunt for new ideas when it comes to soups making. My husband has been a great guinea pig over the years at my soup attempts.

When I attended culinary arts school, I excelled at soup making. It was amazingly easy for me and I was a bit surprised that I enjoyed the art of a saucier so much. I have a great respect for any chef that creates works of art through soup making and opened the book to find I was not disappointed.
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Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate

November 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I received a copy of Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate by William Curley to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

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Chocolate: it’s one thing most people love in an almost sinful way. You can make cakes, cookies, bars, drinks, truffles and treats of all kind with it. The art of skillfully creating with chocolate takes a certain type of culinary talent, not one that I posses. However, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying a book on the subject.

Couture Chocolate: A Masterclass in Chocolate BY William Curley is absolutely amazing and awe-inspiring. The book contains recipes and techniques for tempering and creating some of the most decedent chocolate treats I have ever seen.

The Good:

Couture Chocolate is as beautiful as it gets. The photos are absolutely stunning and look like display pieces one would see in some sort of chocolate museum. They truly are works of art. William Curley is an amazingly talented chef and has truly mastered the technique of working with chocolate based on his creativity in this book. I enjoyed the little bit at the beginning about his experiences with working with chocolate as well as the many photos that show some of the most difficult chocolatier techniques to preform.
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