Adorable Personalized Book Review!

 This has got to be one of the cutest things I have seen in a while- In The Book Personalized Stories. 

It was so easy to use, the hard part is deciding which adorable story to choose! We decided to go with Me and My Pet and it was a huge success according to Raphael, our official book tester:

She was so excited as her name turned up on each page along with her dog's name, Bob. She also could not believe that SHE was the star of her own storybook. 

This is such a great birthday gift...

Or Chanukah gift...

And this is something that they will keep and cherish forever...

You have the option to add a photo of your cutie-pie, which we did-

Depending on the story you pick, you can customize it accordingly, from eye color to hair, to clothes to skin tone. It was so fun to make and even more fun to read. 

Head on over to In The Book and use code FREESHIP for free shipping off your next order.

Hope your little one loves their new book as much as mine did!

Always,

Book Review: Shabbos and Yom Tov Divrei Torah for Children - Volume 2: Torah Thoughts for Children

Book Review: Shabbos and Yom Tov Divrei Torah for Children - Volume 2: Torah Thoughts for Children

Rabbi Goldstein sent me a copy of this wonderful book to review, and who better to review it then my own kids.

What I love about his Dvar Torahs is that they are short, sweet and so meaningful. Each one opens with a concise introduction, followed by a question, an answer and a lesson. It is so clear and easy for almost anyone to understand as well as internalize.

Here are 2 sample Dvar Torahs that you can actually use this week. I would love to hear how it went at your Shabbos table!

This is a great book for any Jewish home- CLICK HERE to purchase it from Amazon as well as take a look inside the book.

Wishing you and yours a happy and light filled Chanukah,

Always, 

Book Review - Feeling Better A-Z

Feeling Better A-Z 

A Book about Bikur Cholim

by Malka Nussbaum Chomer

I received this book to review and my kids absolutely loved it. The colorful illustrations really brought this story to life.This book really shows kids how they can perform the mitzvah of Bikur Cholim, visiting the sick, in a very real way. 

I love how the author uses each letter of the alphabet to help children discover so many ways in which they can cheer up someone who is not feeling well. C for a call, F for flowers, M for music, and T for Tehillim are all great ways to help someone feel better, just to name a few.

The illustrations show a young brother and sister overjoyed to help their friends, spend time with their elderly bubby, and visit their mother who just had a baby! 

You can find it on Amazon by clicking here or from Mostly Music by clicking here

I highly recommend this book for every home and classroom, Feeling Better A to Z can be a springboard for even more creative ideas about Bikur Cholim for the entire family.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Always, 

Book Review: The Shabbat Treasure by Evelyn Goldfinger

The Shabbat Treasure by Evelyn Goldfinger is a very sweet story about a little girl named Eve who is so excited to be getting ready for Shabbat. I just adore the way she dances in front of her mirror and looks outside at the sky dreamily imagining when the Shabbat Queen will arrive.

 Her adventurous little brother Leo, however, seems to have some other ideas. He has taken the 3 Shabbat elements (the candlesticks, the challah, and the wine) and hidden them around the house and has now sent Eve on a mission to find them.

She does so with a smile as she dances through the house, completing each of Leo's challenges to find them- but then something unfortunate happens. 

You see the kind-hearted nature of Eve in how she deals with this event and how she treats her brother Leo.

Whether your child is in touch with their inner dancing princess or adventurous pirate, I am sure your child will love this story and it's colorful illustrations that go along with it.

Click here to get it from Amazon!

I hope your little ones enjoy it as much as mine did,

Have a wonderful Shabbat,

Always,

The Joys of Reading on Shabbos

Oh, how I love Shabbos.

Now that my kids are getting older, and we live in a warm climate, Shabbos is the day they get to see all their friends that they don't get to see during the week. 

They play outside all day, I barely see them except for the meals.

We have great company come over and I love all the delicious foods.

But most of all, I love love love- did I mention LOVE?- my Shabbos afternoon reading time.

After the meal, my husband makes me a cup of chamomile tea and I go to the living room which has huge windows which are always open, letting in the most gorgeous breeze. 

I plop down on the big leather sofas choosing the spot where the sun is shining onto and just curl up and read, read, read.

Oh, how much I enjoy my reading. 

During the week, I will admit that I am too distracted by life, computers and smart phones to sit down and read. Even in the evenings, I usually just crash after a long day.

But on Shabbos, when I know there is absolutely nothing that needs to get done, the kids are all entertaining each other and I get this juicy time to indulge.

The books I am currently reading and loving are:

The Rising Life by Rochie Pinson

Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

Flourish by Mary Jo Tate

These books are so fantastic in their own way and truly compliment each other. Here are some of my favorite parts of the books. I highly recommend each one!

The Rising Life

"On Shabbat we return to our essential selves. The fact that we cannot create anything new on Shabbat means that we, and the world, have the permission to simply exist, exactly as we are, for this one day of the week. What a relief!"

"Nobody's Challah dough is inherently prettier then the next persons. It's not about the finished product. When we are fully present during the process, the results- though they may not be 'perfect looking'- will be a flawless reflection of our love and care. And, therefore, the Challah is perfect.

This idea holds true, so true, in the raising of our children and the nurturing of our loved ones. When we parent and nurture with our whole being and focus on the process rather then try to achieve desired results, we find that the results end up being sweet and perfect."

Cleaning House

"Do your kids expect clean folded clothes to magically appear in their drawers? Do they roll their eyes when you suggest they clean the bathroom? By racing in to make their lives easy, have you unintentionally reinforced your children’s belief that the world revolves around them?
 
Dismayed at the attitude of entitlement that had crept into her home, Kay Wyma got some attitude of her own. Cleaning House is her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her five kids to basic life skills and the ways meaningful work can increase earned self-confidence and concern for others.
 
With irresistible humor and refreshing insights, Kay candidly details the ups and downs of equipping her kids for such tasks as making beds, refinishing a deck chair, and working together. The changes that take place in her household will inspire you to launch your own campaign to dislodge your kids from the center of their universe."

Her goals at the end of the book (and mine too!):

Top 12 things a Kid should know before leaving Home
1. how to make a bed and maintain an orderly room
2. how to cook and clean a kitchen
3. how to do yard work
4. how to clean a bathroom
5. how to get a job... outside our home
6. how to do laundry
7. how to host a party
8. how to do handyman jobs
9. how to work together
10. how to run errands
11. how to put others first through service
12. how to act mannerly

Flourish-Balance for Homeschool Moms

This is really great for all the overwhelmed Homeschooling moms out there. She has this great Pre-Book Self Evaluation that you do before you begin to read it with questions such as:

"What is the most frustrating aspect of your daily life?

What brings you the greatest satisfaction?

What are your biggest personal challenges? 

What are your biggest family challenges?

What is currently missing in your life that you'd like to make time for?"

It really helps put so many things into perspective and helps those of us who just have so much going on put things into their boxes and deal with every issue one at a time.

You would think I was writing a thesis on Motherhood! But I am enjoying these books so much and they truly compliment each other in so many ways.

Wishing you all a wonderful and happy Chanukah,

Always

Jewish Book Reviews

You know that saying, 'too much of something is never good'?

Well, I must disagree.

In my humble opinion, you can have too many toys, too many games, too much nosh and too much stuff. 

But there is one thing I think you can never have too much of: 

Books. Good books.

If you are going to make one investment into your kids homeschooling journey, I say buy books, books and more books. A home filled with books is a gorgeous home.

Having said that, Feldheim has sent me 4 adorable books to enjoy, review and share with you- enjoy:

Shuki's Upside-Down Dream

By Yaffa Ganz

           Did you ever have a funny dream? How about a topsy-turvy, upside-down dream? After Shuki protests elderly Aunt Esther's upcoming visit, he has a very strange dream that helps him see things in a whole new way. This important "wake-up call" turns Aunt Esther's visit into a special time. This classic book by Yaffa Ganz has been reprinted with new illustrations to help children of today's generation with the mitzvah of respecting the elderly.

We Can Do Mitzvos Around the Jewish Year

By Yael Zoldan

            Jewish children can be part of the action as they join their parents and get involved in the holidays! With lively rhymes and vivid illustrations, We Can Do Mitzvos Around the Jewish Year tells what each Yom Tov is all about, showing mitzvos that kids can do on each of these special days.

Around the Clock: A Jewish Child Learns to Tell Time

By Aviva Werner

            When a child becomes curious about clocks and time-telling, Around the Clock is the perfect place to start! In this beautifully illustrated book, author Aviva Werner and artist Avi Katz team up to capture the essence of a day in the life of a Jewish child. Page by page, children will love learning to recognize the hour hand on the clock and how it relates to their own day.

Good Shabbos, Benny!: A Young Boy's Countdown to Shabbos

By Chani Fischman

          What's Benny counting? His Shabbos clothes, of course! Benny can't wait to get dressed for Shabbos. Join him as he hangs an additional piece of clothing on his bed each night. And when the most special day of the week finally arrives, you can be the very first one to wish Benny, "Good Shabbos"!

My kids absolutely LOVED these books, we read all four before bedtime tonight and I could not recommend them enough.

Your kids deserve a home filled with good Jewish books, it is worth every penny. Get started!

Good Shabbos,

Always,

Fabulous Book Reviews

I was very fortunate to receive two wonderful books to review from the nice folks over at Artscroll.

The first book is called Look What My Parents Give Me

{Click on the image to purchase this book}

This book is all about what us parents give, teach and do for our children.

As we were reading through the book, it made me realize just how much we actually do for our kids! While I am all for my kids figuring out how to do things by themselves, this book made me feel like we, as parents, should actually take a little credit where credit is due! 

Another wonderful thing about this book is that it gives our kids an awareness of how much we actually do for them. While it is not the most natural thing for a child to appreciate what their parents do, this book points out in a very sweet and gentle way just how much we help our kiddos grow.

We actually went through every page and discussed how mommy and daddy actually do each of these things- just like in the book.

Click Here to take a look at some of the pages inside the book.

The second book is called Imagine If,

{Click on the image to purchase this book}

Now if you have any Dr. Seuss fans in your house, this book is an absolute winner. In our house, we absolutely LOVE Dr. Seuss and to have a 'Jewish version' is just the best thing ever! 

Its written in the exact same style as the Dr. Seuss rhyming books, but the story has depth and meaning with lots of Jewish words and names thrown in, as well as Jewish pictures which are drawn in that classic Dr. Seuss style.

Hands down, this book is the new favorite in our house and if Artscroll comes our with more volumes, we will be first in line to get them!

Click Here to take a look at some of the pages in Imagine If

I hope you had a wonderful week,

Always,

Nursery Rhymes... Are you Kidding Me?

In our house, we read. We read a lot. My motto is that you can never have too many great books. Our friends know how much we value reading, so we are often gifted with books.

Our latest gift was for my little ones. An absolutely gorgeous large print, colorful book with gorgeous illustrations called Nursery Rhymes for Children. On Shabbos, we love snuggling on the couch to read, and sing Shabbos songs. So we took our new book, on the couch to read/sing them and as I am paging through this beautiful book and my kids are enjoying me singing the songs, I am actually reading what some of these nursery rhymes are saying and it is ridiculous!

Most of us grew up hearing these rhymes and probably never thought anything of them, but as a mom, I now see the world very differently.

Okay, some nursery rhymes are sweet- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Here we go round the Mulberry Bush and Baa Baa Black Sheep. And apparently a lot of them have some historical significance or whatever.

But in this book, we meet the Queen of Hearts who BEAT the Knave because he stole the tarts. Don't even get me started on Rock-a-bye Baby... "Down will come baby, cradle and all." Seriously? then Old Mother Hubbard who has NO food for her poor dog! And then there's Jack and Jill who both broke their crowns tumbling down a hill and an Old Woman who lives in a shoe who whips her kids and doesn't give them any bread. And to top it all off, Goosey Goosey Gander talks about taking an old man who doesn't say his prayers and THROWING him down the stairs.

Wow.

Now to some of you, this post will not matter as you may not have Nursery Rhymes in your home- but for those who do, I have put together a really adorable Jewish Book of Songs and Rhymes to replace these insane nursery rhymes that the world apparently thinks are okay to sing to children- and I don't care about how poetic or meaningful some of them may be- children hear things at face value.

So here it is! Print it out on card stock, staple together and you will have 10 really sweet Jewish Children's songs and Rhymes to read and sing with your sweetie pies~

Jewish Songs and Rhymes for Children

{Click Here to Download and Print}

We live in Olam HaSheker- a world of lies, and it is up to us as mothers to only show our children that which is true. Which is something that is so beautiful about Judaism. There is only one truth to be learnt and taught.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Shabbos,

Always,

Our "Curriculum"

While I really believe that kids learn so much through their 5 senses and interacting with the world hands on, some kids really thrive on Workbooks (my 5 year old daughter...) and can literally do an entire workbook in an hour- so I have compiled a few of our favorite learning materials for the little ones, in both Jewish and Secular subjects...

These are some of the Jewish books we use:

And these are some of the English books we use:

These are some great timeless toys that have been a big success in our house... no batteries required, just imagination :)

And here are some great Montessori materials that my kids love--- 

I also came across this great video- if you have time, check it out, very interesting!

Wishing you all a wonderful week,

Always,

 

Amazing Playdo Recipe and Home Library Organizing...

I found this FABULOUS Playdo recipe and knew I just HAD to share it with you to make for your tykes-

Homemade Playdo Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1 Tbsp. cream of tartar

1 cup water

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl

2. In a small sauce pan, mix the dough on medium heat until it turns into a ball, about 2-3 minutes. Some residue may stick to the sides of the pan, but it hardens and falls off.

3. Place the dough on a flat surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. It will be warm.

-- To color: take amount of dough you wish to color, drop a few drops of food coloring on it and knead it with your hand until a solid color forms. I used plastic gloves to prevent my hands from getting full of food coloring. Also, as you knead it with the food coloring, it starts off with a marble effect, but keep kneading until it is solid. You can use any colors, mix colors, etc.

-- To make a scent: add a few drops of any nice essential oils, vanilla essence, cinnamon, any good smells and knead it well. You can add more if the smell isn't strong enough. I also added some glitter to ours, the kids loved it. There are lots of fun things to add to the dough, feel free to share any good ideas.

Store it in a Ziploc or Tupperware with a lid.

Here is a cute project we did, using the playdo:

note: after this project, the kids got busy rolling, shaping, braiding etc until all the colors were mixed and we had a nice big grey blob:) Its a good thing we can make more Playdo should we need new colors!

Okay, so back to the project-

While my husband is more of the scholar and Rabbi, and I am the dreamer and creative one, my oldest has shown an amazing interest in all things SCIENCE. So its a REALLY good thing we have the Internet and a bunch of great resources so any time the little guy wants to learn something new and has questions that we do not know the answers to (like, what layer of the earth is lava found--- yes, he is 5 and asked this question!) we can just google it...

So in answer to his question, using Playdo, we built a little 3D model of the earth and what the layers somewhat look like:

I know I learnt it in high school once upon a time, but Science was REALLY not my thing. I really like the kids to have a hands on experience in whatever they are learning, so this was really great.

And by the way, lava is found in the Mantle. That's the 2nd layer from the top:)

***

Now I must tell you, I am not an organized person by nature. Because my kids are home for a large part of the day, I really try to have as many organized systems as possible, just to prevent utter chaos from happening.

We are a book family. The walls of our home are lined with books- including the kids playroom. We have all types of books: Jewish books, Story books, Dr. Seuss, Baby Board Books, Educational Books and some Hebrew Books. (I'm not a fan of Disney stories, Fairy tales or Nursery Rhymes, so they can discover those on their own one day, just not in our house)

Our kids (like most kids) LOVE reading. Even my little ones, just sitting on the floor with a book on their laps, love flipping the pages to see what comes up next.

Now the problem was, at the end of everyday, we had books ALL over the floor. And when it was time to clean up, the kids would just stuff them into the nearest space on the book shelf, upside down, side ways, whatever. It was getting ridiculous, especially when they were looking for a specific book, it took forever to find.

THEN...

I came upon a post of another homeschool mom and found her amazing idea that I tweaked for our family.

Using colored dots, we color coded the books into the different subjects I listed above. This took about 2-3 days to do, and not all at once.

Each subject has a different colored dot stuck on the bottom of the book. Now when they are done with a book, they put it in the correct section, facing the correct way, how awesome is that???

So if this is helpful to any of you- enjoy!

Me in My World

Since we are learning about how Hashem created the world, I saw this project on another mom blog somewhere and knew my kids would just love it- and it ties in nicely to what we are learning about.

Basically, you are showing your little one where they are in this whole scheme of things, from what planet they live on to their address.

This is what the finished product looks like:

In more detail:

Click here to download a PDF of the first 3 pages (Our Planet, Our Continent and Our Country)

Enjoy~

Review: Tasks Galore- I'm hooked!

Okay, I am officially in love with this book, Tasks Galore by Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsey. Although it is geared toward children with special needs, mainly autism, I have found SO many activities to do with ALL of my kids who are all not special needs kids and different ages from Preschool down.

I love the way the book is laid out, since I am a visual learner, I absolutely loved the fact that each activity is shown in the form of a very clear picture, no instructions are even needed to figure out how to do each activity. And you can tweak the different activities to suite your needs or even apply it to a Jewish subject or holiday.

Here is an example of how all the pages are set up- so simple, so clear:

The subjects are divided up as follows:

Fine Motor Skills

Readiness

Language Arts

Math

Play

I am constantly looking for these types of things to do with my tykes, and here is a book FILLED with them! I was so excited to see this, I haven't stopped planning and making these different activities, and so far the kids have loved every one I have made. There are also so many great ideas of activities to put into workboxes if you are using the workbox system.

Lets just say, we were so busy enjoying ourselves and lost in the moment that I didn't take any photos- so next time I will make sure to do so to show you some of the awesome things we did and how we tweaked them to fit our needs.

Check out their website, they have a few different types of books- and your kids don't have to have special needs to benefit from their little tasks.

The book they sent to me costs $42.95 and is worth every penny in my humble opinion- click here for a full list of their products and prices.

Tasks Galore is a fabulous homeschool resource and I highly recommend every mommy to have this book available in their homes!

A wonderful week to all,

Disclaimer:
I was provided with the featured item(s) at no cost by the manufacturer and/or its PR agency in order to test the products and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and are not influenced in any manner by monetary means.

Books 'n things for Sukkot

Here are some of our favorite picks for Sukkot-

Have a happy and joyous holiday!