Books for Kids to Give as Mother’s Day Gifts

Mother’s Day will be here before you know it, so I started researching books to give to my own mama. In the process, I stumbled upon so, so many cute books for children to give to their moms as gifts. As a kid, I would have loved to give my mom a Mother’s Day themed book that I could read to her. Heck, I still might read her a children’s book and I’m 27, ya’ll. Who doesn’t love story time?!

Here’s my top 5 picks:

5. what not to give your momWhat NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother’s Day
Martha Simpson (Author), Jana Christy (Illustrator)

A list-based book that tells the story of a child giving his mother Mother’s Day gifts better suited for animals.

Easy-to-read for the beginning readers, but this book may be a little childish for kids over 6.

4.  Mother’s Day Surprisemother's day surprise
Stephen Krensky (Author), Kathi Ember (Illustrator)

Violet the snake is stumped! Her forest friends are all making gifts for their mothers for Mother’s Day. But Violet doesn’t have any arms or legs or teeth! What’s a snake to do?!

Reptilian-loving kids will love this story. We all know those kids! But they may point out that snakes do have teeth (or fangs) and Violet’s teeth are showing on almost every page. A small flaw in an otherwise cute story.

the night before mother's day3. The Night Before Mother’s Day
Natasha Wing (Author), Amy Wummer (Illustrator)

One in the many and well-liked “Night Before” series, this book shows dad and the girls setting up a spa day and making a cake for mom.

What mom doesn’t want a spa day?! ‘Nuff said.

happy mothers day!2. Little Critter: Happy Mother’s Day!
Mercer Mayer (Author, Illustrator)

Mercer Mayer books are true classics. And this book is no different. This time, Little Critter has a special surprise in store for Mom. This interactive book encourages kids to lift the flaps of the pages to see what Little Critter has created for his mom. Fun for kids that need that tactile stimulation!

we love our mom

1. We Love our Mom!
Jan Berenstain (Author, Illustrator), Mike Berenstain (Author, Illustrator)

And for my number one choice, my sentimentality won out. I have such fond memories of my mom reading my sister and I Berenstain Bears stories when we were small. She even had a special voice for each bear!

In this recent addition to the Berenstain Bears collection, Brother and Sister look for a way to show their mom they care.

My mom is definitely getting this one for mother’s day. Maybe with a spa gift certificate as a bookmark?!

What are you giving your mom on Mother’s Day?

love,
melanie

Happy Birthday to me!

baby girl

This baby girl turns 27 today!

Today is my birthday! I have one every year!!! Anyone else singing that No Doubt song? No? Don’t get me started about how much I love Gwen and No Doubt.

In honor of my birthday, I’m taking the day off from the blog.

later gaters.

love,
melanie

27 Before 28: Birthday Goals List

270001

280001As promised, here is my birthday goals list. I was going to rewrite it, but hoping to turn over my “worry less” new leaf, I just scanned it in, straight from my journal. Keep me accountable, ya’ll!

love the (almost) birthday girl,

melanie

27 before 27: Birthday Goals Update

Last year, I posted my 26 27 before 27 goals. And it’s almost my birthday, ya’ll.  I thought it’d be fun to see how well I did. Admittedly, I lost the original paper these goals were written on, so I haven’t looked at them in a while. Luckily, I saved it here and shared it with you lovely folks! Here’s the update:

26 27 before 27

  1. Travel to a new city: New Orleans and Philadelphia
  2. Try a new cuisine: Israeli
  3. Read a “classic” novel: I re-read the Great Gatsby. It counts!
  4. Make a new friend: Amber
  5. Learn to make a vintage cocktail: Tom Collins… gross
  6. Implement “do nothing” Sundays: I don’t think this will ever happen.
  7. Sleep under the stars: At Drew & Jordan’s wedding
  8. Print out old pictures: Noooope.
  9. Buy a new pair of jeans: I hate jean shopping.
  10. Go on an unplanned adventure: My whole life is an unplanned adventure at this point!
  11. Send a letter: Sent it with a package. It counts, right?
  12. Connect with an old friend: Lauren
  13. Throw a party: Doing this (again) on Monday!
  14. Take a night-time stroll: Do this all the time with George, of course!
  15. Live without regret: Done.
  16. Forgive often: Working on it, always.
  17. Visit the farmers’ market: I visited the one in Raleigh. It counts.
  18. Bake for a friend: Easter
  19. Play in the ocean: I touched the ocean last time I was at the beach. The water is still super cold here!
  20. Visit the antique store in Williamston: Never open.
  21. See a movie alone: Not at the theatre, but I have watched a few alone.
  22. Speak up for myself: On many occasions, still needs work.
  23. Learn to shoot a handgun: Just need to take the class now.
  24. Get a massage: Bah, I never make time to schedule these!
  25. Hug George daily: My welcome home hugs are the best!
  26. Laugh often
  27. Worry less!: Work in progress!!!

Tomorrow I’ll share my new birthday goals.

Do you make birthday goals? What do they include?

love,
melanie

Our Wedding is on Photobug today!

Photo by Richard Israel

Photo by Richard Israel

Our wedding is over on Junebug Wedding’s photoblog, Photobug today. Check it out!

love,
melanie

A Creative Way to Give Cash: A Mobile!

money mobile

It was my beautiful sister’s birthday last week. (Happy Birthday, Kristen!) I wanted to send her cash, but just sending bills in the mail with a card is kind of lame.

Of course, I had to do something creative. That’s how I roll. I knew you could fold dollar bills into origami, but I wanted to take it one step further. So, I used the leftover embroidery floss from my sunglasses DIY to create a mobile!

elephant money origami

Supplies

  • Embroidery floss
  • A stick!
  • Paper money

I folded the elephants using an tutorial found here. Then, I braided the embroidery floss and tied one end to the elephant. Next, I broke a stick in half, made an “x” and neatly twisted embroidery floss around the middle of the “x” until I felt that it was secure. I left a little bit of floss at the end and finished it off with a bow. Finally, I tied each elephant to one of the stick ends.

origami money mobile

Have you ever given money as a gift in an unusual way? I want to see it or hear about it in the comments!

P.S. I sent my sister more than 4 bucks. I just didn’t want to use large bills in case she didn’t want to take it apart. I’m not that cheap!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Tart, Ginger Cranapple Juice

homemade cranapple juiceIt seems like everyone is juicing lately. I have to admit, I’ve been on a couple of juice cleanses and I absolutely hated it. Let’s be real, ya’ll. No green juice is ever better than a real bacon and egg breakfast. And to be honest, I feel better eating high protein, low carb instead of the other way around.

But George loves apple juice. He is such a little kid sometimes. And I do worry about the boy’s sugar intake. I can be a real mom sometimes. So, I was looking for  a way to make a healthier, lower sugar, apple juice. Here’s what I came up with:

Ingredients

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/2 inch of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup of cranberry juice (no sugar added)

I don’t have a juicer, so I made this one in my blender. It works well, but it would be smoother if you choose to make it in a juicer.

Peel, core and cut the apples into bite-size chunks. Peel and cut up the ginger. Add the cranberry juice to the blender first, then add the apples and the ginger. Blend until smooth and pour over ice. Enjoy!

Cranapple ginger juice

Tart and gingery! Have you ever tried a juice cleanse? Do you think it lives up to the hype?

love,
melanie

DIY Ombre Sunglasses

sunglasses7

It seems like the ombre trend will never die, huh? Oh well. I love it and I’m not afraid to omber-ize everything– including my sunglasses.

Here’s the how-to:

sunglasses1Supplies:

sunglasses2

Step 1 (Optional): (Enlist your husband) to drill small holes into the ends of your sunglasses. This will allow the ombre effect to be carried to the ends of the sunglasses. If you skip this step, you will just have to end the thread earlier on the sunglasses and leave the behind-the-ear-part empty. (Fancy terminology, huh?)

sunglasses3Step 2: Place a piece of tape sticky-side up onto the back of the glasses. This makes the process much easier because the thread won’t slide around.

sunglasses4Step 3: Tie a knot on the end of the of glasses closest to the eye.

sunglasses5Step 5: Begin neatly wrapping the thread around the sunglasses. This is where you can be creative with the process and switch up your colors.

Step 6: End the thread by neatly wrapping through the hole drilled in the end of the sunglasses. Tie a knot and dot the ends with fabric glue for extra strength.

Step 7: Repeat on the other side!

sunglasses6Annnnnd done! We’re ready to hit the beach!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Reclaimed Coat Hook

Coat Hook
Having very little money to decorate has forced George and I to get creative when it comes to the home items we need. I’ve shared my secrets to thrifting, so today I’m going to show you a little bit of how we reclaim items.

spigot

We desperately needed a coat rack for our tiny entryway. I hate the look of coats thrown over chairs and scarves hanging on doorknobs. We found a piece of old barn wood, a horseshoe and two spigots in (what else?!) an old barn at my in-laws house. All we had to do after that was screw the horseshoe and the spigots onto the piece of wood and instant coat hook!

Kinda looks like something from Pottery Barn, no?

Have you ever used something unconventional to decorate your home? I’d love to see it, so leave the links in the comments!

love,
melanie

The Biggest Before and After EVER!

librarybefore2

The old library shelving

libraryshelves3

beforelibrary

We had our reference section sitting on our study carrels for 6 months because the shelving collapsed when we tried to move it : /

 

I’ve been absent ’round these parts because… (dun, dun, dun!) I’ve had a huge project at work (whomp, whomp). But this is no ordinary project. Last year, I wrote a request to the senior leadership team at my school to fund new library shelving. The old shelving was falling apart. Literally. The furniture in the library was all original to the school, so it has been there since 1969! After much fighting, scraping and the occasional tear, we got the go ahead for new shelving!

Today I am happy to bring you the biggest “Before and After” this blog has ever seen!

AFTER!

AFTER!

I no longer feel like I might get assaulted when I re-shelve books!

I no longer feel like I might get assaulted when I re-shelve books!

Our new bright, airy stacks!

It has been a long process. We weeded 6,000 books from the collection. We researched and designed shelves. And we physically moved and re-shelved 24,000 books.

I am tired. My body hurts. I didn’t know being a librarian often involves so much physical labor. I actually soaked in Epsom salts last night. I am an old lady, but a happy old lady who knows that hard work pays off.

love,
melanie