Books | Mommies With Style

Learning to read & count with Kumon Books

May 8, 2010 By Whitney Leave a Comment

Always on the hunt for workbooks and fun educational items to help teach both of my boys, I was happy to hear from Kumon Publishing. Kumon publishes a series of workbooks to help teach early reading and math skills.

For my 6-year-old, I got him My First Book of Sentences and My Book of Money: Dollar & Cents. The latter one has been especially great as he loves math and loves to count. He’s gone through most of the book by now and has learned all of his coins and loves to just play with adding up change. For my 3-year-old, I got Numbers 1-30, which both of my boys have loved. (Dot-to-Dot tracing and counting)

These workbooks are educational and fun. Both of my kids have been treating these books as a cool activity rather than a learning one (when in fact, they are both.)

Check out all the workbooks available from Kumon on Amazon. These are fabulous products for early education and homeshooling of preschool and elementary age children.

Many thanks to Kumon for sending workbooks for both of my boys to test out for this review.

Filed Under: Books, Books for the Family Tagged With: education, Kumon Publishing, learning workbooks

Mommies with Style interviews Jessica Denay about The Hot Moms to Be Handbook

April 26, 2010 By Whitney 3 Comments

I’ve been a fan of the Hot Moms Club for years – their philosophy jives so much with what I strive for here on Mommies with Style. From their About Us page, “A Hot Mom is a woman who is confident and empowered. Being a Hot Mom is an attitude and a lifestyle, it doesn’t matter what age you are, what race, shape or size, EVERY mom can be a Hot Mom.” Love it.

So I was quoted in her last book and now Jessica Denay, the founder of Hot Moms Club, has released another book titled: The Hot Moms to Be Handbook. The book is a re-issue and talks about all sorts of fun topics of interest to pregnant Moms including eating healthy, fun products for a new Mom, products for Dad, baby moons, baby showers and much more. By the way, Mommies with Style is listed as a favorite blog in the book! Yay! Get the Hot Moms to Be Handbook on Amazon for $11.55. It makes a great baby shower gift!

Mommies with Style had a chance to interview Jessica about the book and here’s what she had to say:

Mommies with Style: So tell us about the book. I loved the Hot Moms Handbook. How does the Hot Moms to Be book differ?

Jessica Denay: HarperCollins picked up the series, this is the first title we are re-launching. The Hot Mom to be Handbook focuses on Pregnant woman, it’s silly fun advice like avoiding McSteamy or McDreamy doctors and working the ‘perks’ of pregnancy by playing the “I’ve Gotta Pee” card to get you out of any unwanted conversations, to important information like Cord Blood Registry. A Hot Mom is a prepared mom, so from relationships to money saving tips, this book has it all, I’ve added quotes and stories from top experts, writers and celebrities, mixed in with my own experiences. This book focuses on the fun parts of pregnancy and it’s meant to inspire and excite moms while giving all the best tips on great products, websites, books and anything in the world of maternity.

Mommies with Style: What does it mean to be a Hot Mom, really? Does one have to be a size 2 and where couture clothes, or is there more to it than that?

Jessica Denay: Being a Hot Mom is an attitude, a way of being, its feeling confident. At Hot Moms Club we believe you are not the best mom unless you are the best YOU! Looking good and feeling good are interconnected, when you look put together you feel better about yourself-it’s a fact and when feel good on the inside you want to reflect that in the way you look, walk and talk. Looking your best is just one part of being a Hot Mom.

Mommies with Style: You’re a single Mom, right? How do you balance it all? Parenting and working? Any secret tips?

As a single mom I am very lucky to be co-parenting with someone who is a very involved dad, they love to spend a lot of time together. So I have a lot of support and no drama. I think the secret to juggling work and family is simply to loose the gilt, whether you work because you have to or because you want to-we all have responsibilities, make sure the time you do spend with your kids is quality time. Put your phone down and when you are with your kids really be with them.http://www.momtobesweepstakes.com gives you a chance to win a Bratt Décor nursery, Cord Blood banking, a Micralite stroller, Trumpette socks and goodies and much much more…

We have partnered with Playgroups USA on a Mom to be Sweepstakes so that moms everywhere have a chance at winning the great products I talk about in my book.

Filed Under: Books, Misc, Pregnancy & Maternity Tagged With: hot moms, hot moms club, hot moms handbook

An Earth Day Giveaway: Win one of three Word Girl book & DVD prize packs on Mommies with Style

April 15, 2010 By Whitney 38 Comments

As many of you know, Thursday, April 22nd is Earth Day. On that day, PBS will be airing the WordGirl episode “Earth Day Girl.” The language loving superhero saves the planet in this episode.

We have three prize packs to giveaway to 3 Mommies with Style readers as we spread the word about the episode – the prize includes the “Earth Day Girl” DVD from Paramount (which includes the episode plus 7 others) and a new WordGirl reader book of the same name from Scholastic Press. Check out http://pbskids.org/wordgirl/ to play cool WordGirl games with your kids.

To enter, leave a comment about what your family does to help the environment or keep green.

For extra entries, tweet about this giveaway (one extra entry per day – only one please). Follow and @mommieswstyle so we know you have tweeted it out.

This contest ends on Thursday, April 22nd. 3 winners will be selected and notified after that time. Please be sure to include your email address in your entry!

Filed Under: Books, Books for the Family, Eco-friendly, Giveaways, Movies & Music Tagged With: Earth Day, movies, word girl

Mother’s Day present comparision for Hubby: Kindle, Nook or iPad

April 14, 2010 By Whitney 2 Comments

Dear Husband,

For Mother’s Day: pick, click, purchase.

‘Nuff Said.

Signed,
The Wife

Option #1 : Amazon’s Kindle – $259 with free shipping

The specs that matter:
-10.2 ounces
-6″ electronic display
-Holds up to 1,500 books
-Read up to 1 week with wireless on
-Read-to-me feature that allows you to turn on audio & have book read to you
-Free book samples
-More than 480,000 books available for purchase

Amazon also has a 30-day free trial option. You can send it back after 30 days at no cost and no restocking fees if you don’t like it.

Everyone I know who owns one says it’s the best thing since sliced bread. Insanely wonderful reviews that make me wonder if the Kindle comes with a secret supply of wine or a bottle of happy pills.

Why do people love it so much? I saw one women comment that if her house was burning down – the one thing she’d grab and run with was her Kindle. That’s a pretty powerful statement, huh?

Things that make me go boo-hoo:
Can’t share books. Why can’t you share books? That’s just not nice, Amazon.

Also can’t rent from the library.

Option #2: Barnes & Noble Nook – $259 with free shipping

The specs that matter:
-11.2 ounces
-You can lend books to friends. This would be a huge plus, except you can only lend the books for up to 7 days. Which isn’t exactly an ideal time frame for a busy Mom who doesn’t have the time to read as someone else may. Still, it’s a cool feature that should be available on the Kindle that’s not.
-in-house support at your local Barnes & Noble!
-Holds up to 1,500 books
-Over 1,000,000 e-books available for download
-can rent books from your local library if they offer it! (ours does, yay!)

Things that make me go boo-hoo:
-It’s still the first release of the Nook. I worry about the kinks and upgrades that may need to come with a second generation. Silly?
-Heard it runs a little slowly at times. That’s annoying.
-Lower battery life than the Kindle (although 10 days versus 14. Not sure that bothers me all that much.)

Option #3 – the splurge. Apple iPad – $499
Technically this is probably not a fair comparision since the iPad is so much more than just an eReader. So I’m reading mixed reviews but this offers an interesting comparison of the iPad to the Kindle. Apparently the iPad’s backlit LED is pretty cool when you’re sitting a dark room but a con when you’re trying to sit outside to read. (Too much glare – can’t read outside like you can with the Kindle or Nook.)

I dunno. It’s probably apples to oranges since Apple’s iPad is much more than just an e-reader. But I had to at least throw it in here.

Filed Under: Books, Electronics

The First Adventures of Incredible You: A Treasured Family Keepsake

November 24, 2009 By debbie 1 Comment

I fondly remember having this amazing book read to me that was personalized with a few facts about me when I was a child. I thought the book was the neatest thing! So when I was sent a book called, “The First Adventures of Incredible You,” for my son, it brought back memories of my favorite childhood book (which I think I have laying around somewhere)! I adore reading The First Adventures of Incredible You to my son and he loves listening to it. The book is fabulous! My son really enjoys hearing about his favorite park, zoo, friends, sports team and more! He gets so excited when we start to read it and proclaims, “my book”!

The First Adventures of Incredible You is a extraordinary hardcover book full of whimsical, full-color illustrations and rhyming text with personalized details about your child. This marvelous keepsake children’s book follows your child from the day they arrived on Earth through the exciting first adventures in life. The book becomes a completely personalized storybook with just a little input from you regarding the people and places that are special to your child. With over 20 places to seamlessly incorporate details about a child and his/her family, friends and family traditions into the text of the award-winning book (even including a special page to incorporate a favorite family dish)! In the front of the book is a dedication page so your child never forgets who gave them this unique keepsake adventure.

This artistic, award-winning personalized storybook is a memorable and super unique gift for new parents! Great for gift giving, if you do not know how the child’s family would fill in the personalized information, there are easy standard options available to choose from or you may order a book gift certificate so that the recipient family may fill in the information themselves! (What a great idea!) Save 15% off your order until December 5, 2009 by entering code mws15 at checkout.

Filed Under: Babies, Books, Books for the Family, Coupon Codes & Sales, Kids, Play Time Tagged With: book, gift, personalized

25% off sitewide at LeapFrog for five days, plus 20% off coupon code

November 23, 2009 By Whitney 2 Comments

A couple of years ago, I had some bags stolen when I was out shopping on Black Friday. It was my one and only attempt to ever shop on that day and I swore I’d never do it again.

Thankfully, with online competition and Cyber Monday, there’s really no need for me to brave the crowds anymore. Folks like LeapFrog are doing deals for both days. You never have to leave your home when prices like this online!

Starting Black Friday, LeapFrog will be offering 25% off site-wide on all their products through November 30th. Stock up! This is a sale you can’t miss. Get select Leapster games for as little as $5, Tag books for $5.49 and much more!

Can’t wait? Shop today through Friday and use coupon code HOLIDAY20 to receive 20% off your entire order on the LeapFrog site. Free shipping on orders over $50.

Filed Under: Books, Coupons & Freebies, Electronics, Games, Toys Tagged With: holiday gifts, LeapFrog, Toys

Disney Digital Books: Interactive Reading With Adored Disney Characters

October 25, 2009 By nancy 5 Comments

Image and video hosting by TinyPic Disney has launched Disney Digital Books —an interactive reading site. Because it’s from Disney, it’s got the gorgeous art, beloved characters and familiar stories you’d expect. For $8.95 per month/ $79 a year, you get one parent account/3 child accounts. Children can choose from over 500 new and classic Disney books.
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Electronics, Games, Play Time Tagged With: Books, digital books, disney

Creating Shutterfly Albums is my new favorite pasttime

October 20, 2009 By Jen Leave a Comment

I am obsessed with photos, albums, archiving it all, and figuring out the best ways to organize it all. I have scrapbooked both traditionally and digitally, have created your good-old regular photo books, and have made online photo books. But recently, I got to try out Shutterfly’s new Simple Path — an amazing and simple way to make a beautiful, organized photo book in minutes. (Literally!)

When I first saw this on Shutterfly’s website, I thought to myself, “how are they going to know how to order my photos and which ones are most important?” But somehow, the site knew, and it organized my photos in the right order (by date) and grouped together (with like photos). The whole process literally took about 10 minutes. I uploaded my photos (about 4 minutes), allowed the program to place them in the book (30 seconds or less), decided on the style of pages (1 minute), and then swapped around a couple pictures and added captions (5 minutes). How simple is that?! The book was ordered and received in record time (a couple of days) and we were all super impressed! High quality photos with bright, vivid colors, a hard, glossy cover customized to my liking (as well as the spine)… it all came together easily to create an awesome product that my whole family is enjoying.

Please, take a few minutes and check out the new Simple Path feature and quickly finish up all of those albums you have been meaning to do for years. You will feel so good when you are done! (One less thing to do, and a beautiful new photo book on your shelf to admire!)

Check out Shutterfly’s special offers, which currently includes a buy one, get one 50% off on photo books. (Offers change all the time, though, so jump when you see a good one!)

Filed Under: Books, Misc Tagged With: Photo Books, Shutterfly, Simple Path

Leap Into Learning Vowels With LeapFrog’s Tag

October 5, 2009 By kate Leave a Comment

tagpar61137image350 We’re huge fans of LeapFrog products in our house and our latest craze has been with the Tag and Tag Junior reading systems. While the Tag books teach everything from reading comprehension and listening to spelling and rhyming, two new sets of books for the Tag will take your kids’ learning even further.

The newly released Tag Learn to Read Phonics series has two collections to choose from – Short Vowels and Long Vowel, Silent E and Y. For $19.99, each set includes 6 separate books that teach vowels sounds, phonics skills, word recognition, and reading basics. These sets are geared for kids age 4-7 though I can tell you my 3-year-old has loved exploring the books – even if he hasn’t quite grasped vowels yet. These books are a bit shorter than other Tag books, but are still chock full of activities and learning fun. Plus since they are smaller, they don’t take up as much room on your Tag. (I think I was able to fit all 6 Short Vowel book on plus 4 other regular Tag books.)

Don’t have Tag reader yet? Right now at www.leapfrog.com Tag readers have free shipping! The new model ($49.99) includes a larger memory to store 10 books and is also available in pink. Or pick up one of the original size Tag (holds 5 books) for only $39.99.

Filed Under: Books, Electronics, Play Time Tagged With: educational toys, LeapFrog, Tag

Music & Movies: Our Early Fall Playlist

October 4, 2009 By julie 2 Comments

The latest CD to spin in our car player, What a Ride by Eric Herman and the Invisible Band is, as my 4 year old says, much fun. With an independent sound, the music is a reflection of music we listened to in college. I can totally see dancing it out in a preschool room to Come Play! and Ants in Your Pants, and I love singing along with How Big. My son’s favorite: Stink Bug.

We’re also enjoying Putumayo Kid’s Picnic Playground, any food-lover who listens will be sure to say this is “her kinda music” as its a souppot of multicultural songs and beats celebrating food, family and fun.

Speaking of food, another CD we’re enjoying is Best of the Bowl, Ingles y Espanol by Hot Peas and Butter. This bilingual CD makes you want to get up and dance to the Latin beat as they mix the Spanish and English.

On a recent roadtrip coming home from an amusement park, the husband asked if I had any baby-appropriate music for our little one. As in, to lull her (and maybe her brothers) to calmness. Wasn’t he surprised when I popped in RockaBye Baby!’s Lullaby Renditions of Aerosmith. We sang along as the kids relaxed and calmed. From Don’t Want to Miss a Thing to Walk This Way, this is a fun sleeper. Want to gift a RockaBye Baby CD but you don’t know which one to gift? Now available on the RockaBye Baby Music website: a Digital Download Card where the giftee can any one CD as an MP3 download. The packaging is perfect. I received mine today and opened it without reading, wondering where the CD was? Once I read the gift I was so excited to get to select my own music this time!

Last year we hosted a Halloween Party for several of the kids’ friends. We played games, read stories and enjoyed pizza, all before Trick or Treating. But how much did we need a movie? Planning to host this year? Get a copy of A Very Brave Witch … and more Halloween Stories. In addition to A Very Brave Witch, watch animated 7 other Halloween books including A Dark, Dark Tale. Narrators include Sherry Stringfield and Elle Fanning.

Another Scholastic Storybook Treasures production, the Scholastic Treasury of Classic Bedtime Stories will help you and your kids calm for bed nightly. This collection of 4 DVDs includes 28 animated bedtime favorites including Goodnight Gorilla and Harold and the Purple Crayon. A whole month’s worth of bedtime stories!

Filed Under: Books, Family Travel, Movies & Music Tagged With: movies, music

I will gladly take a martini and ten minutes to myself

August 11, 2009 By Whitney 1 Comment

From the jacket cover, “Sure you love your kids, but your pre-Mom self – the one who wore sexy underwear and took vacations that did not include Happy Meals – had its perks too. This book is for anyone who relishes her role as Mom but longs for a few minutes with nowhere to be and no diapers to change.”

The book is: If you give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes to Yourself. Check it out – it’s a quick read (the authors appreciate a time-constrained Mom) but full of some fun, quick relaxation tips.

It’s a great gift for any Mom. Plus, any book that includes the word Mom and Martini within the same sentence is alright in my book.

Filed Under: Books, Mommy Time Tagged With: Books, Mommy Time

“What Mess?”

July 21, 2009 By debbie Leave a Comment

My daughter just started to read books and is so excited that she can do it by herself! We recently received a new book called “What Mess?” and she couldn’t wait to read it to me.

“What Mess?” is a cute and silly children’s book that tells the story from a little girl’s perspective. Her mommy tells her to clean her room, however she can not find the mess her mommy is talking about. As the story continues, the little girl justifies why the toys should be left out, since she is playing with them all! For instance the little girl’s teddy bears are in the middle of a picnic and can’t be disturbed and her eight baby dolls spread out on the floor under blankets are all taking naps. So she thinks her mommy can’t mean that mess! The story has a repetitive mantra (Mommy must know that) designed to help pre-readers learn to read.

My daughter has been reading it to my son and now every time he sees some sort of mess in our house, he says “mommy – mess”! Gotta’ love that! Check out the author’s blog where your child can enter what name they think the character in the book should be. If selected, the winner will be illustrated in her next book.

Use code MWS to save 10% off the book plus $5.50 flat fee s/h regardless of how many books are ordered. In addition, the author can dedicate and sign the books! Simply enter MWS at checkout and indicate the dedication in the comments section.

Filed Under: Books, Coupon Codes & Sales, Play Time Tagged With: book, children's books, kid's books, What Mess

Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby?

July 2, 2009 By julie Leave a Comment

I’ve asked myself this question time and again… with the answer, clearly, no, not yet. So it was really fun to ask my 3-year-old this same question today. I asked it when I read to him the new book by Barney Saltzberg, Cornelius P. Mud, Are you Ready for Baby? Together we talked about Cornelius, the adorable little pig who in the first illustration is sitting with his pregnant mom, reading a baby name book. By the next page, Mom brings home a little piglet.

The illustrations are cute, vibrant, preschool friendly; the text, very simple. On each page Cornelius asks if baby can do different things, like eat and play. And on each page, Mom answers “no, not yet.” With the answer to the “what can baby do?” being the very funny line “He can sleep, drink, pee, poop and cry.” Cornelius also shows some insecurity asking “Do you love him more than you love me?” and Mama reassuringly replies “I have enough love for both of you.”

The brief story opens up so many windows of opportunity for discussion and relating with a preschooler about to become a big brother, it was quick to become a new favorite. It only arrived in the mail Monday and he’s already “read” Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Baby? several times (as in his chosen book for the past 3 naps and 3 bedtimes): loving the story and the discussions each time.

Filed Under: Books, Books for the Family Tagged With: big brother gift, big sibling book, Cornelius P Mud

Travel to China, one recipe at a time with the Handstand Kids Chinese Cookbook!

June 29, 2009 By debbie 4 Comments

My kids love cooking with me in the kitchen! We’ve been having so much fun recently with the Handstand Kids Chinese Cookbook, trying out all sorts of recipes together. This cookbook comes packaged in a large takeout box kit with child-friendly chopsticks.

It is so adorable and my kids love it! The Chinese Cookbook Kit introduces kid chefs, ages 3 to 12, to delicious and healthy Chinese recipes. Recipes like Spring-a-licious Spring Rolls, Kung Pow! Chicken and Year of the Monkey Smoothies take your little chef around the world through your own kitchen.

All of the utensils and ingredients are translated into Mandarin so you can speak the language of China as you cook! The recipes are leveled from 1 to 4 chopsticks to determine the recipe’s level of difficulty. Our favorites so far have been the Banana-rama Spring Rolls and the Great Wall of Chicken Lettuce Wraps! We’ve been having a blast cooking while trying to pronounce the different ingredients. They also love practicing with the chopsticks on all sorts of foods!

In addition to the Chinese Cookbook are the Mexican and Italian Cookbook Kits. Each cookbook in the series introduces kid chefs to a new country and culture through tasty, healthy and fun recipes. Each recipe also offers alternatives that allow for dietary flexibility and creativity in the kitchen.

Handstand Kids also carries aprons, chef hats, oven mitts and all-purpose mats that can be used as place mats, cutting boards or work stations. Ours includes a fabulous map of China and a listing of all of the different ingredients in the cookbook in both English and Mandarin. My kids are always practicing!

Enter code MWS on the order page in the coupon box located at the top of the page before checking out to save 20% off of your purchase!

Filed Under: Books, Books for the Family, Feeding & Mealtime, Kids Tagged With: Chinese Food, Handstand Kids, Kids Cookbook

The Complete Idiot’s Guides: One may be an idiot not to read these

April 28, 2009 By julie 2 Comments

You know, I wasn’t thrilled when I received Complete Idiot’s Guide books this spring. I mean, I know its a well known series, and all, but the title… well, who would want to show off that she’s carrying a book that classifies her as an idiot? But now that I’ve started reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to 40,000 Baby Names, I’m feeling like anyone who hasn’t picked up and enjoyed this book may be the idiot. Sure, I have an excuse to read a baby name book: we’re no where near having decided on a name. But even if you aren’t searching for a baby name, you should check out this book. It has 200 lists including Shakesperian names, children’s literature names, Wican names and famous athlete’s names… pretty much every type of name list you can imagine. I’ve been having a great time reading plenty of the names out loud and got stuck at my favorite section that lists pen names and given names of stars. (Lots I didn’t know there!) This book is so much fun I’m likely to hold onto it as a reference even after my baby really does have a name. A very fun book, it steps away from the usual listing with nicknames, origins and descriptions (the section is still there, its just not as all inclusive.) Its currently about 30% off at Amazon.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Baby Sign Language is a descriptive intro to sign-language that will be so helpful for parents wanting join the ever-more-popular baby signing trend. Since we signed with both of our boys, I skipped around this book, but one who needs an intro to signing with baby will appreciate the easy-to-read intro to what BSL really is. The book includes descriptions of benefits of signing with a child, as well typical expectations one should have. If I were new to baby signing, I would love the chapter “Introducing Baby’s First Signs” because it teaches parenting steps with diagrams and explanations. There’s also a great “pictionary” of signs that children will be likely to need during their first year or so (which is a benefit to us… as a review of what we learned before, and an excellent reference for new words. We found it at 35% off at buy.com. If you’re planning to sign with your child, I’d grab a few copies–its not just good for parents, but good for grandparents, teachers and babysitters.
So, I’m convinced, The Complete Idiot’s series isn’t really insulting. Its smart. It teaches, classifies and guides in simple ways that make learning easy for very busy parents. I do wish the series included indexes as I can see them benefitting readers of both of these books. Even without an index, these are excellent references that make learning simple.

Filed Under: Books

The Bug Book and Fandex: Does this bug you?

April 26, 2009 By julie 1 Comment

Got a bug lover? If so, then you’ll immediately recognize the value of these great bug finds I was recently sent to sample. The Bug Book and Bug Bottle is a kit designed for ages 8 and up, which allows a safe place to catch, observe and, eventually, release bugs. Inside the plastic Bug Bottle (which has a lid with holes for breatheability and a ruler) is a guide book with details of 46 bugs. Want to know how a bug got its name? Or perhaps what it eats or how the bug moves? You’ll find all the answers in the included Bug Book by Hugh Danks. Also inside the bottle are a magnifier, an explorer’s journal, and a handy bug identification chart.
Another bug-themed gift (and great to give/get with The Bug Book & Bug Bottle), Sarah Goodman and Louis Sorkin collaborated to create Bugs Fandex. 50 pages of fantastic graphics and beyond belief bug facts, this is an easy “book” to take with you on your next nature hike. Find a bug? Identify and then learn amazing facts.
We found the Bugs Fandex on sale at Amazon (20% off) and The Bug Book and Bug Bottle at a 15% discount.