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“Sweet Farts” Series Book Review and Giveaway

May 18, 2012 By 8 Comments

My Tween is addicted to reading.  Literally.  When she got in trouble at school I took her phone away – which she promptly shrugged off.  I took her computer away – no response.  I took her iPod away.  Nothing.  I took her Kindle…. the child went from a 77 in Math to a 95. I’d say that’s a win.

When I was asked about doing a review and giveaway for Sweet Farts – a new series by Raymond Bean – I asked the Tween who happily obliged.  I was after all, feeding her addiction even after than big glaring “C” on her report card.

Someone has been farting up a storm at school and everyone thinks Keith Emerson is to blame. Unfortunately for Keith, it has earned him the nickname “S.B.D.” (silent but deadly). To make matters worse, Keith’s dad is a self-proclaimed “Fart Machine” who really stinks it up at home. With the science fair quickly approaching, Keith decides he has had enough. He comes up with a science fair project idea to turn the foul smell of human gas into something sweet smelling. The idea lands him in the principal’s office, and in big trouble with his mom. With the help of his little sister Emma, his dad, his crazy grandma, and Benjamin Franklin (great American scientist), Keith will attempt to make the greatest scientific discovery of all time, the cure for the common fart.

Even my “girly girl” thought the Sweet Farts books were hysterical.   It did not take her long to read all three, and I even caught her sneaking the first one to school as apparently she was already lending it to her best friend Sarah.  She says they are not crude like the title lead me to believe and are instead funny and even somewhat educational.  “It has a bunch of Science in it, Mom.”  I’ll take her word for it.

The Sweet Farts books have been huge sellers though – constantly landing on the Top 100 Childrens Books list at Amazon.  In fact Raymond Bean has recently produced versions for Germany and Korea with other countries in the works.  Honestly I think anything that gets children to fall in love with reading is a huge win in my book…. even if Sweetening Farts is the subject matter.

GIVEAWAY

I am excited to give one of my lucky readers the 3-book set of Sweet Farts from Raymond Bean.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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What Does GCB Stand For?

February 26, 2012 By 8 Comments

If you have watched television at all in the last few weeks, chances are you have seen the previews for the new show GCB on ABC.   The new show is slated to replace my all time favorite Desperate Housewives which ends is May.

The network says the plot “Centers on Amanda Vaughn, a recently divorced mother of two who, to get a fresh start, moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew to find herself in the whirling midst of salacious gossip, Botox, and fraud.”

Having worked in Fort Worth, Texas for the last year, I can not wait to see this show.  I fell completely in love with North Texas – and I can tell you that the women there are certainly a force to be reckoned with.  This show is obviously a comedy and going to poke fun at a few stereotypes, but one thing the show is 100% accurate on – North Texas is full of beautiful, smart, God fearing women, with wicked senses of humor and a drive and determination that is hard to beat… and I am proud to have many of them as friends.

But what is “GCB?“

The “GCB” title actually comes from the book that this series is based off of which is “Good Christian Bitches” by Kim Gatlin.  ABC naturally worried about the title and changed it to “Good Christian Belles” before settling on “textese” of “GCB” for the final title.

The show stars Annie Potts who I absolutely adored watching in Designing Women back in the late 80s.  Other stars include Leslie Bibb, Kristen Chenoweth, and Jennifer Aspen.

As sad as I am about the end of Desperate Housewives, I am totally excited about this show.  So much so that I already downloaded the book to my iPad to finish off between now and the launch of the first GCB episode airing on ABC March 4th – yes, as in this Sunday.  

You can see sneak peeks, clips, interviews and more at the GCB main page on ABC.com!

Will you be watching on Sunday?

 

 


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Record a Memory Our Family Christmas

October 31, 2011 By 6 Comments

In the last few years I have really learned the importance of saving memories and recording them for my girls.  After I lost three grandparents in three consecutive years, I realized I didn’t take enough pictures, didn’t write enough down, should have recorded their voices … all the things I didn’t know I would miss as much as I do.  Recipes, funny moments, time together, and traditions have been lost or forgotten, and it saddens me to think my girls will never know some of the things I did when I was their age.

Now that Mike and I are beginning our own family with our own traditions,  I am excited to find the Record a Memory series from Publications International, Ltd.  Each book from the series allows places to write, add pictures, and even incorporates the element of sound with a recordable audio device built right in.  I remember my grandfather had a tiny little voice recorder that he carried for years with a recording of me laughing… he would have loved to have one of these books with my daughters’ laughter.

“Record a Memory books are a perfect addition to the family bookcase because you can save so much more than just pictures… Record a Memory is like a family time capsule with audio that will be just as treasured six months from now as it will be when the kids are fully grown.” ~ Mike Sieczkowski, EVP of Product Development

I received the Our Family Christmas Memories for Review, and I am already taking pictures to fill this book!  Every page has prompts and suggestions for what to include – like favorite recipes and pictures of the Christmas Tree.   I can’t wait to show you the finished result!

Publications International, Ltd is also helping families stay close across the mile by donating Record a Story books to deploying troops at the USO and United Through Reading Locations.  Military families who are about to deploy will have the chance to arrange for a shared story time with their children, even after they have left for their tours of duty.   Publications International Ltd has donated thousands of books which will be sent along with a DVD of the parents recording the story to the children for the Holidays.

You can check out the Record a Memory series online at www.Record-a-Story.com.

What are you favorite Holiday Memories?


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Tokidoki The New Tattooed Barbie

October 21, 2011 By 29 Comments

When I saw this on Facebook today, I was shocked.  In a good way.  Tokidoki, Mattel’s newest addition to the iconic Barbie Collection, is pretty edgy – sporting pink hair and silver stilettos.  Her “pet” is even a cactus covered pooch named Bastardino.  But what really has people screaming is the fact that Tokidoki is covered in tattoos.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for little girls to be having Barbies with tattoos all over,” parent Reye Griffith said Thursday. (source)

Tokidoki’s upper body is covered in exotic looking tattoos, including large flowers and a crown on her chest and a tiger on her neck.  She also appears to have a Japanese woman on her arm.   Though the tattoos are tasteful (hey, we have all seen worse)  it still has many parents in an uproar.

“I think it sends all the wrong signals for young girls,” said Mitti Hansen, mother to a 4-year-old girl. (source)

Personally I am not opposed to this, as I have a few tattoos myself.  In fact the American Academy of Dermatology reports that 1 in 4 adults ages 18 to 50 have at least one.   And I love my tattoos and hate that society still gawks at them as taboo.   As a mother of two daughters, I would not mind if once my daughters are of legal age (as in 18) chose to get a tattoo.   Mine tell the story of my life, in the art form that I chose to express it.

Tokidoki is considered a collectible and will not be found in stores.  She retails for $50 – much more than most Barbies – and is a Limited Edition, and is being marketed more to the adult collectors than to children.  I just looked – she is already SOLD OUT!

I have never… ever owned a Barbie and I would LOVE to get my hands on one of these.  I think she is beautiful, and I am proud of Mattel for being willing to push the envelope a bit, and show that tattoos do not have to be taboo, and can in fact be beautiful.   Maybe someday Mattel will make a Barbie a bit more anatomically correct… but until then, Tokidoki will be my favorite.

What do you think?  Has Mattel gone too far?