Food Fun Family

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes #ReadRiordan

Lolli — Tue, 18 Aug 2015 04:43:42 +0000

I am thrilled to be a part of the Percy Pack Ambassadorship as we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief AND Percy Jackson’s birthday, August 18, 2015. Promotional products have been received in exchange for my participation. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Note: affiliate codes used within post.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes:

There is something about a collection of stories that screams “read aloud,” and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing with Rick Riordan’s newest book, Greek Heroes.

What makes this collection of stories so much fun? Each story is told in Percy Jackson’s voice, relating the ancient Greek experiences and culture to modern life so kids can understand and appreciate the story all the better.

We love that we can get a taste of the classic Greek stories that are written for kids. And we love that the format is perfect to share together – the stories are the perfect length and there are just the right amount of colorful, full-page illustrations.

I’ve even caught my teenage son (who usually deems himself too old for “kid” books) reading the stories on his own. He’s definitely not too old for Percy Jackson!

About Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes:

Who cut off Medusa’s head? Who was raised by a she-bear? Who tamed Pegasus? It takes a demigod to know, and Percy Jackson can fill you in on the all the dincluding a maze, word search, aring deeds of Perseus, Atalanta, Bellerophon, and the rest of the major Greek heroes. Told in the funny, irreverent style readers have come to expect from Percy, ( I’ve had some bad experiences in my time, but the heroes I’m going to tell you about were the original old school hard luck cases. They boldly screwed up where no one had screwed up before. . .) and enhanced with vibrant artwork by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco, this story collection will become the new must-have classic for Rick Riordan’s legions of devoted fans–and for anyone who needs a hero. So get your flaming spear. Put on your lion skin cape. Polish your shield and make sure you’ve got arrows in your quiver. We’re going back about four thousand years to decapitate monsters, save some kingdoms, shoot a few gods in the butt, raid the Underworld, and steal loot from evil people. Then, for dessert, we’ll die painful tragic deaths. Ready? Sweet. Let’s do this.

Greek Heroes is available on Percy Jackson’s birthday, August 18!

Greek Heroes Activity Pack – Free Printables!

If your kids love printables as much as mine do, or if you’ve got a Percy Jackson fan in your house (or both!) then you’ll love this new Activity Pack inspired by Rick Riordan’s newest book, Greek Heroes. The activity pack includes a maze, word search, lots of games, and more! Download it for free here.

Visit the Official Website

Follow Rick Riordan on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

#ReadRiordan

Percy Jackson Back-to-School Giveaway

Be back-to-school ready with GREEK HEROES! One (1) winner will receive:

a copy of GREEK HEROES
plus a “Percy Pack” limited edition backpack!

Open to US addresses only. Prizing provided by Disney-Hyperion. This giveaway will end on September 1, 2015. A winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Winners have 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!

Entry -Form

MOUSEHEART by Lisa Fiedler – Book Review & Giveaway #Mouseheart

Lolli — Tue, 20 May 2014 19:09:45 +0000

My kids and I love to read and it’s always nice to find a good book that I can enjoy reading aloud with the kids just as much as they enjoy listening to it. I was thrilled to accept an advance copy of Mouseheart by Lisa Fiedler to test out with my kids (I’ve got a perfect audience at home!). All thoughts about the book are my own.

Mouseheart is the first in a middle-grade fantasy series (perfect for grades 3-7) about an ordinary pet shop mouse named Hopper…. at least he’s ordinary until he escapes the pet shop and finds adventure in the “untamed” Brooklyn transit tunnels. I knew from the beginning that my 3rd-grader Redwall-fan son, AJ, would love the story – with epic battles, brave heroes and mysterious secrets.

Bravery isn't measured by size. It's measured by heart.

I love that Mouseheart is easy to read but is far from being too basic or boring for adults or older kids. I’ve found myself getting into the story just as much as the kids.

Another thing that I appreciate, as a mom who reads out loud to kids each night, is that the chapters are between 6 and 10 pages long, which makes for perfect read-aloud sessions.

Here’s a little bit about the story:

ABOUT MOUSEHEART:

Hopper is just an ordinary pet-shop mouse—until he escapes. Soon he finds himself below the bustling streets of Brooklyn, deep within the untamed tangles of transit tunnels, and in Atlantia, a glorious utopian rat civilization.

But all is not as it seems. Hopper misses Pinkie and Pup, the siblings he lost in the escape attempt. Atlantia is constantly threatened by roving rebels who wish to bring the city to its knees. And there are cats everywhere, cats who would normally eat a rodent in a second, but leave the rats unharmed . . . and no one can seem to answer why.

Soon Hopper is caught in the crosshairs of an epic battle, one that spans generations and species. As the clashes rage, Hopper learns terrible, extraordinary secrets. Deadly secrets about Atlantia. Painful secrets about his friends.

And one powerful secret about himself…

Parents, kids, and teachers: be sure to visit the official Mouseheart website for games, character profiles, activities, and curriculum guides.

I’m excited for the following books in the Mouseheart series! I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Fiedler is the author of several novels for children and young adults. She divides her time between Connecticut and the Rhode Island seashore, where she lives happily with her very patient husband, her brilliant and beloved daughter, and their two incredibly spoiled golden retrievers.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Vivienne To has illustrated several books, including The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins and the Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series by Octavia Spencer. As a child, she had two pet mice escape. She currently lives in Sydney, Australia, with her partner and her ginger cat. Visit her at VivienneTo.com.

Connect with MOUSEHEART:

Visit the official website
Follow Simon Kids on Twitter (@SimonKids) and Facebook #Mouseheart
Mouseheart is in stores and online NOW! (release date: May 20, 2014)

Enter the Mouseheart Giveaway!

Two (2) winners will each receive a custom Mouseheart t-shirt and a copy of the book! Simply enter on the Rafflecopter below by end of day June 3, 2014. After June 3, a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MOUSEHEART by Lisa Fiedler - Book Review & Giveaway #Mouseheart

Author: Lolli

How to Teach Kids Smart Money Habits – Smart Money Smart Kids

Lolli — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 17:44:00 +0000

These tips on how to teach kids smart money habits and giveaway of Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze’s new book, Smart Money Smart Kids is sponsored but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Please scroll to the bottom of this post if you’re here for the giveaway!

Preparing and teaching – have I done enough?

In a few weeks, my oldest daughter will graduate from high school. In a few months, I’ll be driving her across the country and dropping her off at college. I fear that if there’s something I’ve neglected to teach her while she was a kid, it’s too late. Yes, I’m sure that she will pick up the phone every once in a while to ask me a question or text me for some quick advice. I’m sure she’ll even email asking for a few of my recipes that she hasn’t already written down. I know that my job as a parent is far from over just because she’s moving out of the house and moving on to college.

Luckily, she seems to be heading down a path that should lead her to success and happiness – that’s what we all want for our kids, right? She has successfully managed her own checking account and debit card for over a year. She has been working (a star employee!) and saving her hard-earned money for a year. She has diligently applied to colleges and scholarship programs and has even secured a job working at school already.

She is on her way.

I can’t take all the credit. A large portion of her success goes to the example of my hard-working husband and much of it can be attributed to her self-motivated, driven personality. But still…I can take some of the credit, can’t I?

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the new book, Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and his daughter, Rachel Cruze this past month. It officially released for sale today, and I thought it was the perfect time to talk about some of the tips that the Ramseys and I have in common where kids and money are concerned.

3 Tips to Teach Kids Smart Money Habits

Teach your kids to work – This is not only about going out and getting an after-school job (though that is certainly a worthy goal when the time is right). Teach your kids from a young age that running a house and family takes work and as members of the family, they have the responsibility to pitch in. Teach them to clean, to take care of pets, to work in the garden, and to plan and cook meals for the family. Not only does teaching kids how to handle jobs around the house help alleviate the pressure of one person having to do it all, but it helps give kids a sense of responsibility towards what happens in the home.

Be an example of wise spending – Let your kids see you save and budget and shop frugally. Also, let them make small mistakes with their money. If they beg to spend their last pennies on a popsicle from the ice cream truck, let them do it and “feel” the consequences. The lessons they learn with smaller dollar amounts will help them when they are older and dealing with bigger numbers.

Teach your kids to save – Saving teaches patience and goal-setting. I love what Dave and Rachel had to say about this topic:

“We’re living in a culture of instant gratification. We don’t want to wait for anything anymore, and technology keeps feeding our “get it now” attitudes…..you are a lot more cautious when it comes to a purchase if you take the time to actually save up and pay cash for something. When that happens, you’re learning delayed gratification…This is a great lesson to learn early in life.”

I could go on and on with tips and tricks that resonated with me from Smart Money Smart Kids but I’ll stop there and let you discover it for yourself!

Win a copy of Smart Money Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze

Enter to win a copy of Smart Money Smart Kids in the Rafflecopter form below. This giveaway will run through May 6 and a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: Amazon affiliate links are included for the book.

First Day of School with Tony Baloney School Rules

Lolli — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 18:29:07 +0000

Note: This is a compensated post, but all thoughts, opinions and first day of school stories are my own.

Tony Baloney is excited!

Today he won’t have to obey Bossy Big Sister Baloney.

He won’t have to play with the Bothersome Babies Baloney.

Today he is going to school!

My kids may not be heading to their first day of kindergarten this year (what a BIG year for both parents and kids!) but they can ALL relate to Tony Baloney and his excitement (paired with a healthy amount of nervousness) about going to school for the first time. We’ve just wrapped up a summer with four kids and two work at home parents sharing the same small space, day in and day out (my oldest worked all summer, so she was actually gone most of the time). You’d better believe that there are a few kids saying, “Thank goodness I don’t have to listen to my bossy big sister…or deal with the little kids!”

I remember when each of my kids started school. I don’t think any of them were as excited to go to kindergarten as AJ was a few years ago. He had been very aware of all of his siblings heading off to school without him (and he always thought that school looked like the epitome of FUN) and he was sad every day when they would leave him alone with me (HA! What the older kids would have done for some one on one time with mom like he enjoyed every day – the grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it?).

Now, as he enters 3rd grade, he’s (amazingly) still just as excited about heading back to school. He is my kid who cries during the summer that he’s too bored and wishes that he had school all summer long.

Obviously, he’s pretty happy about heading back today.

How do your kids feel about going back to school? Do you have any kids that are starting kindergarten or their first school experience this year?

Before AJ left for school this morning, he read a little bit of a brand new back-to-school book called Tony Baloney School Rules.

About Tony Baloney School Rules

Tony Baloney is finally free from the tyranny of his many sisters only to face a new challenge–SCHOOL RULES! How will Tony ever follow them all? True to his resilient spirit, he discovers a first day of school filled with new friends, good fun, a few foibles, and some fantastic surprises!

Crafted with all the care and detail of a picture book, and bursting with lyrical, laugh-out-loud text and clever, eye-popping artwork, TONY BALONEY SCHOOL RULES is a fun read aloud and the perfect book to ignite budding readers. The irresistible characters spring off the page and will leap into your heart–especially Tony, who children are sure to embrace like a new best friend.

Written by award-winning author Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrator Edwin Fotheringham
Perfect for Grades K-1 (but fun for kids a little younger and older than that, too)
Published by Scholastic and available in stores and online now!

What I loved about Tony Baloney School Rules:

If you aren’t already familiar with Tony Baloney, he is an adorable penguin who’s just about to go to school for the first time. He has one bossy big sister and two bothersome baby sisters as well as a stuffed animal friend named Dandelion who often echos Tony’s thoughts or gives him wise advice. I love Tony Baloney’s personality – he’s full of spunk and isn’t perfect, but he tries hard to be good (what little boy can resist shouting the word BARF in the middle of class or walking a little too fast on the way to lunch?). Tony’s fears and excitements mirror kids’ feelings as they start a new school year – he is so relatable! Even my 3rd grader loved the book.

Have you ever read Tony Baloney with your kids? What do they love about him?

Bedtime Math by Laura Overdeck Book Review and Giveaway

Lolli — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 21:32:15 +0000

To facilitate this book review, I was sent a hardcover copy of Bedtime Math to try out with my kids. The author is also supplying copies to give away to Better in Bulk readers. No other compensation was received and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We have a new favorite bedtime book in our house and even I am enjoying it!

Let me set the stage a little. When my older kids were younger, I read them stories at bedtime religiously. Read aloud time was part of our bedtime routine. Maybe I should clarify a little…sitting down with a picture book after the kids got dressed for bed and brushed their teeth was part of the routine. And so was me falling asleep in the middle of the book and the kids pestering me to wake up and finish the story.

I love reading…but some of the kids’ books that we read when they were younger bored me to no end. I came to not look forward to the bedtime reading time and eventually, as the older kids got bigger, that part of our night time routine became less and less common.

Making math and reading aloud fun again!

Enter Bedtime Math. You may be thinking…”That’s a surefire way to put any parent or kid to sleep!” but surprisingly, we found it engaging and entertaining enough that even *I* am not falling asleep (or complaining about having to read a few more pages). That’s saying a lot (I tend to be tired ALL the time).

Bedtime Math is geared to kids ages preschool through 9 (and beyond) and is filled with one-page stories/situations, followed by three levels of math questions. Originally, I wondered if Bedtime Math might be too simple (and therefore boring) for my youngest son, who is 8 and does very well in math in school. Not so! Although he can always figure out the problems, the Big Kids problem is just enough of a challenge for him that it gets him thinking…and he loves that! He also insists that we ask him the Wee Ones and Little Kids questions as well. He loves the stories/scenarios that go with each problem, and even I find myself enjoying doing the problems with him. Bedtime Math makes math fun for ALL of us, and I don’t cringe when he asks to read it every night before bed (like some other kids’ books!).

What is Bedtime Math about?

Bedtime Math’s mission: to make math a fun part of kids’ everyday lives.

We all know it’s wonderful to read bedtime stories to kids, but what about doing math? Many generations of Americans are uncomfortable with math and numbers, and too often we hear the phrase, “I’m just not good at math!” For decades, this attitude has trickled down from parents to their kids, and we now have a culture that finds math dry, intimidating, and just not cool.

Bedtime Math wants to change all that. Inside this book, families will find fun, mischief-making math problems to tackle — math that isn’t just kid-friendly, but actually kid-appealing. With over 100 math riddles on topics from jalapeños and submarines to roller coasters and flamingos, this book bursts with math that looks nothing like school. And with three different levels of challenge (wee ones, little kids, and big kids), there’s something for everyone. We can make numbers fun, and change the world, one Bedtime Math puzzle at a time.

Bedtime Math is the brainchild of author and mother Laura Bilodeau Overdeck. Laura and her husband, John, started giving math problems to their two older kids (just because she loved to do math puzzles when she was a kid!) but found that their 2-year-old wanted his own math problems. Bedtime Math was born out of that hunger from their kids to have fun math problems suited to their ages and interests.

Laura has a BA in astrophysics from Princeton University, and an MBA in public policy from the Wharton School (that’s right–she doesn’t have any professional math degree. Just a love of numbers and puzzles!). When not playing with numbers, Laura pursues her other interests, which include chocolate, wine, extreme gravity stunts, and Lego Mindstorms.

Win a copy of Bedtime Math!

The author of Bedtime Math would love to send a copy of her new book to three (3) Better in Bulk readers. Just enter the Rafflecopter form below before the giveaway ends on July 24 (end of day). Winners will be chosen at random and notified via email. Winners names will appear on the Rafflecopter widget once the giveaway is closed.

Good luck!

Connect with Bedtime Math:

Website: https://BedtimeMath.org
Buy Bedtime Math on Amazon
Bedtime Math blog: https://bedtimemath.org/blog/
Twitter: @BedtimeMath
Facebook: Facebook.com/bedtimemath
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/bedtimemath/

a Rafflecopter giveaway