I gave him two large plastic totes one for books he wanted to keep, and one for books he wants to get rid of.

When we were done we had two full totes of books. The books he wants to get rid of are going in to the school, I know they go through tons of books there.

The books he wants to keep we put on the bookshelf (it’s really two old apple crates we use for a bookshelf). He still has quite a few chapter books on the bookshelves in my office, and up in his room.

We don’t have a shortage of books at our house.

Images (c) L Gerlach

Post from: Play Library

If you follow some of my other blogs you may already know some of these things, if not it’s really nothing fascinating. Sorry!

Here goes, 7 things about me that have nothing to to with Play Library:

1. I have a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, and I worked as a corporate buyer and production scheduler for over 10 years. I decided when my son was born I wanted to be the one to raise him, instead of a baby sitter raising him while I worked 50 hours a week. So I quit.

2. I enjoy cake decorating. I’m not a pro, I just dabble in it, but one of my favorite shows ever is Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. When it’s on I wrestle the remote from my husband and my son so I can watch. I also love to watch the Food Network cake decorating challenges.

3. I have really thick curly hair, not as long as Jennifer’s. I hated it when I was growing up, but now I love it (but not the gray ones I’m starting to find).

4. I love gardening and nature. Walking in the woods, and digging in the garden are two of my favorite things to do.

5. I love Christmas. I love watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, entertaining, and everything about the holiday season. I’m already starting to get the Christmas decorations out.

6. I hate cauliflower. I don’t like the texture or the taste, raw or cooked. If I have to eat it I gag. My baby sister loves cauliflower and will eat it by the bowl full. It’s the only vegetable that I don’t like.

7. I love to take photographs, and I take pictures of everything. My husband says I’m embarrassing to take in public because I always have my camera in front of my face.

That’s it, 7 useless facts about me.

Since Jennifer tagged most of the people I would have tagged, and since I’m new to this blog and I don’t know most of you, consider yourselves tagged! Please share a random fact or two about yourself in the comment section below. Or if you’ve been tagged someplace else (or you’d just rather share at your blog, feel free to post a link to the post where you shared your random information.

I promise I’ll be back with some fun stuff for kids later today, or tomorrow! I have so many ideas swirling in my head right now that I have to share with all of you. Stay tuned!

Post from: Play Library

Who is the new kid?

I’ve been blogging at b5media for over a year now at Mother Earth’s Garden, and I also write here at the Lifestyle’s Channel at She Knows Parties.

I have a couple personal blogs, including Kid’s Birthday Fun, The Home and Garden Cafe, and my latest blog Kid’s Movie News.

I’m a substitute teacher, and a personal tutor, when I’m not writing. The kid’s all make sure I know the latest trends and toys. If they let me down my nine year old son makes sure I know what’s the latest toy or gizmo out there for kids. His favorite thing to say is, "I want that…" (not that he always "gets that")

I hope to share fun toys, recipes and crafts you can make with your kids, my favorite books and fun educational websites you can share with your children. I’m ready to get started!

The photo is my son with Emily, one of our two dogs sharing a hug.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Post from: Play Library

When my youngest was between 1 and 2, he liked to cry a lot. Why? We are still trying to figure that out. Anyway, my husband used to take him on many, many walks in his little wagon. Those were peaceful moments and a bonding time for them both. If my little guy were to pick between me or his dad taking him on a walk, he would pick his dad hands down. I’ll stick to doing puzzles and reading books I guess.

I saw this Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon and it just made me smile. I love wagons. Every kid should have a wagon, don’t you agree?

Post from: Play Library

It started on Saturday. My daughter does theater and she had two performances. When the kids had free time in the dressing rooms back stage, most of them were on their DS chatting back and forth with each other. I think at one time, 8 kids were all chatting at the same time. It was pretty funny and the kids were having a blast. We had to make some of them put the DS away because they were missing their cues to be back on stage, lol!

Then on Sunday, my son had a gymnastics meet. We get to the meet, get all situated and next thing I know, I look around and there are a ton of kids playing on their DS. Someone from across the gym was chatting with my daughter and she didn’t even know who she was. Later they found each other and waved. I was glad it was another child. You never know these days and have to be careful.

Technology just amazes me. I remember the days that I had to sit in my room to play video games on my TV hooked up to my Commodore 64. Good times, good times. Now, kids can take their games with them everywhere they go and on top of that, chat with other kids in the same vicinity as them.

When we bought the DS’s for our kids we were a little nervous it would become a problem and we would have to put strict limits on them. Luckily, we haven’t had to do that and it has ended up being the best travel toy for our two oldest. Now my 4 year old wants one. He’s feeling a bit left out.

I’m going to make him wait a little longer.  I told him if he can show me that he is able to take care of the hand-me-down Game Boy he got, then we’ll talk.

Post from: Play Library

At first he couldn’t really figure it out and it does say that it’s for ages 6 and up, but since he has two older siblings, he has never played with age appropriate items. It’s just part of being the third child I suppose.

Well, the past couple of days we have had it out and he’s been playing with it. Not only has he been playing with it, but his brother and sister love it too. Yes, they have fought over it a couple of times.

Here’s a product description:

With the Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board, kids can take their creations to a whole new level of fun. The glow board comes with six vibrant neon markers, which can be used to draw on either of the board’s two drawing surfaces. Once their drawing is complete, kids can illuminate the colored inks with the touch of a button, as the board’s lights give the ink an intense glow.

An Electronic Easel
The Crayola Color Explosion Glow Board offers a unique way for kids to display their art, as it lights up drawings much like a neon sign. It incorporates several violet lights under the drawing surface. When lit, these lights cause the ink to take on a vivid, striking glow. The board’s surface is reusable — ink erases in an instant — making it good for hours of fun at a time. Children can easily display their artwork by using the easel back to prop the board in place. And the board’s two separate drawing layers give kids even more room to doodle. Using the glow board’s controls, kids can choose to display one layer, or flash between both for an exciting billboard-like effect.

Overall I give this toy a thumbs up. It allows my kids to be extremely creative and they can really use their brain to think of different cool ways to use the board to its fullest potential. I am very satisfied with the quality of the toy and the way the markers look on the surface. If I can ever get it away from my kids, I may play with it!

Does anyone else have the Color Explosion Board and if so, what’s your take on it?

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Well, for my daughter’s birthday, our of nowhere, she decided to wanted a roller skating birthday. I knew that had recently torn down one roller skating rink in our town and I couldn’t even remember if there was another one. Come to find out, there was one so that’s where we had here party. I found out several things by having her party there:

• A lot of kids do not know how to skate! What a shame.
•  Teenagers still love to hang out there on the weekends.
• I still know how to roller skate. Go figure!
• My kids LOVE to roller skate.

We had so much fun at her party and with my kids pestering me, I finally got out on the rink. I just knew I was going to fall and completely embarrass myself, but I actually still knew how to skate. It felt like I never took a 15 year break, lol!

Almost everyone at the party had a really good time. (One mom wouldn’t let her little girl skate and she was so sad. She just knew her little girl was going to break a bone or something. I just felt awful for her.) My kids all found out that they are pretty good skaters and now that’s all they want to do.

The great thing about taking the kids roller skating is…it’s cheap! The other great thing..it’s awesome exercise for them and me. I say we need to bring roller skating back! I’m talking new roller skating rinks with new roller skates. I imagine most of the rinks are the same as the one we went too. You know – carpet on the walls and roller skates from the 70’s and 80’s. Yuck.

My kids are asking to go there this weekend. It’s so gorgeous outside though and I would like to save that for a day it’s raining or freezing cold.

So, what about you? Do you still go roller skating?

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For those of you who have no idea what Monkey Joe’s is, it’s an inflatable dream place for kids. It just came to my town a couple of months ago and it is super super popular here. It’s basically a huge room filled with inflatables of every kind. Kids can jump and slide until they pass out. They also have food and drinks that you can buy there and they host birthday parties.

It’s a little pricey for most parents though. I have heard quite a few complaints about the price. Here, it is $9 per kid and they can jump as long as they want. The longest we have stayed so far is 2 1/2 hours. I have only paid full price once and the other times I had a coupon. At full price, it’s $27 for all of my kids to play. Not exactly a cheap outing that’s for sure, but it has been great for special occasions and for a sanity saver. When it’s too cold for the kids to go outside, it’s nice to be able to take them somewhere other than McDonalds. My kids love Monkey Joe’s. They’ve even offered to pay for it out of their allowance. Sweet kids, lol!

Now the thing that sold me on Monkey Joe’s wasn’t just the inflatables. Oh no, there’s more to it than that. They not only cater to kids, but they cater to parents also. When I first walked in, I immediately saw to my right black recliners, 2 big screen tv’s, computers AND people on their laptops. That’s right, they have free wireless internet and a place for parents to kick back and relax. My kids know exactly where to find me if they need me. They also just brought in 2 new massage chairs. Oh my!

The other thing that I have loved about Monkey Joe’s that I have not seen other places, is how they take such good care of the kids. My daughter got hurt there on our first visit. Nothing big, just some kid’s big head rammed into her shoulder. One of the people that works there saw it happen, they brought her to me and then within seconds had an ice pack and a sucker for her. And not one of those cheap suckers you get at the bank. A sucker that any kid would be proud of. It’s amazing how fast my daughter healed up and was back playing. I have seen the workers do this time and time again and they have also come up to the parents and tell us to let them know if we need anything. Now that is service and that’s a place I will bring my kids too.

Also, if you’re lucky, Monkey Joe himself (yes, a giant purple monkey named Joe) will come out and play, give hugs and hi-fives and just be silly with the kids. The last time I was there, Monkey Joe decided to go to the little cafe next door and harass the people who were trying to eat. It was hysterical! I like that Monkey Joe guy.

My husband has to work tomorrow and it’s the kids last day of freedom until school starts again. Guess what I am surprising them with? Yep, a trip to Monkey Joe’s. Maybe I’ll slide and jump with them. I have some serious energy to get out after being in the car for 28 hours!!

Post from: Play Library

We had pictures of all the individual families taken out in the snow. We also did pictures of all the cousins together (there are 13 total), all the grown kids with their dad and then we did a huge group shot with all of us together. I can not wait to see how they turn out. These will be pictures that we will all treasure forever and will also help us to remember this amazing Christmas together.

If you have never had a photographer come to you, I highly recommend it. It sure was a lot easier getting all the kids ready to go and looking good when you don’t have to even leave your house!

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My kids have not experienced snow like this since we lived in Alaska and that was back in ‘99 to ‘02. My youngest has never played in the snow. They all found out and remembered real quick how stinkin’ cold the snow is! They also found out how important snow gear is and how painful it is when all of your clothes get soaking wet from the snow.

Another thing they love about playing in the snow, is coming inside for a nice hot cup of hot cocoa and sitting by the fire. Now that is exactly how we were hoping our Christmas would be like.

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