In this book, Sally, a Stinkpot turtle longs to be something other than stinky. One day she swims upon a berry necklace, but not just any berry necklace, and from that point on her thoughts become wishes and her thoughts and dreams become wishes upon wishes as we follow Sally through a variety of things she’d “rather be.”

It’s fun to follow Sally’s wishes throughout the story, see what animal she wants to be next and see why it’s just not the right fit for her. The illustrations are fun and even though Sally’s appearance changes there are running themes that will help your child recognize that each metamorphosis is the unhappy Stinkpot turtle.

Even though she’s a tad fickle, I like Sally, not only because she’s from Upstate New York {like me}, but she reminds me that sometimes in life the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

This story has a happy ending and a great lesson, but I won’t give that completely away, you’ll have to buy the book to check it out.

Head here: http://andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-product.cgi?d=therochelleancom&item=30390 to check out more images from the book and purchase your own copy for $9.99

I was not compensated to write about this book, however I do know one of the authors and fully support her work in this book. 

In an interview they recently published they were asked some pretty interesting questions and here’s what they had to say:

You interviewed more than 100 working moms over two years. What did you learn from them?

BECKY: Grace, humility, courage — and that there are a lot ways to be successful. I often found myself drawing inspiration from the women I’d interviewed; getting to know them was a great gift.

Jen Canter, the child abuse pediatrician and toy company founder, is an expert problem solver. She’s not afraid to try new things because she’s not afraid of failing. She knows that she has ability to problem-solve her way through a “failure” and turn it into a success. This attitude has allowed her to accomplish a huge amount.

Kim Holstein, who founded Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels, has this amazing ability to let go and prioritize. And she’s so conscious, so present, in her journey. It helps that she’s deeply passionate about both her work and her family. But it also helps that she doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. She makes it look easy, but she’s the first to admit that her life is a “work in progress.” I loved interviewing her because her attitude was contagious; I always felt calm, confident and inspired in her presence.

Jen Pate, the co-executive producer and co-host of the wildly successful webseries, Jen and Barb: Mom Life is optimistic and genuine and totally willing to let her viewers see her imperfections. She’s courageous in that way — she lets it all hang out. She truly believes that women need to come together to support each other, and that belief has guided her vision for her show. I admire that about her.

HOLLEE: The subjects of our book became close friends, and I learned something different from each of them.

I really enjoyed reconnecting with Elizabeth “Libby” Windsor. Libby and I were friends when we sang and danced together as kids, but we hadn’t been in touch for almost 15 years. We had so much in common — we had always been very driven, but we weren’t sure how to put the pieces together after we became moms.

What I really like about Libby’s story is that she’s been able to stay in a very demanding legal position while finding happiness at home. She struggled — as all of us do — but she wasn’t afraid to ask for help when she needed it. That was a real lesson for me.

I also had a great connection with Nikki Adcock Williams — we were introduced by a mutual friend. Nikki and I had so much in common, but we were just at different points in the maze. When I first started interviewing Nikki, she felt very stuck. I related to that – there was a time when I also wasn’t sure how I would find my way out of an unhappy work situation. But Nikki just needed to see herself the way that others (like me!) saw her. I thought her transformation was quite inspiring.

Are you telling moms that it’s OK to “slack off”?

HOLLEE: Absolutely not. The first line of the book makes that clear: This is not a book about settling. But it is a book about the challenges that this generation of women is facing, and how they can find a way to Have It All if they’re strategic in their choices. Good enough sometimes has to be good enough.

BECKY: Perfectionism can be a huge liability. In fact, in our data, that “constant need to be the best at everything” emerged as the single greatest obstacle to juggling work and family. It outweighed financial pressures, inflexible bosses, husbands who don’t contribute enough at home and more. Many of the most impressive and successful women we interviewed found their greatest success when they learned
to let go of perfect. They weren’t slackers, believe me — we’re talking about CEOs, doctors, lawyers. They just weren’t spinning their wheels trying to achieve things that didn’t mean something to them. They’d made conscious choices and accepted that they could do, and be, everything.

Why is this generation of working mother so obsessed with perfection?

We grew up being told, “You can do anything.” And many of us took that to mean, “You must do everything.” Many of the entry barriers faced by previous generations of women were gone when we entered the workforce, and we felt obligated to make the most of that. But even as we excelled in our careers, the
barrage of messages about what was expected of us at home continued. The standards for maternal excellence were rising, and to lofty heights.

Our generation of moms was the first to professionalize motherhood. There would be no mistaking the contributions of at-home moms who approached their leadership in the home the same way they have handled their Ivy League educations and Wall Street power jobs. Moms who returned to work saw the standards set
by their at-home peers, and a new power struggle emerged as we tried to make the “perfect” choices. It wasn’t the Mommy War we’d expected.

3. Why is work/life balance such a hot topic in the news today?

HOLLEE: Many of the women we interviewed said work/life balance was the most pressing issue in their lives; it’s frequently discussed because the work/life dilemma has become acute now that so many dual-career couples are trying to manage demanding careers and parenthood. Almost 5 million college-educated women in this country have children under 5; they don’t want to abandon their careers, but they don’t want to miss their children’s milestones. They were told they could Have It All and they’re doing whatever it takes to find that balance.

This really hit home for us when we conducted our survey. We were overwhelmed by the response — within 10 days of posting the link to our survey on Facebook, almost 1,000 women born between 1965 and 1980 logged on to share their stories. That says a lot about how much interest there is in the topic. We had moms from almost every state, representing every racial group and a huge variety of professional fields. We really took the pulse of American mothers at this moment in time.

Our experts believe work/life has become an even hotter topic because of First Lady Michelle Obama’s interest in the issue (and the recent White House forums). The other big reason? Work/life is finally hitting home for men; they want balance, too, and that requires each member of the family to identify their true priorities.

Good Enough Is the New Perfect is available at bookstores nationwide and at Amazon.

About the authors:
Becky and Hollee are the work/life balance columnists for the ABA Journal, the nation’s premiere lawyer magazine. Both graduates of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, they first worked together in the early 1990s, when Becky was Hollee’s first editor at The Daily Northwestern. Like so many of the working mothers they interviewed, they forged non-linear career paths, taking detours in their quests to balance work and family. They blog about work/life and parenting issues at TheNewPerfect.com.

Becky is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Chicago Sun-Times, The Detroit News, USA Today and the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y. In 2001, while on staff at the Sun-Times, she co-
wrote a groundbreaking investigative series on “failing teachers” that led to statewide reforms in teacher testing and a crackdown on teacher quality in the Chicago Public Schools. The three-day series, which began one week after the birth of her first child, gave Becky her first experience at balancing motherhood and career. She lives in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood with her husband, Pete, an employment litigator, and their two daughters.

Hollee is a journalist-turned-lawyer-turned-professor at West Virginia University College of Law. After graduating at the top of her class with a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Hollee headed to Duke University School of Law. She graduated in 1999, and then began
a four-year stint as a litigation associate at an international law firm. After her first son was born in 2002, Temple returned to her firm on a part-time basis before joining the WVU faculty the next year. Hollee lives in Morgantown, West Virginia, with her husband, John, an author and journalism professor, and their two sons,
Gideon and Henry.

I did not receive anything for this post in the form of compensation or product. I wrote this post from the kindness of my heart. The opinions expressed in this post are my own opinions, yours may vary.

As Chapter 1 begins there’s no real shadow of what’s to come in the following chapters however Rachel’s faith is presented. I love how she speaks about God being more than rituals and ceremonies and how we’re always looking for the God that fits our “rules”. If anything, throughout this book she shows how the God we are looking for is there for us but in His way, not always the way we are hoping for.

This normal, homeschooling, hardworking, Michigan family survived many trials in less than 2 years, yet kept coming back to God for guidance, help, and support. I am in shock at everything that occurred in such a short time, and won’t give anything away, but I can’t imagine anyone walking away from this book not thanking God for all of the great things in their life.

I really enjoy that, “Glimpsing God” highlights Rachel’s inner voice and even the words that God spoke to her through her questioning Him.

“How are we going to make it through this,” “How could I believe after this happened to my son?”

This style helps the reader to connect on a different level and realize that although Rachel always found her way back to trusting in God, she, like any parent, struggled in tough times.

Grab your tissue box and curl up in a cozy spot while you spend a few hours in Rachel’s shoes and hopefully you’ll have the same attitude as she did in the book;

“Were we rich? Yes, just not in money…”

To purchase your copy of, “Glimpsing God” go to: http://www.deepriverbooks.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=glimpsing+god

Please share: What inspirational books have you read lately?

To read more reviews like this go to: Tell Us the Truth Reviews.

I received a copy of “Glimpsing God,” in order to complete my honest review for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are my own opinions, yours may vary.

From the fun, cartoon-y animations to the message of giving to those in need, Little Miss A and I LOVED this book from start to finish. I must say that I even cried because of the amazing kindness of the Princess and her Father, the King, and of course the meaning behind it all.

Even at 3.5 years old Miss A gathered a lot from this book’s message and asked questions throughout the entire story. I love talking to her about the people in need and am glad that it opened up conversation about how we can help people and give gifts to those in need and what God would want us to do in situations like these. 

We also like that the characters are diverse and that the author and illustrator thought the small things through and incorporated them into this great tale.

This book certainly has re-readability and is not something you will tire from easily. Plus, I really enjoy that the story is detailed, yet didn’t seem long or drawn out to me at all.

I would recommend this book to those trying to teach their children to be kind, share, help those in need, and even those families who’s children already have these great qualities. It’s definitely a “must have” in ever children’s collection and I’ve also thought of giving the gift as a graduation present because of the relevant message.

So glad I had the opportunity to check out The Rose Princess and the Special Gift, purchase your own copy at Amazon here: Buy The Rose Princess and the Special Gift Book now.

Personally, I believe that you can encourage and nurture a child’s natural learning style without being the pushy, hovering parent that you see in media, in your community, or even sometimes in your own home.

This book has been called, “The first parent-centered book of it’s kind…” and stresses how important early writing is, gives you activities that target your child’s level of reading, literacy goals, and most importantly to reiterate, this book touts moderation, the last thing you should be doing is making readingm (or any activity for that matter)stressful for your child.

The book starts off letting parents know that one of the best ways to increase your child’s dialogue is to use more vocabulary with them. Don’t be afraid to use normal or even “big” words with your child, they’ll ask what words mean and understand more in the long run. {Plus, it’s pretty funny to hear little kids say mature words, and I’m not talking curses by the way.}Raising Confident Readers features, milestones for monitoring progress and helps you to learn what reading phase your child is in. The book is then based on chapters by Phase so you can use the appropriate exercises for your learner. The exercises are about bonding with your child, exploring words. There are no lesson plans you can do activities that you and your child seem interested in or skip around at your leisure. Remember, it’s about fun!

I loved the section, “Six Parent Goals for Literacy”, my favorite out of the six would be #2. I can bond with my child through books and nurture positive reading attitudes that last a lifetime. Also check out the Appendix which is more like a memory book and contains things like, “My favorite books birth to 6 months…, I loved reading about…, I learned to read some words…,” and more. Reading aloud to your child and even by your child is so important in developing your children, DaddyB and I always have daily book time with both of our girls and I’m a huge believer that you can never start reading too early.

While it’s great to encourage good reading habits for children who love to read, Raising Confident Readers also speaks on topics like dyslexia and children who are behind in reading for their age. This book shows you how to identify and diagnose problems from the start and tips for working with children who have a harder time reading.

With American schools feeling the pressure to excel it seems that Kindergarten standards for literacy are becoming harder and harder, but hopefully with tools like this book and our own desire to take time for our children we can make sure they are prepared in a fun, interactive way. I would highly recommend  Raising Confident Readers as a great book for any level reader and for parents who want to encourage the zest for learning in their children.

You can pick up a copy of Raising Confident Readers: How to Teach Your Child to Read and Write – from Baby to Age 7 by Dr. J. Richard Gentry at Amazon or other local book stores.

This year we got to read, The Last Ornament by Judith Vicary Swisher with illustrations by Molly Mann. The story is about a family who celebrates the same way my family and I do, they put up several fun and meaningful ornaments on their Christmas tree, I like to call it, “hodge-podge”.In the story the ornaments come to life, call me weird, but I love it when intimate objects take on lives of their own, but only in books, please don’t let that happen in real life! As the ornaments party and the family celebrates everyone get a little caught up in the fun time they are having and the Blue Engine is forgotten on the discarded tree. I don’t want to give away the ending completely,  but it’s a happy one.

All in all, I have to say though that I probably would not have chosen this book for my own collection. If I’m being honest the story is a little too long, and I feel that the author, Swisher could have gotten the point across without so many long sentences. Miss A, age 3.5 got very bored with the book and asked a lot of questions about it, but I also got a little bored reading the book to her.

Also, I’m not really sure what the message of the book is other than a pretty ornament getting lost and the children finding him. I prefer Christmas books that are either very fun and whimsical or have a great message behind them about the true meaning of Christmas, peace, or even learning to give.

Although this wasn’t my favorite book, I did like that the whole family cametogether to decorate the tree, which I’m a huge fan of; creating family traditions by celebrating with music and special ornaments. Another thing I really liked were the fun feel of the illustrations, there were drawings on ever single page us to enjoy.

In my opinion, if you are thinking about purchasing this book, I would consider checking the book out in a book store or local library first before buying it to see if it fits the recipient.

On another note, what’s your favorite Christmas/Holiday themed book??

I want to start off by saying this is a great book, but it is more for parents of older children. As the mother of a toddler, I can’t yet relate to some of the advice. That being said, if you are the parent of a tween, or a teen, this is a fabulous book.

The book is split up into 3 sections; Modern Parents, Vintage Values and Timeless Truths. The Modern Parents section gives fabulous advice on the best ways to deal with new problems that parents are faced with in the “modern world”.One great discussion in, Modern Parents, Vintage Values: Instilling Character in Today’s Kids surround the ins and outs of social networking, cell phones, texting, and technology in general. If you aren’t on Facebook, or don’t have experience with texting, you will find great advice in this section of the book.

My favorite part of the book was the section on Vintage Values. It not only describes the nature of these values, but also gives you tips on how to instill those, ever-important values in both younger children and teenagers. I don’t know about you, but as a first time parent, I love hearing ideas that I can actually put to work in my daily life with my son.  The fact that it’s applicable to my life makes the lessons in this book that much more valuable.

On a side note, I also want to mention that this book has biblical references throughout. These references are are supportive and not obtrusive or in your face. The references can be another way to utilize this book to tie spirituality into your daily life.

Overall, I see this as a great book for parents of older children and teens. It is especially helpful to guide you through a very different time in our world. I think it will be especially valuable to those who feel strongly about creating and maintaining a connection to God within their families.

**This is a guest post written by Alison who normally writes for http://stretchmycheck.blogspot.com/ she’s taking a mini-break for the holidays but go check out her previous posts and give her some love!

After meeting Caitlin and checking out her website, and social media outlets, I found out that she had written a book. Actually, it’s not just A book, it’s a very special book, Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at a Time. Operation Beautiful is an amazing, inspirational book that, (in my opinion,) should be on the coffee table in every home.

Why would I be so bold to make such a statement?? Here’s why:

I believe in self. I am a strong believer that every person, no matter what background, what race, gender, economic status, or hardships in life, can change their life for the better and find peace and happiness. Now I may sound like I’m delusional, but I know several people, Caitlin Boyle for one, and the many participants in the Operation Beautiful Movement who agree with me.What is Operation Beautiful about? “Operation Beautiful[the movement]  is a positive uplifting act that stamps out negative self-talk and encourages you to be the best version of yourself.” After Caitlin’s own life struggles, she decided that she wanted to empower herself by writing a note, on a post-it, that simply said, “You are beautiful.” This note turned into an entire movement where people are now working on themselves, bringing smiles to others days, and even reevaluating their self-worth.

In this book, Boyle (I feel weird calling her that since I’ve met her in person,) describes Fat Talk, how damaging it can be, and ways to stop Fat Talk. She also goes on to point out how others can directly effect us, gives tips on how to be healthy with working out and eating right instead of eating “healthy,” how to appreciate the life you have, and creating a plan to move forward.

Scattered throughout the book are not only tips on how to implement Operation Beautiful in your own life, but my favorite part, real life stories, and photos of actual operationbeautiful.com post-its. What a strong movement this has become and if you have not heard about Operation Beautiful, check out http://www.operationbeautiful.com

After reading Operation Beautiful I am more mindful of my thoughts. Yesterday and last night, Baby C was in horrible pain from teething, nothing we tried was working to subdue the pain. She took very short naps and even when she finally went to bed she was up frequently. Instead of being frustrated that I couldn’t take the pain away, I tried to be thankful that I was able to rock her and console her. I remembered that I am so blessed, although yesterday was a very long day at least I am able to be a mother, and hold her in my arms, even if it’s not always giggles and smiles. Now this morning I’m a little tired, but I’m still trying to keep my thinking positive, and while I know that I won’t be able to “beautify” my thinking all the time, it is something that I want to continually be working on because I really do want to enjoy life, and hopefully you do too!

I think the parts of this book I enjoy the most are the stories of women and men who are struggling in life, but have found a way, through the Operation Beautiful Movement to take steps towards a better tomorrow. Being a mom, I can also appreciate the stories, one in particular, about a mom who, like me, has her battle wounds and shows off her stretch marks and scars with a sign that says, “Every part of you is beautiful, stretch marks included!” Sometimes I miss my pre-baby body and even joke that I didn’t enjoy it while I had it, but I try to remember that through the changes I’ve inherited blessings that are priceless.

I highly recommend everyone to purchase a copy of Operation Beautiful, because it’s a book you can read and re-read no matter where you are in life, it’s also a great book to share and an even better conversation starter! I may even buy a few copies to gift for this holiday season, because what better gift can you give someone than hope and empowerment?

What are things you struggle with? What makes you beautiful? If you had an Operation Beautiful Post-it message what would it say??

Testing for Kindergarten; Simple Strategies to Help your Child Ace the Tests for: Public School Placement, Private School Admissions, Gifted Program Qualification, by Karen Quinn is a must have for parents of pre-schoolers.

Karen Quinn knows first hand the struggles of preparing her children for schools and getting into the tough and sometimes “throw-down” competitive New York Schools, so she’s a pretty amazing source if you ask me. I’m just glad she wrote a book with all of these tips and tricks on school.

The book contains chapters like, “The 7 Abilities of Highly Successful Kindergarteners,” and “Sneak Learning into the Moments you Already Spend with your Child.” My favorite segments since I have a three year old is chapter five, “What is on the Test?” This chapter has a number of different exercises showing what types of problems will be on the entrance exams. I really enjoyed testing Miss A and seeing what she knew and what she didn’t. The Appendix also has another set of exercises, so this book is chocked full of ideas to encourage your child’s development.

There’s also a great section on what each age should know at ages three, four and five, so again you can use the checklist to be sure that your child in on track for their age, or jump with delight if they’re a little advanced.

Among the pages of tips on admission, there are exercises and mini lesson plans to encourage your child’s growth in fine motor skills, cognitive skills, spatial reasoning, mathematics and so much more. I could read and re-read this book because there’s always something new to learn.

No school preparation book would be complete without a listing of recommended reading materials. In Testing for Kindergarten, Karen Quinn gives so many great book suggestions in different categories including picture books, starting off small.

Whether you’re looking into private, public, magnet, or special-education schools, Testing for Kindergarten is chocked full of valuable information. I would recommend this for any parent with a child or children about to enter school.

Also be sure to check out Karen Quinn’s website for even more free tips and prep questions: http://www.testingforkindergarten.com/

Read more: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-reviewtesting-for-kindergarten-by-karen/#ixzz0zhEOA1TE

Max and Ruby, Ruby and Max…if you’ve ever watched their videos or show on television you basically know all the words to the song. Little Miss A loves these two bunnies. I actually wrote about them forever ago wondering where their parents are, but that’s another topic.

We loved all 2.5 hours plus of Rosemary Wells stories, but our favorites are, “Max’s Chocolate Chicken,” where silly Max gobbles up the Easter chicken while hiding from his big sister Ruby…hopefully Baby C doesn’t get any ideas from mischievous little Max.

“Noisy Nora,” became one of our new loves as well, in fact we watched it three times in a row. It was hard not to laugh at little Nora, she sure would give Max a run for his money. Perhaps Rosemary Wells should write a book entitled, Noisy Nora meets Mischievous Max. If this ever becomes a book you know where the credit goes!

Bonus features include stories in Spanish, read along to music, interviews with Rosemary Wells herself and much more. If your child loves Max and Ruby in any medium this is a great set to pick up. Check out Scholastic’s website for more information: http://www.newkideo.com/

What’s your child(ren)s favorite story?