I love to read so when I learned it was good to read to little ones all the time I was very happy for the opportunity to get even more titles under my belt. I started reading to my son even before he was born, then when he was so little that it didn't matter what i read I would sit in the rocking chair nursing him and reading out loud from whatever book I was in the middle of at the time. A little Life with Jeeves (A Jeeves and Bertie Compendium)
All that reading paid off because now I have a 2 year old who loves to read. We read a book before nap and a few books before bed and then throughout the day he will randomly bring books out of his room and ask you to read them. If you ever visit our house be prepared to read a few books to the little one, just letting you know.
In the spirit of all those children's books that we read every day I thought I would do a little review here to maybe help out any of those parents or grandparents or friends who are looking for a book to read or gift to the little ones in their lives.
My Car by Byron Barton. I want to say this book is simple and when I first picked it off the shelf at the library I thought there was no way I would enjoy this book but because my son LOVES cars I would take one for the team so to speak and check it out. Each page is illuminated with bright high contrast colors which put a smile on my face each time I opened the book. Only a few words expand the story on each page making it perfect for the youngest readers. Sam (the main and dare I say only character) takes you through the workings of his car and a day in his driving life. There is even a little twist at the end which as a parent I could see coming form a mile away but my little guy found very amusing once he 'got it' which was about the third time around. All-in-all we hated to give this one back to the library and if my guy was a little bit younger I would probably purchase it for his collection but at his age I don't think it would hold his literary interest for much longer. If you are looking for a book for the very youngest ones I would say newborn to 3 years old would really enjoy this book.
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. I am putting this one on here for two reasons. 1. It was Dr. Suess' birthday earlier this week and 2. people seem to wonder what the right age is for Dr. Suess. Dr. Suess is like Reese's peanut butter cups, "There's no wrong age to read Suess." It is bright, it is cute, it is smart, it is funny, it rhymes, it teaches a lesson, the list could virtually go on for ever (especially since this is a virtual platform but who cares about semantics). We all want our children to be bright, smart, cute, full of lessons and speaking in rhyme which would be funny and there in proves my point. Read Dr. Suess to your children from the youngest age for all of those reasons and one more oft overlooked but truthfully very important reason, you will like it too!
This next one I haven't read yet but it is much anticipated
Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman. I have a weird relationship with Neil Gaiman mostly because we have never met written each other or spoken to each other but over looking all of those things I don't like his books. At least I can't seem to get through a single one of his books for adults, his children's fare however are real page turners for me, go figure. Anyway this is his newest tale for tots, it comes out very soon and I am very interested in picking up a copy to share with the little guy. Here is a cool website where you can here Neil read the book.
Childrens book review
Wednesday's Wonderful Review - Flat Earth Chips
I found these chips by Flat Earth at Target not too long ago and thought I would try them, a chip that is good for you and tastes good? I was skeptical but I thought what the hell so I gave them a chance. Turns out they are good and if the package can be believed they are good for me too. They have six flavors three veggie and three fruit. You get 1/2 a serving in each ounce of chips you eat. These pictures represent my favorite flavors but the baby likes their Apple Cinnamon Grove the best but this isn't his blog so I get to pick the pictures. 
Now that I know these chips are out there I have been looking for them on the shelf when I do my regular grocery shopping. I was a little shocked at first because I thought they would be more of a specialty item but there they were at every major grocery store I have been to do my weekly shopping. Like anything they should be eaten in moderation but I love that I can snack on them without feeling bad for eating some chips and I can pass them along to the little one without feeling like I am starting him on a bad habit of eating greasy fatty potato chips. He can actually get some nutrition form these while having a tasty snack, Yea!
Wednesdays Wonderful Review - The Pitbull
They are fun and lovable, high energy and beautiful animals but are they deadly? My sister has two pitbulls and they are nothing but friendly. They play and have fun with themselves and with us. They are no different than any other dog who is your playmate and companion. Dogs are animals and any animal can be provoked or cornered into violence as humans we must never forget that just because we are smarter does not mean we can change the nature of an animal. The question is: is the nature of a Pitbull to be mean and the answer is no. I think for the most part PitBulls are given a bad rap. You hear about them in the news more often than other breads attacking other dogs or people but do they really attack more often? I'm not so sure. Every animal just like every person should be judged on a case by case basis and should not all be lumped together. Pitbulls are at the mercy of the 'one bad apple' rule. Now governments around the country are trying to pass laws that do not allow their citizens to own Pitbulls. Why punish dogs that have done nothing wrong? If a dog attacks a human they should be put down no question but a dog should not be put down because of the type of dog they are it is no different than hanging people due to the color of their skin. It is not right and should not be done.
Besides do you even know what a pitbull is? You can find the test in this blog.
Wednesday’s Wonderful Review – Clorox Greenworks
I have been on a quest to get more “green” since the Live Earth concert last July 7-7-07. In keeping with this quest I have begun replacing my conventional household cleaners with “green” cleaners. It does not make sense to clean up a mess by spraying deadly chemicals all over your house. So, I picked up Clorox GreenWorks the other day. It is made with lemon oil, glycerin a coconut based cleaning agent, ethanol, some dye, water and a biodegradable preservative. Now my first issue is that they do not tell you what the biodegradable preservative actually is but above that there is one big problem with this cleaner.
It leaves a sticky residue. At first I thought because it is “green” it just does not have the cleaning power that chemicals do and so it was not getting ride of all of the spill or whatever I was trying to clean up at the moment. After a few times however I realized that spots which were not sticky when I started became sticky when I was done. The mark on the table would be gone but everywhere I had just wiped my cloth was now sticky. To get rid of the stickiness that the GreenWorks left behind I had to then wipe the table down with water.
What’s the point in that? When this bottle is empty I will be trying a different brand of “green” cleaner
Wednesday's Wonderful Review - Cloverfield
WARNING - THERE ARE DEFINITELY SPOILERS IN HERE
I have heard that this movie is either a love or hate thing.In a room full of people one guy tells me he loves the movie and I should most definitely see it for myself then as soon as I turn around there is another person telling me it is awful and I should not waste my time. The previews always looked intriguing to me so last night we sat down and had a look.
The entire movie is shot off the cuff from the point of view of Hud the poor sap who has been put in charge of documenting his best friend, Rob's going away party with home video camera. Due to this concept it starts off a little slow because they can't introduce you to all the characters like is done in a traditional movie, you kind of get thrown in and have to piece the story together as you go but in the long run the movie is all the better for it.
About half way through the party Manhattan gets attacked by monsters. We never find out where the monsters came from or what they are doing here on Earth but one thing is clear, they do not come in peace. This sends Roy, his brother Jason, Jason's girlfriend Lily, Hud and the target of Hud's pickup lines Marlena on a crazy trek across the island to rescue Rob's would be girlfriend Beth.
The plot itself is not that unique. Along the way the group holds up in a convenience store as dust from falling buildings gusts past the windows and begin walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in scenes that made me think of 911. They hold up in a subway station and quickly learn that the monsters are having babies when the group is attacked by the little guys leaving Marlena bitten. They run into a make-shift Military Post where a flurry of confusion breaks out when someone yells "We've got a Bite" then Marlena is drug off behind a curtain. We see blood splatter but it is still unclear if the military shot her or her head exploded and I am not sure if I missed something or I am supposed to wonder. They do finally make it to Beth but I must tell you if the building I was going to was in the shape this one was in I would have to call the whole thing off. On the way back to safety each member of the group is picked off one by one until all we are left with is the two lovers Rob and Beth. I will not tell you the very end but I will say we still do not know who won the humans or the monsters.
I can see why some might not like this movie, the camera shakes around and it really isn't anything new in the plot department. For others though it is great because the camera shakes around constantly, it never breaks the Point Of View there is never a moment where everything goes completely steady thus making the home video aspect unbelievable and although it isn't anything really amazing as far as the plot is concerned they do what they do well and the monsters are kind of cool. Overall I give the movie a 4 out of 5. I think those people who can stop their brains from saying "why is the camera shaking" every two seconds will really like Cloverfield.
Weekly Review - Barrack's Books
The audio version of Dreams of my Father has an epiloge which includes his speech at the last Democratic National convention. After hearing the story of his life, learning where all his convictions come from that speech brought tears to my eyes. And I did not even vote for the guy (in the primaries that is).
