A while back I got an email from Tricia with Aroma Housewares Company with information on their Aroma Professional Rice Cooker & Food Steamer (the ARC-1000 model). She offered to send me one to try and review on my blog!

I do love kitchen gadgets (Oronzo might say I have an addition to them) and I was quite excited to open this beautiful, digital rice cooker.

As I took it out of it's box and started reading the instruction manual, and then recipe booklet, I knew that this wasn't going to be a situation where I'd use it once and offer up a review.  I wanted to use it several times before I posted anything on my blog.

Let me just say, that our family really loves this rice cooker!  Truly, we do.

This isn't just a simple rice cooker.  The Aroma Rice Cooker has an easy-to-use digital control panel with multiple features: White Rice, Brown Rice, Quick Rice, Smart Steam and 15-Hour Delay Timer Sensor Logic™ technology self-adjusts for consistent, restaurant-quality results.  You just put in the rice and water, close the top, push a button and it does all the rest!  

This rice cooker will prepare up to 20 cups of rice and keep it warm for up to 12 hours.  When it's just the four of us, we usually only prepare 4 cups of cooked rice but we had friends over one night and I used it to prepare a much larger batch.  

The "Quick Rice" function cuts my cooking time down approximately 10-15 minutes when I'm in a hurry.  Or, I can plan ahead and use the delay timer to set the time that the rice will finish cooking, up to 15 hours in advance.

Here's the best part, I can use the "Smart Steam" feature and the steam tray that's included to steam meat or veggies, separately or simultaneously while the rice is also steaming,  to create delicious all-in-one meals!  No more dragging out my two pot All Clad steamer to boil water on the stovetop for steaming.  I love that I can have everything cooking at once!

Believe it or not, you can use this cooker to prepare oatmeal, soups, stews, desserts, and much more!  The Aroma digital rice cooker includes recipe booklet with a lot of great recipes (the marinara chicken fettucini and the pepper steak burritos are two of our favorites).  Plus you can go to the Aroma website and find even more scrumptious recipes to choose from!

Labels: cooking, product review

Kate with Weber Shandwick recently asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the new Energizer® Family Charger product. Of course, I told her, "I'd love to!" 

Labels: product review

Last month Merritt with Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists offered to send me a couple of new Chicken Soup for the Soul books to review. He sent some extras for me to give away to my readers too! :)

This week, I'm going to review is the newly released, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter book.

Stories about the Special Bond between Mothers and Daughters

How often have you seen a teenage girl pretend to be perturbed, but secretly smile, when she is told that she acts or looks just like her mother? Fathers, brothers, and friends shake their head in wonder as girls “turn into their mothers.” This book contains the 101 best stories from Chicken Soup’s library on the mother-daughter bond. Mothers and daughters will laugh, cry, and find inspiration in these stories that remind them of their mutual appreciation.

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, product review

It's time for another one of my free Pay It Forward book giveaways! I'm a day late posting this but I hope you'll all join me this month!

For those who may have missed out, please read about the guidelines right here.

So, I have one book to give away this month:

1) If You Give a Mom a Martini: 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself by Julie Klappas & Lyss Stern, in hardcover!

This was sent to me by Ava with Crown Publishing.

I have to say, this is such a delightful book!  It made me laugh out loud in several places. :)  I've already tried a couple of fun suggestions from the book!  I tell you, this book would make a wonderful gift...for you or for someone you love! Thankfully Ava sent me two copies, one for me and one for one of you!

Okay, so here's what the author's have to say about the book!

What’s a woman to do with her very own “Mommy time-out”? The new book, IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MARTINI . . . 100 Ways to Find 10 Blissful Minutes for Yourself (Clarkson Potter; Publication date: April 14, 2009) has all the answers. In it, New York City moms Julie Klappas and Lyss Stern (with the help of some celebrity friends) have come up with the very best ways for their stressed-out counterparts to bask in a little “me” time. Smartly written and stylishly illustrated by fashion illustrator Izak Zenou, the book contains great ideas for women who relish their role as Mom but also long for a few minutes to recharge.

Running the gamut from sweet to satiric, most of the ideas are recession-proof, costing little or no money at all. For instance:

Getting Your Kicks
While playing soccer with your child, punt the ball really, really far, then race over to a lawn chair and sip iced tea until he or she returns. Instant quiet time!

Judge for Yourself
Kelly Ripa recommends watching Judge Judy and reveling in someone else having all of the answers for a change. Ten minutes is just long enough to get through one juicy case.

Find a Bloom for Your Room
Treat yourself to a single, beautiful flower for your bedside table. It will fill your bedroom with a gorgeous fragrance and make you feel special all week long.

Working It at the Car Wash
Order “the works” and experience instant gratification. Where else can you hand over something utterly gross and, ten minutes later, see it sparkle like new ?

Other celebrity contributors include: Keisha Whitaker, Lara Spencer, fashion designers Catherine Malandrino and Cynthia Rowley, and actress Jill Hennessy, who spends her ten minutes strumming her six-string guitar and eating cookies.

Smart, sexy, fun, and inspirational, IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MARTINI . . . is a reminder for moms everywhere that it only takes ten minutes to regain some sanity and find the energy to go back to the playroom and face the music—even if it is “The Wheels on the Bus.”

About the Authors
JULIE KLAPPAS is the mother of two and was most recently a Creative Director at Lifetime Television before starting her own production company, Clementine Entertainment (clementinetv.com).

LYSS STERN is the mother of two young boys and the creator of Divalysscious Moms (divalyssciousmoms.com), New York City’s premier luxury lifestyle company for fabulous moms and tots, with more than 85,000 active members.

If you'd like to win this book, here is what you must do:

1. On your blog, write a post about this giveaway, using my "Pay It Forward" button, and then link back to my post. I am sure your readers would appreciate learning about the chance to win a book. You must complete this step to be put in the drawing, unless of course you don't have a blog!

2. Sign the Mr. Linky (the Mr. Linky is that list of names at the end of this post - just type your name in the box) with your name and the specific URL of your PIF post. Note: If you are not a blogger, you may still enter to win. Just sign your name on the Mr. Linky without a URL and then email me your contact information. Please note on your email that it is for the PIF book giveaway.

I'll announce the winners on Saturday morning, 30 May, so be sure to check back.

Best of luck!

If you have any books you'd like to Pay It Forward yourself this month, please leave me a comment and I'll link you in this post!

Additional Pay It Forward Giveaways:

1) Jubilee at Notes of Jubilee is giving away the book Red, White and Blue by Laura Hayden on 19 May. Stop by her blog to enter win. Thanks, Jubilee!

2) Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy is giving away the book Southwest Slow Cookers by Tammy Biber on 30 May. Stop by her blog to enter to win. Thanks, Tamy!

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward, product review

Earlier this month Laura with Candlewick Press offered to send me some children's books to review. She sent some extras for me to give away to my readers too! :)

First, the book reviews.  Then the giveaway details.

1) Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli

Description: One child. One swing. An obliging dad. The inevitable plea to go Higher! Higher! Add Leslie Patricelli's wildly expressive illustrations, and an everyday pasttime reaches new heights of humor and whimsy.

Age Range: 2 yrs - 5 yrs

My review: At first I was worried that Snuggle Bug and Boo might find this book too simplistic.  It only uses six different words throughout the entire book.  I needn't have worried.  They both love the book and Snuggle Bug asks for it nearly every night!  The colorful illustrations do a great job of telling a rich story and I found that both Snuggle Bug and Boo liked to tell me what was going on (beyond what the words said) based on their interpretation of the pictures.  They elaborated upon the story in a very cute way! Sometimes less is more.

2) Seymour & Henry by Kim Lewis

Description: Seymour and Henry love to play and can’t wait to jump in the pond. Plop! But when it’s time to go home, pit-a-pat, they run away, scampering farther and farther from their mother. Now it’s starting to rain, and Mommy is nowhere to be seen. "QUACK!" Can they find their way back? And what will their mommy do then? With her trademark soft pastels, Kim Lewis brings to life an endearing pair of toy ducklings and an ever-patient mom. Two adventurous ducklings get a little too carried away in a tale of a mother-and-ducky reunion that toddlers are sure to appreciate.

Age Range: 2 yrs and up

My review: Snuggle Bug and Boo enjoyed this book. They're big fans of ducks and enjoyed the cute illustrations found in this book. Snuggle Bug was a bit concerned that the ducks lost their Mommy but was relieved when they found her towards the end of the story. 

3) Little Chick by Amy Hest

Description: Little Chick may be a good and patient gardener, as Old-Auntie observes, but what if you simply can’t wait for your carrot to grow tall? What if you skip like a pro but still can’t lift your kite in the air? Or if you’re a really good stretcher but can’t reach your favorite star? With affection and humor, Amy Hest offers three vignettes about a curious chick and a loving auntie who knows how to soften disappointments by keeping the spark of wonder alive. And the incomparable Anita Jeram renders Little Chick’s gestures and movements with a mastery that captures the spirit of every young child.

Age Range: 2 yrs and up

My review: Before even reading the story itself, the kids and I were drawn in by the beautiful illustrations of Anita Jeram.  She captured the sweet relationship between Little Chick and Old-Auntie marvelously with her drawings!  Snuggle Bug and Boo enjoyed the three short stories within the book and Snuggle Bug had the main messages of these stories memorized quickly.  Honestly, of the three books we received from Laura with Candlewick Press, Snuggle Bug claims that this is his favorite.  He asks for it time and time again!

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, product review

Kate with Weber Shandwick recently asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the new Sharpie Stainless Steel Permanent Marker product.  Of course, I told her, "I'd love to!" 


I've had this Sharpie Premium with me for several weeks now and I have to say I really do LOVE it! 

Labels: product review

Some time ago, I got an email from Nancy with Babies and Moms Radio letting me know that I had been picked as a winner for a pair of pediped™ footwear shoes. I was even allowed to pick out the style that I wanted.

Thinking of Boo, I chose a 12-18 month sized pair of pink Abigail pediped™ shoes.

I have to say, I love these soft-soled shoes! Boo seems to find them comfortable, probably because pediped™ footwear features soft, flexible soles and supple, premium grade leather uppers. Velcro fasteners make them quick and easy to put on (even with one hand- I love that!) and ensures they stay securely on Boo's feet. She wears these shoes without even trying to take them off, which is pretty amazing for her.

We all know that at the age that little ones are learning to walk, it's best to be barefoot, but that's not always practical. Given the fact that pediped™ footwear is accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association and recommended by podiatrists, I feel pretty good about having these shoes on Boo's little feet.

After looking through the pediped™ website, I know that I will be purchasing some more of these shoes. They have so many cute styles for boys and girls!

If you'd like to purchase a pair of these shoes, you can either order them off of the pediped™ website or check out their store locator to purchase them in a store near you!

Labels: baby products, product review

Some time ago, Brian with Provident Music Group offered to send me a pre-release of the new Third Day Revelation CD comes out July 29th. 

Labels: music, product review

Kate with Weber Shandwick recently asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the new Energizer® Light on Demand™ products. "I'd love to!" I told her. And guess what, she's offering three products to use as giveaways for my readers (more on that in a minute).

I chose to review the tabletop nightlight and I have to say that we LOVE it! Before I explain why, let me share some details with you about this product.

Features and Benefits:

* Rechargeable light stick, nightlight, portable area light and flashlight all in one.
* The nightlight plugs into the wall for everyday use and contains a sensor that automatically turns the nightlight on when the room darkens.
* Includes a "Find Me™" light.
* Can run on batteries as an area light for 25 hours and as a flashlight light for 10 hours.

When I got the tabletop nightlight out of it's box, I plugged it in to charge and literally within minutes it was ready to go!

Now Snuggle Bug, at almost 3 1/2 years old, has suddenly become scared of various things in his room at night. We have dimmer switch lights in his room and we've been forced to leave the light pretty bright each night. I've thought about finding him a little night light but I worried that the little outlet ones wouldn't be bright enough to offer much comfort.

The other night I took this light stick into his room and told him it was his new nightlight so he didn't have to be scared any more. He looked at it closely and said, "The sun is in there!" Then we spent about 10 minutes setting the light stick in various places around his room until he settled on having it on a bookshelf across the room from his bed.

The light that this nightlight emits is powerful enough to give the room a soft glow (chasing away scary shadows) but not so bright that it keeps Snuggle Bug awake. He sleeps like a baby with his new nightlight!

I love the fact that when this light stick is plugged into it's base, it has an auto setting that automatically turns it off or on depending on the amount of light in the room. I also love the fact that you can switch between using this light stick as a nightlight or a flashlight. It's wonderful!

Now for the good stuff, Kate has offered me the following three products to be given away to three lucky readers:

Wall Sconce

Features and Benefits:

* Decorative and easy to install.
* Designed for intermittent use, the wall sconce features a high- and low-light setting.
* Cordless installation - no electrician necessary.
* Available in Brass and Nickel.

Twin Light Center

Features and Benefits:

* Easy to mount to a wall, under a cabinet or place on a countertop, and doesn’t require hard wiring.
* Combines two detachable area lights with a nightlight.
* One of the detachable lights can function as a flashlight and the base of the light center features a permanent nightlight.
* Can run on batteries as a flashlight for 10 hours and an area light for 5 hours.

Desk Light

Features and Benefits:

* Lamp, rechargeable LED light stick and emergency light all in one.
* Includes a "Find Me™" light.
* Can run up to 20 hours on a "low" setting before batteries need to be replaced.

So, all you have to do to have a chance to win any of these three products is leave me a comment asking to be entered into the drawing. I'll choose a winner on Monday, 23 June.

I do ask that each winner be willing to post your own review after you've received your product and have had some time to try it out.

By the way, if you're not one of the lucky winners, Energizer® Light on Demand™ products are currently available nationally at Target. The line will also be sold at several other major retail stores soon.

Good luck to you all!

Labels: bloggity goodness, giveaways, product review

Sarah from Child's Play Communications emailed and asked if I'd be interested in reviewing a K'NEX product sample. Since I have a little boy who loves race cars of any kid, I asked her to send me the Dueling Racers set!

What I didn't realize until we received the product was that this set is geared for children 7+. Snuggle Bug is 3 years old. Believe me, this was no problem.

Ends up, Oronzo is a 7 year old boy trapped in a 40 year old body! He was really excited when this product arrived and he had these motorized race cars assembled in no time flat! He waited until Snuggle Bug was in bed to get started and then spent a considerable amout of time "testing them out" for Snuggle Bug.

The next morning, Snuggle Bug discovered them sitting on the kitchen table and jumped up and down with glee, asking to play with them. He and Oronzo had a blast playing with these battery operated race cars, inside and outside the house.

I'd highly recommend this product to any of you with children 7+, or with husbands who like kids toys as much as your kids do!

K'NEX has a lot of other neat educational products for kids. I encourage you to check out their website to learn more.

Labels: product review

A blogger whom I admire, Barb from A Chelsea Morning,  has just opened up a new online shop and I'd like to encourage you all to go take a look!

At A Chelsea Morning's Little Shoppe you'll find all sorts of wonderful hand made items like burp clothes, sock monkeys, fleece blankets, and more!


Before her shop even opened, I ordered a set of three burp clothes from Barb, to give as a gift to Baby Bug's parents.

Paying Barb was made simple by using Paypal.  Once my payment was received, Barb shipped out my order quite promptly.

I was delighted with the quality and style of the burp clothes and I loved the adorable way Barb had packaged them.

I would highly recommend any hand made item that Barb has to offer!  She is a pleasure to do business with!

Labels: baby products, bloggity goodness, product review, shopping

Last week I posted about how I was leaving on a business trip and stressing about the fact that our foster daughters were going to be placed in respite care.  I wanted to follow up and let you know how it's going.

Oronzo dropped the girls off on Monday afternoon.  He told me that initially Boo seemed un-phased by being at Barb and Jim's house (the respite care providers) again.  But when Oronzo started heading for the door without her, she started to cry.  Barb picked her up and held her on her lap to comfort her as Oronzo said his goodbyes.  Baby Bug didn't protest but she's only 4 1/2 months old so I wouldn't have expected her to.

I've called Barb every day, since leaving for Vegas on Monday, to check on the girls.  Barb told me Boo was anxious most of Monday but on Monday evening she seemed to loosen up a bit and started playing with the toys they had.  She slept through the night that night and has every night since.  Each day Boo has gotten more comfortable with Barb and Jim and now is to the point where she's actually having fun.

Baby Bug has had troubles with her morning naps at Barb and Jim's house, so she's been a bit fussy in the mornings but other than that she's doing fine too.  She started sleeping through the night for us last Wednesday and she's continuing to do this for Barb and Jim.

Barb tells me she's enjoying her time with the girls and she's been so suportive of my phone calls.  She doesn't seem to mind taking the time to chat with me each day and share what the girls are up to.

I'm flying home tomorrow but I won't get in until after the girls are in bed.  I'm tempted to go in, pull Boo out of bed, and to sit and rock with her when I get home.  I've miss holding her (and Baby Bug) in my arms!

In other related news, Oronzo got me a MacBook last month and I've been using it to do video iChats with him and Snuggle Bug while away on this trip.  This is the first time we've done this and Snuggle Bug was a bit confused.  He kept looking at the computer monitor and then our front door, asking, "Mommy home?"  I explained that I was still at work in Las Vegas.  He told Oronzo, "Mommy in puter (computer)!"  For me, it was so wonderful to see his sweet little face and to be able to hear his voice.  I showed him a gift that I got him (a little stuffed, white puppy to add to his puppy collection) and he was excited to see that!

I really love my new MacBook!  It's got a built in webcam and microphone and I'm amazed at all the neat features that this laptop has (iPhoto, iTunes, iCalendar, neat email templates, etc) and I love how integrated all the software applications are.  Having been a Windows PC user all my life, I do feel a bit drunk trying to maneuver around this Mac but I'm learning fairly quickly and I'm loving it!  And any laptop that allows me to easily see my little boy while I'm away from home gets an A+ in my book!

I can't wait to get home tomorrow!

Labels: adoption #2, Baby Bug, Boo, foster children, fostering, Oronzo, product review, Snuggle Bug

Itsy Bitsy Lollipop Bow Clippie (mine is purple)

Butterfly Bow Clippie (mine is a classic single bow, in a pretty apple green)

Frog Princess Whimsey Bow Clippie (this is my absolute favorite!)

If you haven't already visited Lily Cait's website you really need to hurry over there and check out all the lovely goodies they have to offer!

Thanks Lily Cait for your generous gifts! I can't wait to use them on our little girls.

Labels: baby products, giveaways, product review, winners

I wanted to let you know that our interview with the CPS case worker (for the 10-month old little girl) was re-scheduled for tomorrow at 9:30 AM so if you’re interested in hearing the results of that meeting, check back late morning tomorrow.

Now, on to a totally unrelated topic…

We got a new double stroller this past weekend and we love it! It’s a Combi 2008 Twin Sport 2 (ours is brick red and ember).

Originally we had planned on getting a tandem double stroller, rather than a side-by-side double stroller because we were worried that a side-by-side would be too wide to maneuver around in stores and such. What we found is that the tandem stroller was too long to fit in the trunk of our 2007 Jeep Compass!

The thing that sold us on this Combi stroller is the compact tri-fold feature (it collapses flat and then you can fold it in half from there) and the fact that once it’s folded it’s self-standing. It fits in our Jeep Compass with plenty of room to spare. It may even fit in the trunk of my compact car; I just haven’t tried it yet. Amazingly, our side-by-side stroller fits through all the doorways and aisles of our favorite stores with no problems. And I love how lightweight this stroller is!

Snuggle Bug and Baby Bug seems to find the stroller comfy. We’ve taken them on two long walks so far and neither complained. Actually, Baby Bug gave her endorsement by falling asleep in the stroller on one of those walks.

After searching Babies R Us and not finding what we liked we found this brand at a local specialty baby store here in our city. But I noticed on the Combi website that they’re offering free shipping on all strollers now through 29 February so if you’re interested in one, you can order it online. Check it out!

By the way, I was not solicited to post this product review. I just love our stroller so much that I wanted to share!

Labels: adoption #2, baby products, product review

UPDATE: The winners of this giveaway have been announced right here.

Kate with Weber Shandwick recently asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the new Beech-Nut Easy Pour™ dry baby cereal. "I'd love to!" I told her.

After I received Kate's big box in the mail, it dawned on me that Baby Bug, our foster daughter, isn't quite old enough for baby cereal yet. She'll have to wait another couple of months. No worries, I've shared some of the product with my local mommy friends who have little ones just the right age and I have 3 more containers to offer to my readers, thanks to Kate's generosity!

This new Beech-Nut line includes 7 oz dry cereals featuring Easy Pour™ packaging with three yummy flavors: DHA plus+ Brown Rice with Bananas & Raspberries, DHA plus+ Multigrain with Apples & Yogurt, and Soy Free Rice.

So, what's this Easy Pour™ packaging all about? Well, when Snuggle Bug was first trying dry baby cereal, I remember how frustrating it was pouring the dry cereal out of those boxes. I'd inevitably spill a good portion all over the counter and flakes would get stuck in the metal spout, making it hard to keep the box closed properly. Ugh!

With the Easy Pour™ feature there's no fuss or mess! Honestly, it looks like a carton of orange juice and has the same easy twist-off and pour spout. Since the batch that Kate sent me is good for several months, I opened one up and poured some into a bowl to try it out. Guess what? I didn't spill a drop and I just had to twist the cap back on the carton when I was done! These containers will store nicely until the time comes for me to start Baby Bug on dry baby cereal!

The local moms I shared this with loved it! Besides loving the ease of pouring, they said that their little ones really seemed to like the flavor of these dry cereals. I'm told that theBrown Rice with Bananas & Raspberries was a big hit with several of the babies!

The great thing about Beech-Nut dry cereals is that they are all-natural with added vitamins and minerals. They're free of preservatives, artificial flavors or colors, trans fat, soy, and added refined sugar. They support brain and eye development and digestive health. You can feel good about feeding your baby these cereals.

If you'd like to try one of these Beech-Nut Easy Pour™ dry baby cereal, just leave me a comment on this post and I'll randomly choose 3 winners this Saturday, 2 February. I'll even throw in a cute Beech-Nut stuffed bear for your little one!

Labels: baby products, giveaways, product review

Do any of you use baby wraps with your little ones? If so, what kind do you use?

I’ve always seen the benefits of wearing your baby to promote attachment. Now, I’m becoming a fan of baby wraps, thanks to the loan of one from a friend.

With Snuggle Bug, I used a Baby Bjorn. It was “okay” but the contraption was so bulky that I often bumped into things and knocked things over around the house when I was carrying Snuggle Bug and he seemed to fit in it rather precariously. It got to the point where I stopped using it.

Shortly after Baby Bug arrived, a friend lent me her baby wrap (that she had made herself) and gave me an in-person demonstration on how to use it for what’s considered a Hug Hold. It took me a while to get used to the awkwardness of getting the wrap on right but the more I used it, the quicker I got at it. Baby Bug seemed to enjoy being in it “most” of the time.

After about three weeks of having Baby Bug in our home, another friend gave me a Moby Wrap. She’d had it given to her as a gift for her daughter but the wrap was too short in length for her so she never used it.

I have to say I really love this Moby Wrap. It's comfortable and convenient. It came with a wonderful instruction booklet that gives you step-by-step picture instructions for 7 different ways to wear your baby (including how to wear twins and how to nurse your baby while wearing the wrap)!

I’ve found that although the Hug Hold works on Baby Bug when she’s tired, the Cradle Hold works even better. She likes to be held facing out and this method allows that, with great support for her head. I couldn’t wear Snuggle Bug facing out like that in the Baby Bjorn when he was this age.

Last night I had Baby Bug in the wrap and my hands were free to fold laundry while she slept. Wonderful! I intend to use this wrap to hold Baby Bug in the airport when she travels with us back to the Midwest for family visit in February.

If you haven’t looked into a wrap for your baby yet, I’d recommend the Moby Wrap! By the way, this was not a solicited product review. I’m writing this because I love this wrap and want to share the details with other moms.

Labels: Baby Bug, product review, shopping

The winners of this giveaway were announced right here!

Kira over at Random House asked if I wanted a review copy of the book Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler, a memoir by Wade Rouse. I'm always looking for the next good book to read so, of course, I said, "Yes!"

Imagine my surprise when I received not one copy, but six copies of this book! One for me and five to give away to my loyal readers!

I just finished this book last night. It was good!

Here's what the inside jacket says:

When Wade Rouse—a rural, public school graduate who grew up more Hee Haw than Dynasty—was hired as the director of publicity at the prestigious Tate Academy, he quickly discovered his real job was to make a few of the very pretty, very rich, very mean mommies of the elite students happy. Enter former Tate beauty queen and sports star Katherine Isabelle Ludington—Kitsy to her friends—who went to an Ivy, married an Ivy, and made a lot of money. Now, she is Wade’s VIP volunteer and a perfectly coiffed nightmare. In between designing Louis Vuitton–inspired reunion invitations, dressing as Ronald Reagan for Halloween, and surviving surprise Botox parties, Wade tries to tame Kitsy and her pink Lilly Pulitzer–clad posse while reclaiming his self-esteem. Following a year in the life of the super rich and super spoiled, Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler is hilarious, heartbreaking, and deliciously catty.

I just finished reading the book last night and the entire time I was reading it I kept thinking, 'Surely people don't really act like this?' I didn't go to a private school but I had some Barbies in my high school and I suspect their mothers were much like the Pink Ice Barbies described in this book!

This book not only delved into the materialistic mentality and cruelness of the "in" crowd, but the extrodinary efforts that Wade and others made to be accepted by these people, until the personal cost became too high.

I really enjoyed this book and I think you will too! If you'd like to win a copy of this book, just leave me a comment and I'll randomly choose five winners this Saturday, 24 November.

Now, I'm not including this as part of my November Pay It Forward Book Exchange but if you're a winner who'd like to share this book with others, by all means, please do so!

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, product review

Tony at Source Books sent me a great children's book recently and I wanted to share details about the book with you. It'd make a great Christmas gift! :)

I Love You More by Laura Duksta, illustrated by Karen Kessler, was originally self published in 2001 and it sold over 180,000 copies before it even hit a bookstore! I can understand why. It's a lovely book.

I Love You More is a cleverly conceived flip story, which ends in the middle and starts from either side. It shows you what love looks like from both a parent's and a child's perspective. It's message of love is elegant and moving!

From the parent's section:

I love you higher than the highest bird ever flew.
I love you taller than the tallest tree ever grew.
I love you longer than the longest path ever wound.
I love you prettier than the prettiest flower ever found.

From the child's section:

I love you quieter than the quietest caterpillar ever creeped.
I love you further than the furthest frog ever leaped.
I love you bigger than the biggest bubble ever blown.
I love you freer than the freest kite ever flown.

When I received the book in the mail, I sat down and read it to Snuggle Bug. He loved the bright and imaginative illustrations and he loved that he could flip the book over and read a second story! If you'd like to see some of the book's illustrations, head over to Amazon for an inside look.

I would highly recommend this book for your family, or to be given as a gift to a loved one!

Thanks, Tony, for sending me I Love You More. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Labels: books/reading, product review

Edited to add: The winner of my first book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, was Lace. The winner of my second book, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, was BeckyB. There are more books linked below to be won, so keep entering! My next Pay It Forward Book Exchange will be hosted on 5 November.

It's time for another one of my free Pay It Forward book giveaway!

Let me just recap the Pay It Forward Book Exchange concept for those who might have missed it.

Most all of us love to read and get “new-to-us” books, right? And if you’re anything like me, you love winning things (what a rush), not to mention getting fun stuff in the mail! So here’s what this book exchange is all about:

1) On the first Monday of each month I'll pick a couple of books to give away to two lucky readers (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be a book that someone has shared with me that I really like. It’ll probably be a paperback, just to make things easier, but no guarantees.

2) Details on how you can enter to win will be listed below.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway and you have your own blog I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book). If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive. If you're a non-blogger who has won the book, please consider donating the book to your local library or shelter after you're done with it.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time this month, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let me know so I can publish a post on my blog plugging your giveaway and directing my readers your way!

So there you have it, my Pay It Forward Book Exchange, designed to encourage people to read, to share good books, to possibly get you out of your reading comfort zone, and to get fun stuff in the mail instead of just bills!

Now then, my book giveaways for the month of October will be two books given to me by Lucy with booksprice.com. Thanks, Lucy!

Books Price is a really cool multiple price comparison website. Just to check it out, I typed in one of the books Lucy gave me and I got a long list of price comparisons. What's neat is that the price comparison even includes shipping costs. It's not just book prices that you can check, you can also look into DVDs, CDs, and games as well! If you haven't already, you really should check out booksprice.com.

Okay, now for my two books that are up for grabs!

1) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

I must admit, when I first saw this out in the stores and read the back cover, it didn't seem all that interesting to me. But when it was presented to me again I figured, 'Why not?' I'm so glad I read this book! It ended up being a really good read!

Here's an editorial review from Publishers Weekly:

With its spotlight on elephants, Gruen's romantic page-turner hinges on the human-animal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel (Riding Lessons and Flying Changes)—but without the mass appeal that horses hold. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures[...] He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. Despite her often clichéd prose and the predictability of the story's ending, Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes and freaks who populate her book.

2) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

This book was quite an emotional one to read. It was excellent! Oronzo grabbed it and read it before me. After reading it, he promptly went to Barnes & Noble and purchased another book by the author.

Here's the editorial review from Publishers Weekly:

Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of his childhood friend after the boy's parents are shot during the Taliban takeover in the mid '90s. Amir, the son of a well-to-do Kabul merchant, is the first-person narrator, who marries, moves to California and becomes a successful novelist. But he remains haunted by a childhood incident in which he betrayed the trust of his best friend, a Hazara boy named Hassan, who receives a brutal beating from some local bullies. After establishing himself in America, Amir learns that the Taliban have murdered Hassan and his wife, raising questions about the fate of his son, Sohrab. Spurred on by childhood guilt, Amir makes the difficult journey to Kabul, only to learn the boy has been enslaved by a former childhood bully who has become a prominent Taliban official. The price Amir must pay to recover the boy is just one of several brilliant, startling plot twists that make this book memorable both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. The character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut, from the portrait of the sensitive, insecure Amir to the multilayered development of his father, Baba, whose sacrifices and scandalous behavior are fully revealed only when Amir returns to Afghanistan and learns the true nature of his relationship to Hassan. Add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.

If you'd like to win either of these books, here is what you must do:

1. On your blog, write a post about this giveaway, using my "Pay It Forward" button, and then link back to my post. I am sure your readers would appreciate learning about the chance to win a book. You must complete this step to be put in the drawing, unless of course you don't have a blog!

2. Sign the Mr. Linky (the Mr. Linky is that list of names at the end of this post - just type your name in the box) with your name and the specific URL of your PIF post by end of day on Friday, 5 October. Note: If you are not a blogger, you may still enter. Just sign your name on the Mr. Linky without a URL and then email me your contact information. Please note on your email that it is for the PIF book giveaway.

I'll announce the winners this coming Saturday morning, so be sure to check back.

Best of luck!

Additional Pay It Forward Book Exchange Giveaways!

Shauna at Shauna Rumbling gave away the book The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith's on 5 October. Thanks, Shauna!

Kathleen Marie at The Open Window gave away four books on 6 October! She gave away the books Stuffed by Brian Wiprud, Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker, The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy, and The Amen Sisters by Angela Benson. Thanks, Kathleen Marie!

Paige at Superpaige's Pad gave away the book I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith on 8 October. Thanks, Paige!

Beth at Sportsmomma gave away two books: Dear John by Nicolas Sparks and Extravagant Grace on 9 October. Thanks, Beth!

April at Butterfly Kisses gave away three books: 3 Seconds by Les Parrott, Are you kidding, God? ME, a Prudent Woman by Melissa Jansen, and Every Breath She Takes by Suzanne Forster on 10 October. Thanks, April!

Carrie at with all that I've been given gave away two books: Going Over East: Reflections of a Woman Rancher by Linda M. Hasselstrom and Herbs for Health and Happiness by Mo Siegel on 10 October. Thanks, Carrie!

Julie at Joyful Days gave away the book Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden on 14 October. Thanks, Julie!

Cloudscome at a wrung sponge gave away the book Sugar Cage by Connie May Fowler on 14 October. Thanks, Cloudscome!

Libby at Lessons from the Tortoise gave away the book The Noah Confessions by Barbara Hall on 15 October. Thanks, Libby!

Magpie at Magpie Musing gave away the book Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman on 15 October. Stop by her blog to enter to win. Thanks, Magpie!

Blue Momma at Life in the Fishbowl gave away the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy on 18 October. Thanks, Blue Momma!

Vail at Thoughts of a Wannabe gave away the book Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella on 19 October. Thanks, Vail!

Julie at Joyful Days gave away the book The Divine Appointment by Jerome Teel on 21 October. Thanks, Julie!

Beckyb at In the Pages gave away the book Cave of the Dark Wind by Ridley Pearson on 22 October. Thanks, Becky!

Karen at Mommy of Three gave away the book Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore on 31 October. Stop by her blog to enter to win. Thanks, Karen!

Briggie at There is Power In Prayer... gave away the book Dinner With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory on 31 October. Thanks, Briggie!

Elrena at Elrena Evens gave away the book Life among the Savages by Shirley Jackson on 1 November. Thanks, Elrena!

If anyone else is hosting a Pay It Forward Book Exchange giveaway this month and you'd like me to link you on this post, just leave me a comment letting me know the details and I'll be happy to add you!

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward, product review