Full of fun facts from 2012, this book would make a great gift for anyone else to appreciates facts.  Get it for $7.99 on Amazon.

The Hunger Games Trilogy $31

Pinkalicious $9

I See Me! Personalized Books $29.95 (Variable titles – all can be personalized!)

The Dangerous Book for Boys $16

1,000 Places to See Before You Die $12

Delirium $10.98

Merry Christmas Curious George – $5.38 Hardcover Price!

Steve Jobs $19.25

Divurgent $10.98

Elf on the Shelf $29.95

But the latest I picked up was a borrow from a friend – the Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George.  Margaret George writes historical fiction that’s based on fact.  I had heard of her because of her Mary Queen of Scots book.  She’s also written a novel about Helen of Troy and an Autobiography of Henry VIII.

I’m only partway in (warning: it’s long) but I’m engrossed.  While I know that the conversation and back and forth stories are fiction, it’s all based on fact and I’m learning all sorts of amazing facts I never knew.

Like did you know Cleopatra had no actual Egyptian blood in her?  She was of Greek descent and since her family believed in sibling marriages they hadn’t yet mixed with the natives!

And also of interest to me being in Philadelphia, the word “Philadelphia” comes from a Greek word that means sibling love (hence the above statement about all the in-breeding)  Kind of gives a whole new meaning of the “City of Brotherly Love”

Get The Memoirs of Cleopatra on Amazon for $13.03 with free shipping when you purchase $25 or more worth of eligible products

The way it works — join now and get 6 books for $2 plus a FREE gift with membership.  Then purchase 4 more books (the prices are low). You can cancel at any time, but who wouldn’t like books coming to the house every month! Click here for more info on how it works.  If you aren’t happy, return your introductory package within 20 days (they’ll pay the shipping).

Thank you to the Children’s Book of the Month Club for providing samples for review.

So often, my line of work comes up in everyday conversation.  People who aren’t in social media are so curious.  How do you make your money?  How did you get started?  What does it take to run a blog for business?  Some people ask out of curiousity but others want to know because they are considering doing it themselves.

The Digital Mom Handbook answers all of these questions.  Colleen and Audrey have managed to achieve what most women dream of: a successful career while they can still be home taking care of their children.

As I read the book over the weekend, I found myself nodding along to much of it.  I’ve been in this space for many years myself and I know these ladies well.  They are honest and forthright in their recommendations on how you can get started and how you can succeed in the space.

This is a fabulous book if you are even thinking about starting a blog.  They put you on the direct path to get started easily.  And if you’re already a seasoned blogger?   It’s still a worthwhile read!  Audrey and Colleen offer lots of quotes and success stories from other bloggers in the space and it was neat to read their stories!  And it’s always great to freshen up and get a different bloggers perspective on how they do things.

Preorder the Digital Mom Handbook on Amazon for $10.10. I’m honored to be quoted in the book so if you order it and read it, look for my quote!

Giveaway: In the meantime, I also have a giveaway of 3 copies of the book to 3 lucky Mommies with Style readers!  To enter, comment below by end of day July 25th.  The three winners will be selected and notified on the day the book releases, July 26th.

It will be no surprise if my 7-year-old turns out to be a marine biologist someday.  I know that phases pass but my own dear husband has always been obsessed with marine life and Nate is following in his footsteps these days.

He can’t get enough of watching NatGeoWild and Animal Planet and especially loves anything having to do with the ocean and sharks.  We’ve gathered quite the collection of shark products over the past year and for those of you out there with boys who live and breath for learning about sharks, I thought I’d put together a little  shark-related product list.  If you know of another great program, book or product, don’t be shy – leave me a comment!

For Preschoolers: I’m a Shark book by Bob Shea. We first heard this one this summer at a storytime at the beach.  A completely adorable story about a great white shark who is scared of spiders.  Wonderful illustrations and fun for preschool storytime.  $11.55 with free shipping on Amazon.

For Early Readers: National Geographic’s Sharks!  Level Two Reading.  Educational and factual about different kinds of sharks.  $3.99 with free shipping on Amazon.

For preschool & elementary school aged kids: Animal Planet Shark Attack Playset.  Santa brought this one for my 4-year-old, seeing as he loves anything his big brother loves.  I thought this playset was a great price for what it comes with and it’s seen many hours of play in our house.  $11.99 at Toys R Us or $11.55 with free shipping on Amazon.

For the older child: Discovery Channel’s DVD “Shark Week: the Great Bites Collection”.  We let Nate (7) watch Shark Week.  It can be graphic so use digression when showing this to your child.  But each year the Discovery Channel hosts Shark Week where they have various shows that are shark-themed.

We look forward to it each year and watch reruns all throughout the year.  It’s educational but graphic for sure.  Get the DVD collection on the Discovery Store website for $19.99.

For all kids: trendy & awesome shark clothes at 77kids.  On a recent trip to my local 77kids, I was impressed with the style and fun designs they offered for boys clothes.

I ended up going home with several shark-themed tees, much to the happiness of both of my boys.  Check out your local 77kids or view their collection of shark clothes online.

Enter PBSKids and iVillage’s Summer Reading Challenge.  My ears perked up for this one given my fears.  Sign up for this free program to receive six weeks of emails and daily prizes.  Best of all, the emails will include tips on getting your children to read more and giving you good book suggestions.

To kick off the summer, I hosted a local Summer Reading Challenge Party with a couple of my good friends including Julie from Just Precious and Melissa from Girlymama.

Here I am reading Diary of a Spider to the kids

We read books, played games & activities and got the kids excited about reading over the summer. Which is what it’s all about, right?  Get your kids reading too this summer!  PBS has some great tips here on their Raise a Reader website.

You can use coupon code BLOG20 to receive 20% off your order at ScholasticStore.com

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated for this event.  However, I was given books to give out to the guests at the party to encourage and jump start their summer reading program.  I do feel strongly that keeping up with some sort of reading program during the summer vacation is imperative to our children’s continuing education.

I discovered a great book for any mom-to-be, called One Year to an Organized Life with Baby by Regina Leeds (professional organizer) and Meagan Francis (parenting expert). I really enjoyed this book. It gives you a week-to-week guide to get ready for your baby and helpful suggestions on how to keep your family organized (keeping you sane in the process!)

As it should be, this book is extremely organized and is laid out in a very easy-to-read format. It’s also very digestible, broken up into month segments and then by week, so you can focus on what you need to do each week in a logical and organized manner. The book has two parts, one is “getting ready” and the other is “baby’s here!” Both sections help you with practical suggestions, timelines, checklists, and tips.

As a mom with two other children, I didn’t know how useful this book would be to me. However, I did find a lot of great tips and reminders on what I should be doing and when to get ready for my baby. For first-time moms, this book is priceless. If you are an organized person who likes to plan ahead, you will absolutely love this book. And if you are not that type of person, you will still love this book because it will help you get organized (something you will need to be once baby comes!)

This book will help you get your home, health, work, and life ready for your new baby. Some of the topics the book covers include creating your nursery, determining what baby gear you need and what you can skip, preparing for maternity leave and going back to work, packing your diaper bag, creating effective household routines, organizing baby photos and documents, childproofing your home, and much more.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, One Year to an Organized Life with Baby is a great addition to your pre-baby/baby library. Definitely don’t skip this book!

Want to win a copy for yourself? Comment below on what you feel you need to organize before your baby comes (or now that your baby is here) and you’ll be entered to win a free copy!

So while nothing can replace having a parent there in person, that modern technology allows us to do to ease the pain of feeling that absence of the parent.  Beyond just email, phone calls and video chat, there are products like Record-A-Story.  Adults can record their voices within these stories for future playback.  Children can then open their favorite childhood tale and rather than having it read in-person, it can be read via the speaker and the pre-recorded message that’s been taped.

Love this for a military family, grandparent or anyone who has a parent who is on the road.  So far, Record A Story offers the following stories:  Dora the Explorer, Guess How Much I Miss You, Twas the Night Before Christmas and Sesame Street. Get it on Amazon for $13.95-$17.95, depending on which story you chose, with free shipping.

Each CenterStage book is a snap to make – just upload a picture of your child, type in the needed details to personalize the story, add a dedication and order! There are books geared for younger kids (1-3 year olds) up to 8-year-olds. At $39.99 the books aren’t cheap, but remember that each book is 35-50 pages long and features your child throughout the story. My son was enthralled to see himself going on adventures and solving problems alongside Diego. I know we’ll be rereading this book again and again.

There’s still time to order a CenterStage book before the holidays. Order now at Shutterfly.com.  Use coupon code SHIP50 for free shipping on orders over $50.

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Disclaimer: Shutterfly allowed me to make a CenterStage book for this review.