Ten Books I Plan to Read This Summer

Some years I'm a summertime reading machine and other years I'm not so much.  I have a stack of review books that is over two feet high.  I'd love to set a goal of reading them all over the next three months but that's not realistic.  I also have a lot of great books that I purchased for myself or was given as gifts for my birthday or Christmas that I simply haven't had time to read.  So here's my list of books I hope to read this summer.

~1~

I think the title, Raising God-First Kids In A Me-First World, is pretty self-explanatory.  I'm hoping this book will offer some additional insight to how we already parent.

~2~

I already started reading this book.  I'm three chapters in and I'm really considering whether or not I should try to take on praying part of the Liturgy of the Hours.  I had considered it a while back but most of what I read pretty much indicated that you'd need to seek out a priest to walk you through how to use a breviary and that was enough to scare me off.  I've mentioned that I have a bit of a priest phobia before, right?  I think I've made some great strides in overcoming it over the past several years.  Chipping away at it bit by bit.

~3~

I've been wanting to read this book since it arrived in my mailbox many months ago but I hadn't found the time.  I read the first few chapters the other day and I think it's a really good book.  I can't wait to read the rest of it.

~4~

I'm going to accept the challenge our pastor placed before us at daily Mass a week or two ago to read all four of the gospels this summer.  The last time I sat down and read them in entirety was when I was in college before I converted.  I think I'll appreciate it a bit more this time around especially since I won't be reading the KJV translation.  I can even pull it up on my laptop thanks to the awesome USCCB website.

~5~

I offered to review this book for Fr. Mark last Summer and then I just never got around to reading the book.  To be honest, after seeing smaller type I gave up a few pages into the book because I simply couldn't read it when I was battling headaches practically every day.  Now that I've kicked my Starbucks habit and the headaches have gone away I can read the book.

~6~

I started to read this during Lent and then I just couldn't read it anymore.  So I'd like to finish The Fellowship of the Ring before the kids start school in September.

~7~

It's funny how reading saints books geared to kids piques my interest in wanting to know more about these saints.  After reading this book to Katie, I found myself wanting to read more about St. John Mary Vianney so if I make it through most of what I'm reading I'll be ordering a copy of this book.

~8~

I got this book on JPII for Christmas and I'm looking forward to reading it.

~9~

This should be a relatively quick book to read.  I've been reading a lot of books that focus on new evangelization.  So far the best one I've read on the subject is The New Evangelization and You by Greg Willits.

~10~

I hope to find an afternoon or two where I can sit down and read the manuscript for a book that an old friend from high school wrote.  She sent me the manuscript a few months ago and asked me to read it.  She's thinking of self publishing the book.  It's a fiction novel involving angels and demons.  I read the first few pages and the book is written in a writing style that reminds me of my friend.

Top Ten Tuesday: Toddler Girl Gift Ideas

When you have three children of the same gender and you're the sort of mom who doesn't throw away toys, being asked what the littlest one in the family needs/wants for Christmas can be a challenge.  Not for the gift giver, but for the parent of the child who pretty much has everything.

~1~

This Step 2 grocery cartis super sturdy and can hold a lot of toys that Katie loves.  I think it's made far better than the Little Tikes cartthat has been banished to the garage for many years now.  Katie has the pink Step 2 grocery cart which can be a bit more difficult to find.

~2~

A baby dollthat is sized just right for the littlest mommy is always a welcome gift.  Katie got this adorable little doll for her first birthday.  She's just the right size for Katie to walk around with her.

~3~

Bead mazes are a huge hit in our house.  Katie got the one you see abovefor her first birthday and not only does it occupy her for long stretches of time, it also entertains her big sisters. 

~4~

Sometimes simple toys are some of the best ones.  Katie LOVES the stacking cupsfrom Discovery Toys.  We have the older version of the ones you see above.  She likes to take them and scatter them, put things in the big cups and just play with them.  Ellie likes to build towers for Katie with these cups which Katie will then dismantle one cup at a time.

~5~

I like to make sure the girls have something faith based in their stockings on Christmas morning.  This year Katie will be getting My First Catechism: The Catholic Faith for Little Ones.It's such a lovely book.  The book is very nicely done and I just love the illustrations by Maite Roche.

~6~

We don't have this cute little Rody horse,but it's one of the items on Katie's wish list this year.  My older girls have played with this toy at a local bounce house party place and they loved it so I'm betting it would be a hit with Katie.

~7~

We love books in our house so it's no surprise that we have lots of books on the wish lists!  We're big fans of the Sandra Boynton books.  Some of our favorites are Snuggle Puppy,Hippos Go Berserk,and Bob.

~8~

Little People are huge in our house.  One toy which has seen tons of play has been the Fisher-Price Little People house.  

~9~

This rainfall rattleis another one of Katie's favorites.  We've had this rattle since Madeline was about three years old and the girls have always found a way to play with it since then.  Toddlers like to shake it, roll and and just watch the beads fall while the bigger girls have used it as a musical instrument among other uses. 

~10~

Sometimes the little one you are buying for really doesn't need anything and you just don't know what to buy.  A nice keepsake ornament personalized with the child's name is always a nice gift.  I recently brought Katie this ornament from Lenox.

Top Ten Tuesday: Hurricane Preparations

How about a Top Ten Tuesday on preparing for a hurricane.  Given our current circumstances it seems timely enough.

1.  Stock up on essential foods.  This is pretty much the same mentality as stocking up before a big snow storm.  Since there's the possibility of losing power, it's a good idea to make sure you have some non-perishable foods on hand to last you several day.

2.  Ensure that you have flash lights and batteries.  If you arrive at the store to find all of the batteries and flash lights are out of stock, relax and think outside the box.   Target sells LED night lights in the children's bedding aisle that can be charged (this only works if you buy them before you lose power) and then provide up to eight hours of light.  The little lights throw a surprising amount of light and can be switched on and off.  Two big storms in a row I've been able to find these on the shelf long after all the batteries and flashlights are gone.

3. Candles are good to have on hand, too.  Make sure you have something to light them.  If you're using candles don't leave them unattended.  You don't want to accidentally start a fire.

4. If you have well water that uses an electric pump stock up on water in the event that you have a prolonged power outage.  Someone I know learned this lesson the hard way.

5. Turn the temperature setting to a colder level on your freezer and fridge and pack your freezer with ice.  This will help keep your food cold in the event of a power outage.

6. Fill up empty juice and milk bottles with water and freeze them.  This will give you big blocks of ice to fill in any open spaces you have in the freezer.  It can also be used as drinking water [provided you cleaned the containers first] if the need arise.  You can also take plastic sandwich bags and fill them with water and freeze them, too.  We stuffed bags of water all over in our freezer so that our perishables will have a greater chance of being saved in the event that we lose power.

7. Ensure that anything you have in your yard that might go flying is secured.  You don't want your trampoline to become a kite or your patio table to go flying through your sliding glass door.

8.  Make sure you keep your cell phones, laptops and things of that nature fully charged as the storm approaches.

9.  Heed warnings to evacuate if officials for your area tell you to do so.  It's far better to leave home for a few days and find out after the fact that you didn't really need to go than to stay behind and possibly wind up in a situation that threatens your life.

10. Have a first aid kit on hand.

Top Ten Tuesday: On the go with baby

When I'm out and about with the baby I have some items that are tops on my must have list.

-1-

A lightweight stroller.  I've had a thing for strollers since before Madeline was born.  Our garage is testament to that.  We have several nice strollers just sitting in there.  Some are eleven years old and need a new home and others are new.  My favorite stroller ever is the nifty Britax B-Agilethat I got as a review product last year.  I didn't think I'd like it at first, but once I pulled it out of the box and took it for a test drive I was in love.  Katie loves it as much as I do.  Weighing in at 16lbs, this stroller gets top marks for comfort, generous canopy, and maneuverability.

-2-

We dine out pretty frequently and this time around I was hoping to avoid using a travel booster for the baby since I remember it being a horribly cumbersome ordeal with Madeline.  With Ellie we used our Floppy Seat, but we quickly got to the point where it was obvious that you can't use it with every restaurant high chair out there.   So we decided to give our Fisher-Price booster seata try one day many months ago.  Seven months later and it's one of our most used on the go baby products.  This seat is great.  Katie loves it, it's always clean (when I remember to wash off the tray, that is) and it is super easy to set up unlike the booster seats we had ten years ago.

-3-

I get frustrated when we go shopping and the shopping carts don't have seat belts for the baby.  Last winter I was using the floppy seat shopping cart cover, but I found it to be a pain in the rear to use.  I'm not an octopus and putting the cover in the cart while holding the baby just wasn't an easy task.  I ditched the cover and decided to see an alternative solution.  A friend had told me about how she and her husband used a dog collar as a seat belt on an old wooden high chair.  I thought it was odd at first and then I began to think it was a pretty good solution to my shopping cart issue.  So one day at Target we picked up a trendy girly looking dog collar in a size large enough to accommodate a 26 inch neck.  So now when we hit a store that either has a gross seat belt or one that's broken/missing, I pull our nifty dog collar out and buckle Katie in.  A neat thing about the collar is it also has an accessory loop so we can attach a toy with plastic links.

-4-

Bibs that wipe clean and can be stored with minimal bulk make me a happy mom.  Over the years I've tried out lots of feeding bibs and have liked almost none of them.  This past winter I stumbled upon bibs that are not only super thin, but also wipe clean and launder incredibly well.  So Bumkins bibsmake it onto my list of favorite on the go baby items.  They fold up smaller than the disposable Pampers Bibsters that I used to use with Madeline and Ellie and they're reusable.

-5-

I like small light weight toys that can be easily taken with us when we're running errands.  The toys that typically get grabbed are Katie's beloved fruit keysand Princess Sophie.  The Princess Sophie we have came from a set so she doesn't have a clip attachment, but this one does.

-6-

Pacifier clips are a must when we head out the door.  Katie is into playing "I'll drop it on the floor and you pick it up!" so pacifiers that aren't tethered wind up on the floor.  Since we use Mam pacifiers, I use their clips.  I like how they have a velcro loop that can also be used to keep things like Katie's fruit keys from hitting the floor.

-7-

Early on in my adventures in Mommyland I discovered that I hate using a diaper bag, and I didn't like having wipes, diapers and a changing pad as separate items.  So when I discovered diaper changing clutches I was one happy mommy.  My favorite clutch was super basic and is no longer being made, so I now use this onefrom The First Years.  I really like this for the convenience factor, but I have to say I'm not happy that the vinyl on the outside of my clutch has developed holes in it where it folds.  I noticed the quality issue when it had only been in use for less than a month, but in spite of it, it's still on my must have list.

-8-

If we're leaving the house, you can bet a pacifier is coming with us.  I simply don't leave home without at least one.  These are particularly necessary if we'll be at Mass or sitting in a waiting room somewhere.

-9-

I keep a couple of spare baby blankets in the car.  You never know when you'll need one for something.  A flannel baby blanket can double as an emergency cloth diaper should you run out of diapers.  Blankets can become a car seat cover in a pinch if baby has an explosive diaper, and they can even double as a shade for the car window or a nursing cover.  

-10-

As I inch towards toddlerhood with Katie, Cheerios in a snack catcherare now on our list of things I carry.  They're a yummy snack and they keep her happy.

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