Carter's Lillypost Subscription Box

I had been hearing about Lillypost for some time now online and really wanted to give it a try. Probably was way more excited than I should have been for a subscription box for Carter, so I decided to order a gift box for him for Valentine's Day and give it a try.

The package arrived on one of those monsoon rain days in Pittsburgh. Normally, the mail person brings packages to the front porch; however, he/she must have not wanted to get wet hiking up the mountain of a driveway we have, so they left the box on the wall behind the mailbox. By the time I found it, the box was soaking wet. Thank goodness the books weren't destroyed because I hurriedly ripped it open to make sure.

Carter has finally mastered the art of opening a gift, so I was excited to present him with the five perfectly wrapped books thinking this activity was going to extend until bedtime. He takes forever to open gifts and then we have to read books normally multiple times and if there are wheels, helicopters, fire trucks or the moon featured on any of the pages then we will focus on that page while he jabbers on incoherently about said object. The whole process could have taken an hour or more.

 

Well, the gift wrappers used some pretty extreme tape that even I struggled with to open the packages. By the time I got them open Carter was already losing interest. I presented him with the five books but he didn't really gravitate to any of them. So, obviously my excitement was much greater than his apparently... The box included Love Monster, Wild Animals, The Nearsighted Giraffe, The Mouse Who Lost Her Squeak and Disney Baby Shapes.

(A little hand is obviously trying to grab the book as I'm taking a picture.)

I was only familiar with the first two I mentioned above and at first glance I was impressed with the selection. However, Love Monster and I would later find out The Nearsighted Giraffe are picture books that were made into board books. Some picture books work as board books, some don't. Love Monster isn't awful but both of these books have a lot of text for a baby or young toddler to sit and listen to. I was also disappointed in the quality of the Disney book. 

I know, I'm a book snob. I've spent probably too much time recently analyzing board books as well. I would definitely recommend this subscription box regardless because the price is so great. You can't beat $26 for five board books. The prices of these to buy in the store would have been more than $40. Carter will grow into the two text heavy books and not-surprisingly, kids love the low quality books. It's shapes too, so he will learn while using it.

(Yeah! New stickers in my first subscription box!)

This is a perfect gift for the little book lover in your life. There are multiple subscription offers or the one-time gift option. There is no better gift than a book and this is a wonderful way to get multiple new releases at a great price plus if you have trouble picking books out this helps with that as well.

What subscription boxes have you tried? 

Next subscription box review: Date Night In.

Book Review: Board Book Round-Up, Part 2

Sometimes not every book gets read with Carter. I might read it quickly at the library before checking it out but we never get to at home. I might read it at my desk for my committee work but it never makes it home. He has so many books at home that sometimes one more library book is too much, so this one didn't make it home. I read it for the committee but Carter never saw it.

I love the concept of How do You Say I Love You by Hannah Elliot but I have a hard time reading language books if I am unable to pronounce the words. I stick to Japanese and that's about it. We all know I struggled with French. I did a little better with Italian but every time the professor would ask a question, the Japanese answer came first to mind. This book does a little better than most (and these language books are popular lately) at giving the pronunciations, so you could essentially read it to your child and sound somewhat fluent.

I am a huge fan of these books. The language barrier sometimes does intimidate me though but I love the opportunity to teach young children about the world, especially because the younger they are the better chance they have of picking up a second language. I love how the illustrations show various landmarks, homes or activities specific to that country too. That's it's just not how do you say "I love you" in other cultures but a lesson in how others live around the world.

The universal message is very understandable even for this young age though...regardless of where we live, what we look like, what language we speak...we all say "I love you." We all show the same love towards each other and really need to show it more.

Check this sweet book out for your older baby or toddler. Tell them "I love you."

Happy Reading!

Bookshelf Organization

A topic today that is near and dear to my heart but one that I am also contemplating right now as to how I want to organize my multiple bookshelves.

There a number of ways I have tried in the past, including by color, subject, size and even gone as far as to try the Dewey Decimal System. That's the librarian in me. 

Right now, my four big book cases are loosely subject based. They need straightened and organized more though because I unpacked haphazardly and the subjects are split between the four bookshelves in two different rooms. In addition, I also have a bookshelf that needs to go in the upstairs hall, in my office and an empty shelf in our bedroom. Not to mention Carter's books, which are split between his playroom and his bedroom!

OK, I might have a book problem but is that so bad. I could bestow worse habits upon my child. I am proud of the fact that we read to him every day and he will have no to limited screen time before age two. He attends a faith based story time once a week, goes to the library once a week and attends baby story time at the library at least once a month. As crazy and rambunctious as he may be for a toddler, he will sit and look at books every night and somethings self initiated after dinner or on weekends.

But back to my bookshelves and my massive reorganization need...so, here's my plan:

Add spice racks to the end of the cabinet in the kitchen to store my very few cookbooks that I do intend to use more one day. It is one of my goals to learn to cook.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

Limit the number of coffee table books and arrange the remainder on a bottom book shelf.

Arrange my three tall books shelves by subject with books laying horizontally and vertically and interspersed with picture frames and various knickknacks. 

Arrange my glass cased book shelf with my vintage books and some of my favorite titles.

Add the books that I am currently reading or intend to read to the bookshelf in my bedroom.

Move professional books to the office and any extra favorites.

Add a bookshelf in the hall to organize Carter's extra books.

Rotate books from his wall shelves and bedroom/playroom shelves monthly.

How do you organize your books? Am I the only crazy out there with this many books? They are after all one of my favorite things. 

Happy Reading (and Organizing)!

Book Review: Julie and Julia

Reading hasn't really been on the top of my list lately. I was trying while Carter napped but that didn't go so well because I was tired and falling asleep. Then I remembered how much I enjoyed listening to books when I worked at Western Allegheny and North Versailles. Granted those were longer drives, however now I'm going to more meetings and am probably in the car just as much. The first book I listened to was Julie and Julia. Right now I'm listening to Modern Lovers and The Boston Girl. A different car every day (the joys of a car seat) means two different books!

I chose Julie and Julia because Julia Child fascinates me and I loved the movie; however, I'm not normally one that watches the movie and then reads the book but it just worked out that way this time. I have to admit. I wasn't that impressed and I liked the movie more.

As I said, Julia Child fascinates me. This book focuses very little actually on her except for the cookbook. The movie did such a great job of blending the two character's lives, which makes me think that the movie was actually based on not only this book but one of Julia Child's biographies, like Dearie for example. I'd say that was my favorite part about the movie was the Julia Child sections and not just because the great Meryl Streep played her but because she is so interesting.

Julie in the book was even more annoying to read about then she was to watch. I'm surprised I kept listening. She drove me nuts at first and they definitely added more to the movie because you could never make a book from just this memoir.

It's such an interesting concept though and I give her so much credit because it's people like her that I envy with her blogging ability. I think it was because of that movie that I originally started a blog. She has so much dedication. The idea of blogging about one thing intrigued me as well. She definitely inspired me to cook. I'm an awful cook but hey if Julia Child could learn to cook at 40, I can learn to cook at 25. Don't you think?

So this book has prompted me to want to cook more and now I'm making an effort to actually make something when Dennis and I are both home, which is rare so it's not too often and a good start. And I decided to get my cookbooks out (very few) and use them instead of Pinterest and getting food all over my phone or tablet.

I guess it wasn't a terrible book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who watched the movie. It might have even been better to see the movie first but I'm not sorry I listened to it. Go the library and check it out or borrow the book from me (I have the print edition) and get inspired to blog, cook or read better books. Ha ha!

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading List

Of course this is my favorite blog post when I release my summer reading list! It's late this year because of my blog hiatus but hey, better late than never, which is why some of the books I've already read. This is what I plan to/planned to read this summer not counting my book club books.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Here's my blog post about this book.

1 Dead in the Attic by Chris Rose

Here's my blog post about this book.

Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Vacationers by Emma Bloom

Here's my blog post about this book.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand

I finished this one Memorial Day weekend but I didn't write a post about it. Of course I loved it!

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Here's my blog post about this book.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield

Unfortunately, I didn't write  a post for this one but would definitely recommend. I love all of her books as well.

I went to a great book sale this week, so I got new titles and I'm debating switch these ones out for some of my new ones:

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

Summer of Firefly Memories by Joan Gable

Bittersweet by Miranda Beverly Whittemore

Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

What's on your summer reading list? I can't wait to get started on some of my new book sale books! Happy Reading!

Hey, A Girl Can Dream, Right?

Today, I'm daydreaming about my future house if I had no monetary or geographic restrictions. I'm probably in this mindset because the landlord has not cashed the January rent, I'm sick of cold showers before work and I hate white walls!

Bookshelves in EVERY Room

This might not just be my dream home but my real home one day. I want to be surrounded by books.

A Wine Dispenser 

Maybe two...one in the kitchen and one in my imaginary outdoor entertainment center. I mean who doesn't want a wine dispenser.

And a Wine Cellar to Refill My Wine Dispenser When the Bottles Are Empty

A Great Big Porch to Use Year Round

And Just for Fun...I Would Love These Too

Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment! It's a great price, in an awesome location and we have, for the most part, adequate space. But a girl can dream and I'd love this house I just created from Pinterest finds!

More than Halfways through the Year...Goal Progress

What a year so far? I honestly, as with every year, had such high hopes for 2015. When I wrote my goal post I don't think I had any idea what I was in for in the coming months no matter how manageable my goals might have been. Little did I know that two and a half months in I would end up having surgery that pretty much affected my life until the end of June. So, with that being said, I haven't made much progress with my 2015 goals.

What I wanted to accomplish and hopefully still can:

Do a weekly RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS.

I wouldn't say every week but I'm working on it.

Get back in shape with LOW IMPACT EXERCISE

Well, I would say since I finally have been released from PT and am back on a workout schedule that I am getting back in shape. I really couldn't make any headway with this goal until after June.

READ.

I started off the year so well and then when I had my surgery I would fall asleep every time I read, so now I'm super behind on my reading goals.

SIMPLIFY.

TRAVEL.
We went to Williamsburg and hopefully NYC in the fall but that's it. We need to save money for a house.

BLOG.

Let's say I didn't really work on this until the beginning of the month. Hopefully, I have made it a habit.

ORGANIZE the apartment.
Working on it...

Save money and BUY A HOUSE.
In the pre-approval process!!

Be HEALTHY.

Spend more time with FRIENDS and FAMILY.

Let's just say I have a lot of work to do still but I'm making progress now that I'm up and moving around!

Book Review: The Wednesday Sisters

The Wednesday Sisters was another title I picked up at that recent book sale. I had never even heard of it before and really had no idea what to expect. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It was wonderful and one that might be a keeper and one that I reread again another summer.

There were so many reasons why I loved this book. It was about a group of friends. It was about a group that talked about reading and later writing. It followed the space program and other big events in history. It wasn't the first book I read about the 1960s/1970s but the one thing I really didn't like was how women were treated as only a wife and mother. I knew this but for some reason this book was much more honest about it.

The Wednesday Sisters reminded me a lot of Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons. The book is about five women - Allie, Frankie, Linda, Kath and Brett - who meet at the playground while their children play the morning Robert F. Kennedy is shot and realize they have a common interest in literature and writing. Together, they embark on a writing journal. First, by writing together for an hour each Wednesday morning and then critiquing each others work during the week and bringing it back to discuss. The writing helps the women is more ways then they can imagine.

The book takes place over the course of five years. The women go from strangers in the park to best friends. Each woman has to overcome their own trials - infertility, breast cancer, infidelity and insecurity - but with the help of the Wednesday Sisters they each survive stronger. The friendship starts with a common interest in the Miss American Pageant but as the women age and realize what is going on in the world see the pageant for more than ball gowns and swimsuits, more than a beauty pageant. And they see themselves as more than wives and mothers.

It took everything I had to do anything but read this weekend. I definitely cheated on my to-do list yesterday, so that I could finish the book. I was a bit disappointed in the ending but other than that this was a great book. If you liked Angry Housewives, you'll love this one. Check it out!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Little Paris Bookshop

The Little Paris Bookshop was one of those books that I struggled to start and finish but ultimately I was somewhat satisfied with the ending. I didn't dislike it enough to stop reading, so something kept me engaged enough to finish. Here's more of what I thought about The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George.

I wanted to read this book because I had read in some magazine or library journal that fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society would enjoy it. That got me excited tha I waited impatiently for weeks for it first to be released and then second to be available for check-out at the library. I have to say I was disappointed in that recommendation. I didn't really see any similarities other than the writing style and how the Potato Peel Society is written the majority in letters and this is made up somewhat of a diary. Here is my review from Potato Peel Society.

The Little Paris Bookshop is follows the journey of Jean Perdu, a literary apothecary, on a journey to heal himself not his customers after finding a letter from a lost love. I loved the idea of a literary apothecary serving French customers from a barge moored on the Seine; however, that ended up being one plot line almost intertwined with many others that ultimately would just be dropped as Perdu made progress on his quest to overcome losing the love of his life. The course of his journey includes another potential love, a young writer suffering from writer's block, an aspring chef, another surprise author and then the family of the lost love. Some just disappear from the story line and others remain present but it is long and sometimes confusing.

It was probably me more than the book and I would definitely recommend people read this book if only for the interesting topic of a literary apothecary and the book barge. At first when I started reading I thought it took place in an earlier time and was surprised when they started talking about cell phones and Harry Potter. Give it a try! It never hurts to read something and find out later you disliked it.You still read.

Happy Reading!

My Favorite Books A-Z (Part 2)

And here my friends is the rest of my favorite books list! I warned you that there were multiples! Hope you found one to take on your next vacation or trip to the pool!

N

Nantucket Blue and Nantucket Red - Leila Howland (Teen, Beach Read)

Check out my blog posts about these titles here.

O

Orphan Train - Christina Baker Kline (Historical Fiction, Book Club)

Out of my Mind (Teen, Book Club)

P

The Pregnancy Project - Gaby Rodriguez (Teen, Memoir, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Other: Palisades Park - Alan Brennert (Historical Fiction); Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld (Fiction)

Q

I got nothing. Sorry.

R

Rules of the Road - Joan Bauer (Teen)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Other: Red Kayak (Teen, Book Club); Reflections: Life After the White House (Memoir); The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of An American Family (Memoir); Rose: The Life and Times of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (Biography)

S

The Starboard Sea - Amber Dermont (Fiction)
Check out my blog post here.

A Star for Mrs. Blake - April Smith (Historical Fiction, Book Club)
Check out my blog post here.

The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han (Teen, Beach Read)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: Same Sweet Girls (Fiction); Second Chance Summer (Teen, Beach Read); The Secret Hum of a Daisy (Tween); Secret Lives of the First Ladies: What Your Teachers Never Told You About the Women of the White House (History); The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Teen, Beach Read); Skipping Christmas (Fiction, Holiday); Spoken from the Heart (Memoir); Storm Runners (Tween); Summer at Tiffany (Memoir); Summer People (Fiction, Beach Read); Summer Sisters (Fiction, Beach Read); Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot (Biography)

T

Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood - Jame Richards (Teen, Historical Fiction)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: To Kill A Mockingbird (Fiction, Classic); The Tragedy Paper (Teen); Tuesdays of Morrie (Memoir)

U

No favorites here either. Sorry!

V

I couldn't think of any that I have even read with a V title.

W

We Shook the Family Tree - Hildegarde Dolson (Memoir)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Wild - Cheryl Strayed (Memoir)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Wonder - R.J. Palacio (Tween, Book Club)
Check out my GoodReads review here.

Others: What Jackie Taught Us (Biography), What Would Jackie Do (Biography, Self-Help), Where'd You Go Bernadette (Fiction, Book Club)

X

Obviously I don't read enough of these odd letters...

Y

The Young Man and the Sea - Rodman Philbrick (Tween)

Z

It looks like I have some letters to make up for then!

That was some work to go through my book lists but hopefully you found something to read!

Happy Reading!