All posts by Alicia

Book & CD review: A Duck in New York City

Age 3-5, Bedtime, Books, ,

DuckinnewyorkcityThis is one book that I have to read to Madelyn every night lately.   We even b
ring it on trips because it's such a part of her bedtime routine. 
A Duck in New York City is about a little prairie duck who follows his dream to dance on Broadway.  His prairie duck friends think he's being unrealistic but he takes off for New York anyway.  He flies and flies all the while saying "Yes, you can" to motivate himself to get to N.Y.C. 
Luckily, a truck-driver
named Big Betty comes along, offers him a ride , and gives him that
extra little boost he needs to fulfill his dream!  The little prairie
duck takes advantage of his time at rest stops to practice and show off
his dancing skills which pays off in the end.  You'll have to read the
book to learn what happens!

"Yes, you can" is repeated throughout the book and is a catchy line making it easy for preschoolers to remember and recite with you while reading the book.  Madelyn has become very good at saying this line right when we get to it every time.

A Duck in New York City comes with a CD and the second part of the book includes the lyrics for the songs on the CD.  Songs include Slug Opera, Alligator Waltz, and Seed in the Ground.  My kids love listening to this CD in the car.  There is also a PDF file on the CD with the lyrics in French and English.

Learn more and buy A Duck in New York City here.
.

Your thoughts and prayers please

Personal

I typically don't publish personal posts here but I can't help but request your thoughts and prayers for the next few days.

My Uncle passed away this morning.
Despite the fact that it was somewhat expected, it was still a shock to get the phone call.
He had Alzheimer's and was only in his mid 60's. He suffered with Alzheimer's for going on about 10 years now, but before the last 10 years he was humorous, always trying to make us laugh. He was the type to say "pull my finger" and make silly sounds. Yes, it was gross.. there's no denying that. But the silly things that he did made him special and made him stand out in my memories as I got older.

Besides being very sad that he has passed, I am more sad for my cousins who are too young (early 30's and 40) to have lost their father already. My cousin Kami has two young children, 3 and 1 who called him Papa and loved him dearly despite Papa not knowing who they were some of the time. The kids saw my Uncle, their Grandfather Papa, almost every day for their entire lives and grew up knowing him as he was and accepted and loved him that way.

I was under the impression that Alzheimer's sufferers usually died of other complications such as Pneumonia but from what I understand my Uncle died suddenly this morning after asking for help to sit up. He apparently died in my Aunt and cousin's arms very quickly and unexpectedly. I can't imagine their shock and heartache to experience his passing that way.

The kids and I will go to Kentucky for the funeral Thursday a.m. and spend a couple of days there. I am not sure whether or not I will take the kids to the funeral as they were just saw him over Thanksgiving and I feel as though they, especially my 9 year old, might take it very hard to see his body. Madelyn, my 2 year old probably wouldn't know the difference. Sebastian however, went to my Grandfather's funeral over the summer and took it pretty hard. I don't know if I can put him through that again.

I would appreciate your prayers for my cousins as I know this will be very difficult for them.

Sincerely,

Alicia

What do you think? News: Domestic Abuse Against Men — It Happens

Parents & celebrities in the news

I've wondered about this.  I'm sure there are a lot of women out there that have serious self esteem issues or grew up being abuse which could be why some women accept domestic abuse from their husband or boyfriend more than others.  I'm not surprised that men are afraid to report that they are being abused by their wife or girlfriend.  What man wants to call the police saying that his wife beat him with a pot or threw a remote control at him and continued to hit him with it?  The fear of being laughed at, made fun of, not believed by police, or by being taken to jail himself after his wife says she did it out of self defense may be enough for most men to put up with the abuse.. for a little while at least.  I believe that men are more likely to get out of an abusive situation than women though.

Writeback
Do you know a woman or a man that has been or is currently in a domestic abuse situation?
If so, how you have you tried to help him or her out of the situation?
If not, what do you think is a realistic solution for a man or a woman who is abused by a spouse or partner?


Here is the beginning of the original article.
Excerpt from Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, Commentary, Dwight Hobbes, Posted: Dec 30, 2008

Domestic abuse against men — yes, it happens. You’re going to have a
hard time finding statistics, because reluctant as many women are to
report abusive husbands or boyfriends to the authorities out of fear of
his retaliation or because they’ve been conditioned to accept the
abuse, men are even less likely to pick up the phone, dial 911 and say
their wife or girlfriend just went upside their head or threw a pot at
them. Read the full article here.

My life this week

Personal, ,

FloridasebastiangrandmaWe arrived in Florida from Atlanta Friday and have had such a great time. My
father lives on a lake (it's a small spring fed lake without alligators!) and a huge yard with perfect green grass, we like to stay at the house so we can play outside and enjoy the looking at the lake.

Here are a few reasons I love coming here..

  • Floridamadelyndock
    The kids have a blast playing outside most of their awake time.  It gets cold in Atlanta so the warm weather is great!
  • I can sit on the back porch and watch them play while I look at the lake which is really relaxing for me
  • My sister or Tim usuFloridaonthelake
    ally come with the kids and I and help watch and play with the kids giving me little breaks.
  • I can work at the dining room table which is surrounded by windows about 10 feet wide and 5 feet tall making it possible for me to look outside and watch the kids interact with my Dad, Step-Mom or Sister and I can see the lake.

Store review: The Children’s Place fleece (and other) pajamas

Baby & Kids Clothing, Bedtime, , , ,

The Children’s Place has been one of my favorite children’s clothing stores since Sebastian was little.  He is 9 years old now.  The Children’s Place is known to provide customers with
a high-quality selection at prices that represent a
substantial value relative to other competitors. Like
most parents, I enjoy getting discounts and paying low prices for
clothes that I know are of the highest quality and I know that when I
go to The Children’s Place I am going to do just that.  If you haven’t
been yet, you’ve got to find your local store or visit their website and check it out!

I recently found out about The Children’s Place new line of fleece & cotton pajamas and Sebastian got a style that he LOVES!  Sebastian has the guitar rock pj set.
In addition to their fleece pajama collection which is primarly winter
and holiday styles, they have regular cotton pajamas that will fit any
personality including space, cars and planes, robots, flowers, and
princesses.  Keep even your youngest child warm in The Children’s Place pajamas.  Sizes start at 0 months and go up to XL14.
Sebastian is 9 years old and wears their size 10 pajamas.

PRICE: The Children’s Place pajamas start at $10 for sale items and go up to just $16.50!

GIVEAWAY!
We
have a $30 gift card for The Children’s Place to giveaway to one lucky
reader. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite pajama style and
anything else you want to tell me about The Children’s Place and you
will be entered to win.  Read our official comment contest giveway rules below.

Go to The Children’s Place website to find pajamas for all of your kids and you can even find matching pajamas for the entire family!

When
you enter, your email address will be added to our weekly mailing list
but we do not spam!  Our newsletter features links to our latest
product reviews, coupon codes, and giveaways and occasionaly features a
sponsor ad for a unique store that you will love learning about.