Music and Reading equal Literacy Review and Giveaway

click to purchase 

In celebration of Tweet For Literacy I'm doing a review for Sony on the release of  the 50th Anniversary Special Edition of the Original Cast Recording: The Sound Of Music along with Simon & Schuster’s beautiful The Sound of Music: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up.

My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi and The Sound of Music, these are songs that we all grew up with which continue to hold a special place in our hearts.  The Sound of Music first opened on Broadway 50 years ago this month and quickly became one of the most popular and enduring musicals of all time. On November 16, 1959, The Sound of Music – the last musical collaboration of composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II – made history when it opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theater.

Click to order the bookMusic and reading with this package goes hand in hand! As a parent you can listen to the music with your child and look through the book, pointing out words you hear.  The CD is beautiful! Click here, The Sound of Music, to listen to the CD on Amazon. My most favorite song has always been Edelweiss. Simon & Schuster has put together a beautiful  Sing-Along guide to do activities with your child as you listen to the CD. 

Here is a video of the book with music playing 

According to the Child Literacy Center reading to your child is the single most valuable thing you can do. Many educational intuitions suggest reading predictable books that children can "read" back to you and sharing music with strong rhythms and songs with rhyming lines. What better way to teach your child to read, than with a story and music that you grew up with and love.  The video does not do the book justice.  It is the most beautiful Pop-up book that I have ever seen. Each page has been crafted with great deals of the illustrations and pop-ups as well as a mini book with mini pop-ups on each page that features classic song lyrics. 

The giveaway is a copy of the CD!  If you are a fan of The Sound Of Music you will want to invest in the book! This would make a great Christmas present!

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GIVEAWAY  

50th Anniversary Special Edition of the Original Cast Recording: The Sound Of Music

To enter go grab your little one and listen to SONG #4, My Favorite Things, on Amazon.  You won't hear all of Maria's favorite things on this sound clip but use the Sing-Along guide to help your child point out some of Maria's favorite things.

Come back here and give your answers for your entry!   Make sure you leave your email address at least one time so I can contact you if you win!

Bonus entries done after first entry.

1) Follow me on twitter @susieqtpies - 2 entries

2) Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect or Networked blogs- 2 entries each

3)Tweet the giveaway including the link to this blog post up to twice a day 2 entries each

4) Blog giveaway including link to this blog post 10 entries

5) Tweet any of the Tweet For Literacy Links and hashtag #Tweet4Lit found on this blog. Here is one for you http://bit.ly/7T3LIt 5 entries per day per tweet

6) Tell me one of your favorite songs on this CD! 5 entries

GIVEAWAY ends DECEMBER 4th. US Only.

Thanks to Sony for providing CD and Book for this review.

CurrClick Curriculum in a click!

Thanks to CurrClick for offering a $25 gift certificate for our Tweet For Literacy (#Tweet4Lit) Campaign.  Click buttons to enter the giveaway!

CurrClick is an online company that offers affordable curriculum, lapbooks, & homeschooling resources. Their products are in electronic form. You will find ebooks/PDF, audio, software and Video. I homeschool my 3 girls and we use the internet for a lot of our curriculum.  It is so easy to access! I love that you can get the material anytime you are ready for it.  No waiting in lines or driving around forever to find what you want.  I love too that you don't have to wait for a company to deliver it to you either!  You can just go to CurrClick and get what you want with a CLICK!

One of my daughters took a Live Video class on How to Play Beginner Guitar. Click to read the review.  We loved it so much that we plan on using this feature on CurrClick again.

The site often had Homeschool pick of the week and Free Curriculum Ebook! Their subjects span from Arts & Crafts to Writing Composition.  You can find materials from  for Parents only to College Prep.

Is this site just for those who homeschool?  No way it is for anyone.  The parenting resources are great for all parents.  If you public/private child needs extra help in critical thinking, grammar, reading, writing, etc you can easily find something helpful.  I would strongly suggest any of the live video classes too!  What a great after school activitiy!

Click here to go check out their Black Friday/Holiday Specials!

Kids reading iPhone or iPod touch Giveaway

This month is all about Literacy! Tweet For Literacy (#Tweet4Lit) was given the opportunity to review and offer 10 codes for our campaign on twitter, thanks to PicPocket Books. Click to enter Tweet For Literacy Giveaway

I was shocked to find out that you can buy books for your kids to read on their iPhone or iPod touch (App must be downloaded to the so-called smartphones).  What? Are you saying that  your kid doesn't have one of these so called Smartphones?  Do you have one?  You can download it on your phone and give it to them to read when you are in the car, doctor office,etc  When they are in the car have them read it to you! The  app has different setting for audio on or off, auto page turn or manual page turn, highlighting on/ off, etc.  I say, VERY SMART!


Here is the press release from PicPocket Books:

PicPocket Books, Silver Spring, Maryland
October 2009
Contact: Lynette Mattke
Co-founder, PicPocket Books
lmattke@picpocketbooks.com
(301) 379-5843

PicPocket Books Announces Four New Picture Book Apps for iPhone/iPod Touch,
Largest Publisher in Growing E-Book Market for Childrenʼs Books
Titles, publishers include What a Pest (Grosset and Dunlap), I Can Do it Too (Chronicle
Books) Then it Rained (Gumboot Books) and We'll Paint the Octopus Red (Woodbine
House)

PicPocket Books, a custom application software development company dedicated to bringing children's
books to life on the iPhone, today introduced four new titles for PicPocket Books, making
PicPocket Books the largest publisher of childrenʼs picture book applications for the iPhone or
iPod Touch.

What A Pest, by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, originally published by Grosset & Dunlap as a Level 1 All
Aboard Reader, I Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker from Chronicle Books, Then It Rained by
Crystal Stranaghan from Gumboot Books and We'll Paint the Octopus Red by Stephanie Stuve-
Bodeen from Woodbine House are the newest titles published by PicPocketBooks for the Apple
iTunes® App Store®.

PicPocket Books (www.picpocketbooks.com) brings quality picture book literature to digital
media. Children ages 2-8 can now enjoy their favorite stories on the go—at the doctor!s office, at
the store, on the airplane; any situation where itʼs impractical to bring physical books along.
PicPocket Books offer a new and unique experience, combining the beauty and distinctive quality
of picture books with professionally produced audio narrations and interactive visual text.

“We donʼt see PicPocket Books as replacements for print books or the valuable time parents can
spend reading to their children, but as educational and culturally valuable alternatives to video
games or movies, especially for families on-the-go,” says Lynette Mattke, Co-founder and
Publisher of PicPocket Books. “We publish titles as true-to-the-book as possible, using full-color
illustrations, professionally recorded audio and interactive highlighting of words as the story is
read. We encourage early literacy and instilling an early love of books and reading in children.”

Current PicPocket Books titles available on the Apple iTunes App Store include:
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson, illustrated by Bryan Gough
Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh Krudwig, Illustrated by Craig McFarland Brown
Tire Mountain by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Ken Condon
Sleeping Beauty illustrated by by Martina Müller
A My Name is Andrew, by Mary McManus Burke, illustrated by Donna Ingemanson; and
8 Big Stuff Books by Robert Gould and Eugene Epstein, including titles such as Dinosaurs,
Big Rigs, Monster Trucks, Sea Creatures and Rescue Vehicles

Whereas other iPhone picture book applications are video-based, automatically flipping the pages
of the book while the child follows along, PicPocket Books technology allows users to turn pages
and highlight words themselves, mimicking a true book experience.

“Many families are short on time and e-books can be read any time, any place,” says Mattke. “We
believe that if reading picture books on the iPhone means that more families are reading together
and that more kids have more exposure to storybooks, then they are a great option for the techsavvy
families of today.”

About PicPocket Books
PicPocket Books, established in the spring of 2009, is founded by husband-wife team Lynette and
Manuel Mattke who share a passion for childrenʼs literature and technological innovation.
To download any of the PicPocket Books apps, please visit the iTunes App Store. For more
information about PicPocket Books, please visit http://www.picpocketbooks.com

Contact: Lynette Mattke
Co-founder & Publisher, PicPocket Books
109 Granville Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20901
(301) 379-5843
lmattke@picpocketbooks.com
Twitter @picpocketbooks
http://picpocketbooks.com

Tweet For Literacy Giveaway Prize Package 9

Drawing held on Twitter 11/24 (Tuesday) at 6pm. Details to enter below
Our Motto: “The family that reads together has a lot of fun!” Our goal is to empower children and teens, especially girls, who are so often overlooked. We also seek to teach tolerance and self-acceptance through reading and through family interaction.

The Tweet for Literacy Giveaway is a campaign designed to raise awareness of the importance of involving the whole family in a child’s reading activities. Tweet for Literacy will be giving away literacy-related prizes every two days throughout the month of November in honor of National Family Literacy Month. Help a child to read, and let the fun begin!

How to Enter the Tweet for Literacy Giveaways
Step 1: Follow our 7 sponsors on Twitter. This step is required. We will all follow you back!

http://twitter.com/susieqtpies (ME!!!)
http://twitter.com/lindathieman
http://twitter.com/ccmalandrinos
http://twitter.com/cafeofdreams
http://twitter.com/hollyhardin
http://twitter.com/sherikayehoff
http://twitter.com/nicole_odell

Step 2: Re-tweet (RT) any post about the giveaway. Use the hashtag #Tweet4Lit on each RT. Be sure to add the http://bit.ly/7T3LIt  link for this contest page.

Here is a Sample Entry Re-tweets
RT @susieqtpies Tweet for Literacy is giving away 12 prize sets and a grand prize thru Nov Enter here http://bit.ly/7T3LIt  #Tweet4Lit

Step 3: That’s it! See the Official Rules below.

        

CLICK TO READ REVIEW Prize Package Nine
Winner to be chosen Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 6pm CT. Total value of Prize Package Nine is $124.



This special Gift Package (items 1-4) is being donated by Sourcebooks, Inc., (www.sourcebooks.com).

1) Horrid Henry's Underpants by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross (Value $4.99, for ages 4-8.) Donated by Sourcebooks, Inc.

2) Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse by Kaleb Nation (signed) and a signed poster of Bran Hambric (Value $17.99) (Ages 9-12) Donated by Sourcebooks, Inc.

3) MagicKeepers by Erica Kirov (signed). (Value $14.99). (For Grades 5-8) Donated by Sourcebooks, Inc.

4) Merlin's Harp (ARC—advanced readers copy) by Anne Crompton (Value $7.99) (Young Adult) Donated by Sourcebooks, Inc.

5) Light Up Your Child’s Mind: Finding a Unique Pathway to Happiness and Success by Joseph S. Renzulli, Sally M. Reis, Andrea Thompson ($25.99 value). Donated by Hachette Book Group.

6)PicPocket Books (click to read review) 2 codes for e-books at the iTunes App Store from PicPocket Books (combined value up to $7.98). These picture book apps are downloaded to an iPhone or an iPod Touch. For children 2 to 8. Donated by PicPocket Books.
CLICK TO GO TO SITE
7) $25 CurrClick gift certificate (click to read review) donated by CurrClick.com. Can be used for any eBook, audio book, video or Live Class on their homeschooling curriculum site.

8) Aurora of the Northern Lights by Holly Hardin (autographed -- an $18.95 value), the delightful Yuletide-themed picture book by one of our Tweet for Literacy sponsors. Donated by the author.

Check back here daily as we will continue to update the list of prizes.

Official Rules
You can re-enter as many times as you like. Prizes are awarded every 2 days starting on November 8. First day to enter is November 6, 2009. Last day to enter is November 30. A prize package will be awarded on each even day of the month. Each prize package will be a set of items that are literacy related. See below for specific information on prizes.

The name of the winner will be selected at random and will be drawn at approximately 6pm CT. The winner will have 3 days to respond. If we don’t hear from the winner, we will select another winner for that prize package. We will notify our 13 winners by Direct Message (DM) on Twitter.

Whereas you can enter as often as you like, if you are not following all 7 sponsors on Twitter, which will be verified, your entries will be disqualified. All entries that comply with the above rules will be valid for each drawing, including the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize will be awarded on December 1, 2009.

What is your Black Friday plan of attack this year?

Every year I say that I'm not going shopping on Black Friday yet I find myself going through every single sale add and putting aside the ones that have items that I "need" or "want" at the right price. 

I have never camped out like this on Black Friday.  My Brother-in-laws did for several years at Best Buy.  They would bring a generator to run their TV and XBox.  I have though gotten up to be at the store at 4 a.m.

My Black Friday plan of attack this year is to do the same as every year.  I will sit down and go through every single ad hoping that I am tempted to go to the stores on Black Friday.  No one ever goes with me.  I'm wondering this year if I asked one of my teens, the shopper, if she would actually get up and go with me.  I feel that this is a tradition that I must pass on to my daughters! I think I will not ask her but if she ask I'll let her go along.   I determine what time I will leave by what time the store will be open.  Some stores have certain items on sale during different parts of the day.  So I've been known to go back to a store several times, if needed.

I love going through all the ads pulling aside the ones that have items of interest.  These are the stores that I go to every year on Black Friday: Target, Meijer, and Michaels Arts & Crafts.  These are my three favorite Black Friday Stores.  Amongst other items, Target always has a great assortment of DVD's on sale!  We love watching movies so I try and get in there and nab the movies of interest.





If you've never gone shopping on Black Friday I recommend that you do it at least once! It is wild to see all the action in your favorite stores!  So my question to you is "what is your black friday plan of attack?"

Go to Twittermoms.com and read the contest rules on What is your Black Friday plan of attack this year? You could win a $75 Target gift card for blogging!!!  G'luck shopping on Black Friday! Think of me and I"ll think of you!  Just don't be in the same store going after the same item when there is just one left... cause their might be a black friday showdown! Oh and Merry Christmas!

The Recipe Club Review and Recipes

Thanks to FSB Associates for giving me a copy of The Recipe Club to review.

In childhood, "LillyPad" and "Valpal" vow to form an exclusive two-person club.  Throughout the decades they wrote intimate letters in which they shared hopes, fears, deepest secrets-and recipes, from Lilly's "Lovelorn Lasagna" to Valerie's "Forgiveness Tapenade."  Readers can cook along as he girls travel through time, facing the challenges of independence; the joys and heartbreaks of first love, and the emotional complexities of family relationships, identity, mortality, and goals deferred.

My take on the book:

I absolutely loved this book!  Two young girls formed a pen-pal relationship that included sending recipes to match their moods.  It was a very captivating book.  During all the writing they still had times where they were together.  Their lives outside of their writing  led to misunderstandings and broke them apart for many years.  They had to work though these issues before they could be friends again.  When trying to get past the past they discovered a secret that has been with their parents for for a long time.  It was a heart-wrenching book.

The recipes were written beautifully on fun stationery that changed with the times.  One recipes, Peas Out of the Pod, was so named and given because Lillypad was trying out for the play, Peas in the Pod. Valerie included, Pen Pal Pecan Rice.  She said this is for them, pen pals forever.  I also loved the letter that included the recipe, Warm Amaretto Milk.  Lillypad sent this to Val while she was in college.  She sent it because she knew her friend only had a hotplate in her dorm room and this would be an easy drink recipe that she could make.

Here is the recipe:

Warm Amaretto Milk

1c. whole milk

2 shots amaretto

whipped cream (use can if you can't make your own)

thinly sliced orange rind

1. Heat the milk in a small pot until simmering.  Stir in the amaretto.

2. Pour into 2 mugs.

3. Top with whipped cream and garnish with orange rind.

If you love food and fiction this book is for you.  This is a very heartfelt story of two friendships that in the end survived ups, downs, lies and betrayals.The book has over 80 recipes! I can't wait to cook up some Food and Friendship!

Author Bios for The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship
Andrea Israel is a producer/writer for ABC's Focus Earth. She was a producer/writer on Anderson Cooper 360, Dateline, and Good Morning America (which garnered her an Emmy Award). Her story In Donald's Eyes was recently optioned for a film. Ms. Israel is the author of Taking Tea. Her writing has appeared in many publications.

Nancy Garfinkel is co-author of The Wine Lover's Guide to the Wine Country: The Best of Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino(Chronicle Books, 2005). A creative strategist, design consultant, writer, and editor for magazine, corporate, and non-profit clients, she has won a host of graphic arts and editorial merit awards. She has written extensively about food and graphic arts.

For more information check out The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship

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Divorce Sucks Reveiw and Giveaway

Thanks to FSB Associates for offering a book for a giveaway. Entry at the of this article.

Dating with Children
by Mary Jo Eustace, edited by Joanne Kimes,
Author of Divorce Sucks: What to do when irreconcilable differences, lawyer fees, and your ex's Hollywood wife make you miserable

Internet dating, hookups, blind dates, and the odd booty call -- how does this cornucopia of dating delights mesh with your role as a mom and caregiver to your kids? It all comes down to this: You can have the time of your life right now. After all, you are a consenting adult and chances are you have been through hell, but your kids don't need to know anything about it. 

For some of us, this "throwing our dates in the kids' faces" thing might just be one of our major issues with our exes. Some of them may have taken the relationship equivalent of a packet of Tang, added water, and created an instant family. He might already have a new girlfriend, perhaps who lives with him, and maybe even with kids of her own. Or, worse, your ex may have a live-in who wants to have a New Year's baby and you just happen to notice it's already Memorial Day! 

Things can move really quickly when people get out of a relationship. And how can we expect our children to grieve and understand the loss of their own family as they know it if Mommy or Daddy already has a brand-new partner or family in place? The message it sends to them is: "You were a really good family while it lasted but I think I hooked a real winner this time round. And don't worry, it might seem like I just met your new mommy, but we have been together for ages -- just ask your mom! And wait until you meet her kids! I mean, your new brothers and sisters! We're like the best family ever, minus your mom and your own bedrooms, because now you have to share. Anybody want to go to Disneyland?" 

Sadly, as so many of us know, that is not even an exaggeration. It happens all the time. Hey, it happened to my family. The new woman was introduced to the kids within a few weeks -- against professional counsel -- and it made things hell. The rule of thumb is to wait a minimum of six months, or even better, a year, to make the introductions. Take care of your first family first! Build up trust and establish the new dynamics of your reconfigured family. Make it about the kids and not about your ego. And when things start to settle and people begin to heal a little, then make the transition slowly and thoughtfully. It's not a fire sale. Not everything is replaceable. You can't swap item A for item B and think that nobody will notice. Your family is your own little piece of this world and at its core reflects who and what you are. Treat it with respect and dignity and give it the time it needs to mend in a real and meaningful way.

The above is an excerpt from the book Divorce Sucks: What to do when irreconcilable differences, lawyer fees, and your ex's Hollywood wife make you miserable by Author. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2009 Mary Jo Eustace, author of Divorce Sucks: What to do when irreconcilable differences, lawyer fees, and your ex's Hollywood wife make you miserable

Author Bio

Born and raised in Toronto, Mary Jo Eustace, author of Divorce Sucks: What to do when irreconcilable differences, lawyer fees, and your ex's Hollywood wife make you miserable, is an author, actress, singer, chef, and mother to Jack and Lola. Mary Jo was married to Dean McDermott for thirteen years before Dean met Tori Spelling on the set of the Lifetime made-for-TV movie Mind Over Murder. After her highly publicized divorce, Mary Jo returned to her native Canada with her son and newly adopted daughter to film her cooking show, He Said, She Said with Ken and Mary Jo for Canada's W Network. Mary Jo is the author of the bestselling cookbook By My Side. She has also written for the bestselling anthology The Other Woman and has been featured on Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and The Today Show.

For more information please visit maryjoeustace.com

Joanne Kimes, editor of Divorce Sucks: What to do when irreconcilable differences, lawyer fees, and your ex's Hollywood wife make you miserable, is the creator and editor of the bestselling Sucks series. Ms. Kimes has been married for twelve years and only considers divorce during playoff season. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her daughter. 

Find out more about Joanne and the Sucks series at www.sucksandthecity.com

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Giveaway 1 copy

Leave email addy once and separate comments for each entry.

To Enter: Tell me something positive about your spouse.  If you aren't married tell me something positive you want in a spouse!

 

Extra Entries:

1) Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect and or Networked Blogs (2 entries each)

2)Follow me on twitter @susieqtpies (2 entries)

3) Follow @FSBAssociates on twitter (2 entries)

4)Tweet giveaway including link to this post (2 entries per day)

5) Blog giveaway including link to post (5 entries)

6) Enter the Tweet For Literacy Giveaway and tweet your entry. Read rules here http://bit.ly/4XtcdL (10 entries)

7) Enter CommunityCoffee Giveaway http://bit.ly/12cUz0 (10 entries)

ENDS Dec 1. USA Only

Publish Post