Welcome April

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.~William Shakespeare

Stuck with an unsealable bag?

Here's a great idea I received in an e-mail from a friend today!

Zip-top bags are great, but sometimes you buy something in bulk and you're stuck with an unsealable bag. Home-centric blog Re-Nest shows us an easy way to give these bags an airtight seal with an old water bottle.
All you need to do is cut off the top of the bottle and take off the cap. Push the bag through the bottle neck, fold it over the edges, and twist the cap back on. Now, your bag has an air and water tight seal, and you didn't have to waste the bag.

Blustery day

"Where are you, Pooh?" From: Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

Hum dum dum ditty dum

Hum dum dum

Oh the wind is lashing lustily

And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today

Deal or No Deal

You know how I love a good bargain and dollar stores are a very good place to find one, but is it really a good buy just because it is a dollar? Here's a good article to inform you what you should and should not buy at a dollar store. Happy Shopping!

Welcome March!

"March bustles in on windy feet
And sweeps my doorstep and my street.
She washes and cleans with pounding rains,
Scrubbing the earth of winter stains.
She shakes the grime from carpet green
Till naught but fresh new blades are seen.
Then, house in order, all neat as a pin,
She ushers gentle springtime in."
- Susan Reiner, Spring Cleaning

Book Review of Precious Moments Storybook Bible

The Precious Moments Storybook Bible is a treasure. This 179 page children’s Bible begins with fill in pages for a family tree, a church record and a page to list the child’s favorite things. It continues with classic Bible stories, moves on to stories of praise and wisdom and then stories of faith. The stories are written in simple language and the use of a large font makes the pages very appealing to a child. The illustrations are endearing, like all Precious Moments, and fill the entire page. Smaller illustrations are included in the border around all the words in the story. This book has a hard cover that would be durable in the hands of a child. The story book bible ends with a section of songs and prayers and includes a page for writing your own prayer.

This book would make an excellent gift for any child and the price seems reasonable given the quality of this book. I would recommend it for children who are beginning readers. Completing the information in the family tree and other pages could become a family learning project.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Free Biscuits

I'm giving away biscuits on the K-8 Blog. Don't worry, I didn't make them! Check it out.

Why You Say It--A Book Review

Ever wanted to live the Life of Riley? Well it turns out that Mr. Reilly was a character from a song composed by Patrick Rooney in the late 1880’s. In the song, the character was a daydreamer who didn’t amount to much but imagined what he would do if he stuck it rich. Disregarding the spelling of his name, many people heard the song and wished they could step into this character’s shoes. So, decades later the expression living the life of Riley is still in use. This is one example of the story behind 600 words and expressions we use everyday, from the book Why You Say It by Webb Garrison.

If you love words or teach language arts, or enjoy trivia this book is packed with stories behind the words. Each chapter is divided into a category such as words from sports or business or the world of entertainment. This book would be a good addition to you reference bookshelf and after you have read some of the stories, you can chew the fat with some of your friends about why you say it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Chocolate Chip Download

Because they now have 40,000 friends on Facebook, Gooseberry Patch is giving away the second chapter of their Circle of Friends Cookbook. You will find it here. It's all about chocolate chips. It makes me want to go to the kitchen and bake some of this cookie goodness. If you didn't get the first chapter it is available here too. It's all about Mac and Cheese. Now, who does not love mac and cheese! Download it too while you are there.

Uninterrupted Conservations

Raise your hand if you have ever been having a conservation with someone who answers their cell phone or looks at a text right in the middle of said conservation. Raise your hand if you think this behavior could/should be classified as rude.
Then, check out this article discussing this subject.