Last month, I received two books to review: GOOD DEALS & SMART STEALS by the editors of Good Housekeeping and O’S BIG BOOK OF HAPPINESS. (Both books are easy reads and make great gift options for the holiday season.)

GOOD DEALS & SMART STEALS
This book would be great for your “frugal” friends. (Actually, with this economy, who isn’t looking for a great deal?) The book shares hundreds of ideas for saving money on a variety of purchases (including daily household items to larger purchases like appliances, vacations, cars, etc.). This paperback book is divided into two sections: How to be a Smart Shopper and Get a Good Deal. The tips are a helpful reference source (but be forewarned, your super frugal friends probably already know many of the tips). There are enough ideas, referrals and such spread throughout the book that every reader should walk away with at least a few new good tips. For the average reader, the deals and steals will more than make up for the book’s purchase price ($9.95).

O’S BIG BOOK OF HAPPINESS
This is a beautiful hard-covered book that I’m looking forward to getting all the way through. The book is basically a “best-of-the-best’ collection of articles from O, Oprah Magazine. Currently, I’m reading the Your Mind/Your Body section which is about diet, health, faith, confidence and such. Other sections include Dating, Mating, Relating and Dreaming Big. I like how many of Oprah’s writings focus on growth, so this book is right up my alley. This would be a welcome gift to people who love Oprah’s magazine (there are many!) or a great addition to your personal home library. (You can get a sneak peek/ see the table of contents and read sample stories here.)

So, what (if anything during this FULL holiday season) are you reading this month?

(To read about what others are reading this month, visit What’s on Your Nightstand.)

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Back in June, I reviewed Joy is the Greatest Gift the debut title of Focus Friends, LLC., a series of children’s picture books and related products for ages 2-9. Now, their second book Appreciation Party! is available and they are giving away a copy to one Mom in the City member.

Although I’m not crazy about the main character’s name (Appreciakate), I like this book. Similar to the first title in this series, Appreciation Party! is beautifully illustrated with a positive “non-preachy” message. Eris Klein (the illustrator) is very talented and shares realistic depictions of a racially diverse group of kids. The storyline of the book involves a party being held in order to celebrate the gift of appreciation. Then, various things that kids can appreciate (family, toys, etc.) are revealed. I like that at the end of the book, there is a page that allows the kids to write their own “Appreciation List”.

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the book by leaving their name in the “Comments” section along with one thing that would be on their personal “Appreciation List” or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Appreciate” and the answer in the Subject line by December 15th (just in time for holiday gifting!).

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We are giving away a copy of Eat This, Not That! For Kids! to one Mom in the City member.

I (Kimberly) have this book and it provides a great way for parents to teach their children how to eat what they want (or close to it!) without becoming obese. The authors give a variety of similar foods that you can swap for one another. Ultimately, the goal is to teach parents how to make smart choices so that they can in turn teach their kids to do so too.

At the beginning of the book, the authors provide some simple to follow “rules” (i.e. never skip breakfast, having structured mealtimes, etc.). It then goes on to share the best things to get to eat out at various places (restaurants, supermarkets, school and at home). Lastly, the book ends with examples of fun activities that parents can do with their kids to help them lose pounds. As someone who is NOT obsessed with my kids’ weight at all, I still found the book to be full of helpful, informative tips (for all ages!).

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win the book by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Eat” in the Subject line by September 30th.

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I read an excerpt from Dinner with Dad written by Cameron Stracher in the June issue of New York Family. It was excellent. I thought that it would make a great book to review and/or be a giveaway on our site. Fortunately, Random House agreed. They sent me a copy to review and they will be giving away a copy to one lucky Mom in the City member. (Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “Dinner” in the Subject line by September 15th).

Normally, I’m reading three to four books at a time. This month though, with all of the school prep going on, I haven’t been reading as much. Dinner with Dad is worth the read though! Basically, the book is about Mr. Stracher’s attempt to be home for dinner with his family five nights a week (and to cook some of the nights!) in an effort to strengthen relationships with his family members/create more “balance” in their lives. To put it lightly, the transition is not easy for his “Type A” personality. Along the way, he learns (what most of us moms already know!) that his sacrifices (shopping, cooking, simply being there) aren’t always acknowledged or appreciated. Sometimes, he slips into self-pity, but for the most part, he is a good sport. While reflecting on his efforts, Mr. Stracher did well in actually getting home for dinner; not so great in cooking half of the meals that he was home for; and he realizes the financial consequences of changing his work schedule.

As someone who really values family dinners, I found this book both realistic and humorous. Hands-on parenting is not easy/for the faint of heart, but it is SO worth it. I’m very grateful that my husband has a family-friendly job (teacher) and schedule. Eating dinner together most nights of the week is one of the greatest gifts that I think we have been able to give to our kids so far!

(To read about what others are reading, visit What’s on Your Nightstand.)

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As I run across information that I find useful in preparing for my son to go to pre-school, I’ll be sharing it with you. This week’s focus is “getting ready for pre-k” books.

-I read a really great article in the August Time Out New York Kids magazine, called “Favorite back-to-school books“. In the article, NYC librarians share some of the best school-themed books that will help kids get excited about going to school. You can find the article online here. (I’ve put some of the books on hold at my local library and I will be checking local bookstores to see what they have in stock.)

And

-I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a “flash card mama”. I prefer to teach my kids in a more natural way. At the same time though, I want to make sure that my son is set up to win in preschool. The workbook that we’re using to make sure that the general bases are covered is Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills, Preschool. It’s pretty thick (almost 550) pages but very user-friendly. The four sections are: Basic Concepts and Skills; Writing Readiness; Reading Readiness and Mathematics Readiness. The writing sections are the ones that I find particularly helpful (those are the most challenging for my “want to get everything right the first time” left-handed boy). As an incentive, we give my son Michael a “check” every time that he completes a page. When every page has a check, he gets to pick out a special prize. (He’s already claimed his victor’s prize – a Wall.E. video game.)

The BIG Book

(To see what other moms around the web are “tackling” today visit Tackle it Tuesday).

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Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, school consultant, and author or co-author of eight books. Many years ago when I was volunteering with a children’s group, I was given his classic bestseller, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. Fast forward to March 2008 and Dr. Thompson has a new book It’s a Boy!: Understanding Your Son’s Development from Birth to Eighteen published.

Over the last few months, there have been so many articles written about young boys and the challenges in raising them. Personally, I feel like I have had a relatively smooth adjustment in raising my two boys, but I still have questions (i.e. regarding having realistic expectations; educational questions; etc.) So, I reached out to Dr. Thompson and asked him if he would answer ten questions from Mom in the City readers that dealt specifically with preschool aged (five and under) boys.

Well, initially he declined (he does have an extremely full schedule!). The great thing though is that I never received that email response. I did receive his second e-mail. His It’s a Boy! co-author Teresa Barker had encouraged him to reconsider. It turns out that I’m the first “mommy blogger” to reach out to them, so…long story shortened… Dr. Thompson is going to answer our questions (yay!). Sometimes, you luck out just by being first, right?

Here’s where you all come in …what question would you like to ask Dr. Thompson? Please leave your question in the “Comments” section below or email your questions to me at kimberly@mominthecity.com by August 31st.

**Everyone is welcome to participate in this “call for questions” including other bloggers — I’m totally alright with other bloggers asking their readers for questions and posting the completed Q&A on their blogs once it’s done in September…I think that Dr. Thompson is that helpful!**

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The last book in my read-a-thon was When Organizing Isn’t Enough by organizing expert Julie Morgenstern. Organization is one of my favorite topics, so I was eager to read this book. Although it’s a good read overall, I think that it’s best for people looking to make a change in their life. (Right now, that’s not me. I’m committed to my “Mommy Decade” for at least another five years.)

Basically, the book shares a SHED program that helps readers figure out which physical and time attachments are holding them back. It helps the readers to pick a theme for their change/next step. SHED is an acronym for:

Separate the Treasures (physical, schedule & habits)
Heave the Trash (physical, schedule & habits)
Embrace Your Identity (she encourages self-trust, discipline and living in the moment)
Drive Yourself Forward

Morgenstern uses real life examples and practical steps along with a variety of resources where you can get rid of the items that you want to eliminate. So, if you are in need (or want!) of a life change, this book could be a helpful guide.

Mom in the City newsletter subscribers can enter to win this book (and be able to take the free online SHED test) by leaving your name in the “Comments” section below or by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with “SHED” in the Subject line by July 31st.

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I hope that everyone had a great Fourth of July week-end. I certainly did.

On Friday, we kept it really simple and hung out as a family around the house. I was so happy because I was able to read, read, and read! I was able to read (skim the parts that didn’t grab my attention) four books. One (The Rough Guide to Blogging) was just okay.

The next one, The Power of Nice, was great. The authors, Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, write about finding “nice” solutions (primarily in business, but also in personal life situations). They share principals and practical exercises (i.e. doing 5 nice things that don’t benefit you at all). They encourage the following: working with others; not being self-focused; being fun to be around; helping others – both friends and enemies; focusing more on doing your personal best than competing against others; being honest; listening and more. I especially like the point that they make about being empathetic/ putting yourself in the other person’s shoes/ trying to see things from other’s perspective. That’s something that I have to work on more. For instance, I’m not a big fan of meetings – never have been; probably never will be. My preference in dealing with matters that I don’t need to see/experience in person is 1. E-mail 2. Phone and then 3. Meetings (if absolutely necessary). I think that if I put myself in the other person’s shoes in these types of situations, it would help. (No, really, I’m bad with meetings/ any time that I have to sit for a period of time without interaction. I had to really train myself not to fall asleep during church services. When I was in “corporate America”, I would always sit next to a friend at long meetings, so that they could pinch/nudge me to wake up when (not if!) I dozed off.) In any event, the book offered some wonderful tips and as my southern family always used to say, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar!”

Next, I read Display of Power by Daymond John, one of the creators of FUBU a clothing line. I like autobiographical accounts and this was a pretty good one. Mr. John had a pseudo-street upbringing and did some not so great things (like many of us!) while growing up. The main point of the book was that as humans, we pretty much start out with the same potential. It is what we do with what we have that determines our success or failure. I understand his point, but I don’t totally agree with it. I’m one of those combination nature/nurture believers. I think that everyone should do the best with what they have, but I don’t think that everyone has the same advantages (from birth/from life) and that by exerting the same effort will have the same outcomes. What I do like about the book though is that he honors his mom and the women in his life; he show the “hunger” and sacrifice that is necessary for success; he shares his failures as well as his successes; and that he acknowledges those that helped him along the way.

Eventually, Sean (my sixteen months old son) came into the room and kept closing my book, saying “The End” so that was the end of my read-a-thon.

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Besides work-related books, I have primarily been reading “spiritual” books lately including the following:
-No One Like Him: Jesus and His Message
-The Prideful Soul’s Guide to Humility
-Who is Jesus?
And
-A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

All of these books have been great (and personally challenging). I have enough to work on in my character for the rest of the year (and many years to come). So, I’m moving on to “lighter fare” this month.

On the child front, the following books have been popular around here:
-Llama, Llama Mad at Mama
-Snow Bears
-Everyone Bonjours!
-Peg Leg Peke
And
-The Ballad of Wilbur and the Moose

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Recently, I was contacted by two moms who are producing a series of children’s picture books and related products for ages 2-9 under Focus Friends, LLC. I agreed to read their debut title Joy is the Greatest Gift and I’m so glad that I did!

I think that Joy is the Greatest Gift would make a great gift for all kids, but especially for little girls. The main character Joyann shows children different ways to celebrate joy every day in practical ways (i.e. jumping barefoot in puddles, squishing sand between your toes, etc.). It is beautifully illustrated and shares a positive message (without being too “preachy”). I also like that at the end of the book, there is a page that allows the kids to write their own “Joy List”.

(Their second book, Appreciation Party, is expected to be released this fall.)

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