I’m an avid reader. I actually devour a book and like to think I hold the record time for reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It arrived at 4 pm, I was finished by 2 pm the next day, and I took time out to go to a Harry Potter festival at the Birmingham Zoo. What can I say, when I get down with a book, I get down with a book.
So, we decided to put together a list of our favorite books, and a few of yours too. Let us know what we’re missing and why, as we are always anxious to get a good book recommendation!
Adults:
Our Favorites (in no particular order):
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Bonfire of the Vanities – Tom Wolfe
Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – Carson McCullers
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving
Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius -Dave Eggers
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
The Awakening – Kate Chopin
The Sookie Stackhouse Series – Charlaine Harris
Guilty Pleasure – The Twilight Series. Swoon.
Children’s Books
Reader’s Picks:
Ages 0-3
The Little Train That Could
Goodnight Moon – Margaret Wise Brown
Thomas’s Christmas Delivery – Rev. W. Awdry
Ten Little Ladybugs – Melanie Gerth
Milly Waits For the Mail – Alexander Steffensmeir
Llama Llama Books – Anna Dewdney
Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss
Mama’s Little Duckling – Marjorie Parker
Love You Forever – Robert N. Munsch, Sheila McGraw
Are You My Mother? – P. D. Eastman
There’s a Monster at the End of this Book – Jon Stone
Best Word Book Ever – R. Scarry
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go – R. Scarry
All Asleep – Joanna Walsh
Mama, Do You Love Me? – Barbara M. Joosse, Barbara Lavallee
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? – Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
The Cat in the Hat – Dr. Seuss
Fox in Socks – Dr. Seuss
Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? – Dr. Seuss
Veggie Tales – God Made You Special – Greg Fritz
Giraffe and a Half – Shel Silverstein
I Love You Through and Through – Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, Caroline Jayne Church
Roar of a Snore – Marsha Diane Arnold, Pierre Pratt
The Good Humor Man – Kathleen N. Daly
Goodnight Gorilla – Peggy Rathmann
Mommy Kisses – Melissa Miller
Wibbly Pig is Hiding – Mick Inkpen
ABC God Loves Me – The Land of Milk and Honey
Ages 4-6
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus – Mo Willems
Pigs Love Potatoes – Anika Denise
There is a Bird on Your Head – Mo Willems
Froggy Books – Jonathan London
The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
and Axel Scheffler
I Spy – Jean Marzolla and Walter Wick
Fancy Nancy Series – Jane O’Connor
Dinosaurs Dancing at School – Luella Connolly
Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
There’s a Wocket in my Pocket – Dr. Seuss
The Wizard – Jack Pelusky
I See a Monster – Laurie Young
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell – Lucille Colandro
A Light in the Attic – Shel Silverstein
Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
The Wide Mouthed Frog – Keith Faulker
Thanks to the following readers for input on this great list: Shelly G., Jennifer C., Donna S., Lelia M., Elizabeth C., Lindsay W., Melissa R., Courtney G., Sonya L., Kona R., Melissa D., Tiffany P., Aimee G.,
Gloria W., Mandy M., Lee F., Candace S., Amanda Z., Elizabeth W., Holly S., Carolynn W., Elizabeth A., Vanessa J., Kristen B., Kate S., Brandi B., Brandy B., Amanda B., LeeAnn S., Monica H., Kristen L., Carolyn P., Melissa R.
Children / YA
Ages 7-10
My Father’s Dragon – Ruth Stiles Stennett
The Boxcar Children – Gertrude Chandler
A to Z Mysteries – Ron Roy
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series – Jeff Kinney
Goosebumps Series – RL Stine
Magic Tree House Books – Mary Pope Osborne
American Girl Series
Hank, The Cow Dog – John Erickson
Ages 11-14
Twilight Series – Stephanie Meyer
Harry Potter Series – JK Rowling
Sisters Grimm- Michael Buckley
Percy Jackson Series – Rick Riordan
Thanks to the following readers for this great list: Sonya W., Brandi C., Monica E., Shawn S., Brandy B., Melany G., Amy B., Becky C., Tandi S., Holly S., Ruth D.
Got something to add? Tell us all about it in the comments!
My new thing this week was getting out of my comfort zone regarding reading. I love fiction and stick to it mostly, but this week, I bought an American history book and haven’t peeked up yet!
Trish –
My new thing was silly… but I wanted to create happy reminders throughout my day. So I decided to make my to do lists a little happier. I put a picture of my dog on paper, made copies, and that’s my new form of scratch paper. Nothing makes a long list of errands more bearable than looking at a picture of some (furry) one you love.
Angie –
I bought new cleaning wipes. I know they aren’t the most eco-friendly thing around but I always like to keep a big tub of them sitting in my kitchen. It makes wiping down counter tops and sticky placements easier and faster. I was at Publix looking for my favorite, Greenworks. I like the ginormous tub but they were out, so I tried the Seventh Generation and they flat out stink. Not as in they don’t work, they literally stink. I can’t stand the smell of them or the smell it leaves on my counters and my hands. Needless to say I won’t be buying these again. I would consider this weeks “New Thing” a fail.
For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!
We hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend. Hopefully some of you are going to be off on Monday and be able to enjoy your family time just a little more! This week enjoy a free LEGO mini build and Cow Appreciation Day! Dress up like a cow and Chick Fil A will give you a free meal! Make sure to check out our Summer Flicks Guide to find out where to go for free and discounted movies around town. We update the calendar as we learn of new events so stop back by throughout the week to see what’s new!
It’s not our fault if your kids are bored!
Sunday July 4th
Trussville Freedom Celebration – On the Mall in Trussville
Inflatables, Music, Food and Fireworks
6:00pm – Fireworks at 9:00pm
4th of July Celebration – Downtown Homewood
The annual July 4th Celebration. Fun family atmosphere with rides, inflatables and an interactive DJ creates a festive atmosphere as we close down the streets in Downtown Homewood to celebrate our nation’s birthday.
5:30pm
Fireworks Extravaganza at Alabama Adventure
8:00pm – 9:00pm
Jazz in Park – Caldwell Park
Smooth jazz artists are set to perform in a variety of styles.
3:00pm- 6:00pm
UAB Music’s 4th Annual 4th of July Concert
The 75-member UAB Summer Band will perform patriotic songs, traditional band music, pop tunes, Disney favorites, movie and Broadway themes and more. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnics for the concert then watch the fireworks show atop Red Mountain
7:30pm
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Monday July 5th
Storytime – Ruffner Mountain
Is your child a budding naturalist? Bring them to Storytime to encourage their excitement about the outdoors. We will read a story with a nature theme. Following the story, there will be a short activity. Suited for children 3 – 5. All children must be accompanied by an adult during the program. We encourage all participants to donate $2 per person for Visitor Center admission and program.
10am
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Tuesday July 6th
The McWane Science Center: 3 Ring Science- North Shelby Library
Step right up for a science circus assembly show! Explore the wonders of liquid nitrogen, the power of explosions and the shocking world of electricity. All Ages Welcome. No Registration Required.
All Ages
10:30am
10 Cent Cookie Tuesday – Whole Foods
Barring any cookie monster attacks we’ll have our silver dollar-size chocolate chip cookies, baked fresh in the Bakery, for just 10 cents each. Buy a whole bushel and freeze them for later!
While Supplies Last
LEGO Minibuild – Riverchase Galleria LEGO Store
LEGO Watermelon
5:00pm until supplies last – Ages 6 – 14
Activated Storytellers- Hoover Library
A theatrical production full on nonstop action, American Sign Language, acrobatic tricks, slapstick, audience participation, imaginative props and a gigantic oversized book.
10:30am, 1:30pm, 6:30pm
Pottery Barn Kids Book Club at the Summit
Children and a caregiver are invited to share in this weekly story time. Make sure to get your Book Club Passport on your initial visit and receive a free gift at your 5th story time.
10:00am Barnes and Noble – Summit – Terrific Tuesday StorytimePlease join us as we read Mama, Is It Summer Yet? by Nikki McClure. See how a mother teaches her son to see the changes and signs in nature to recognize that the summer season has arrived.
11:00am
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Activated Storytellers- Hoover Library
A theatrical production full on nonstop action, American Sign Language, acrobatic tricks, slapstick, audience participation, imaginative props and a gigantic oversized book.
10:30am, 1:30pm,
Family Story Time with Mr Mac – North Shelby Library
Storyteller Extraordinaire – Come join Mr Mac and his musical storytime complete with puppets! All Ages, no registration required.
10:45am
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Color Splash Storytime – Hoover Library
Splash of Brown – Summer storytime for children under four.
10:30
Craft: Paper Plate Porthole – North Shelby Library
All Ages, Registration Required
Drop in anytime between 2:00 – 3:30.
Popcorn and Movie – Emmett O Neal “Old Dogs”
Grades 2 – 6
10:30am – 12:00pm
Tattoos from Under the Sea – Emmett O Neal
with Starshine Faces
Grades 2-6
3:30 – 4:30
Free Kindermusik Class – Cherubs Clubhouse
0-18 months at 9:30am
18 months and up – 10:00am
Mark Seymour – Vestavia Hills Library Be At Your Best – Drum/music show for all ages. 3:00pm
Kickin’ it with Kat Storytimeat Whole Foods –
Great curriculum, live music, plus our famous crafts and snacks. Invite your play group, friends, and neighbors!
10:00am
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Cow Appreciation Day – Chick Fil A
Stop by any Chick Fil A fully dressed like a cow and you eat for free! If you bring along the kids, they eat free too. The question is, are you too chicken to dress like a cow?
Wild about Books Story Time – Birmingham Zoo Come join us for story and craft time with Books-A-Million at the Birmingham Zoo! Every Friday through summer on Grandma’s Front Porch in the Children’s Zoo area
10:00am
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12th Birthday Bash – McWane Science Center
Can we build it? Yes, we can! Join McWane Science Center for our 12th Birthday Bash on Saturday, July 10. Bob the Builder will be live on stage for sing-a-long shows outside on the plaza! Bring the family for building activities throughout the day!
The first 1,000 kids get a FREE construction hat! Check their site for event schedule!
10am – 4pm
Brews Blues and Barbeque – Alabama Adventure
A day of barbeque and Blues Music – Stop by McDonalds for $10 off a general admission ticket.
Frogs for Families – Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Let’s go to the wetlands and hear the frog symphony. We will look at some of these creatures up-close and learn more about them, their importance, and how to identify them. $7 ($5 member). Reservations required. We will meet at the Tree Top Visitor Center at 7:15 PM and caravan to the wetlands. (205) 833-8264
7:15pm – 9:00pm
Helena Market Days/Farmers Market – Helena Amphitheater
8:00am – 12:00pm
Pepper Place Saturday Market
We spread out of the parking lot to include 29th Street as we accommodate local farmers, artisans, music, art and food!
7:00am – Noon
Valleydale Farmers Market –
Valleydale Farmers Market is dedicated to bringing fresh, local produce to communities around Alabama and the Southeast.
Music, cooking demos and storytimes along with fresh produce a great way to spend a day!
Saturday Storytime at Barnes and Noble Summit
Please join us as we celebrate classic children’s stories with a reading of Corduroy by Don Freeman. Revisit this tale of the department-store Bear who longed to have a friend and a home. A fun activity to follow.
2:00pm
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Open Daily
McWane Science Center
Mr Potato Head Exhibit – Families won’t want to miss The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD, a new interactive traveling exhibit that features the much-loved MR. POTATO HEAD character will lead young visitors and parents on a number of fun and educational adventures. From trips to outer space to jungle safaris and archeological digs, each activity will provide children with engaging learning experiences. Through Sept. 26
Itty Bitty Magic City –NOTE: ITTY BITTY IS AN ITTY BIT SMALLER THIS SUMMER!
The Itty Bitty Magic City will be on display this summer in addition to The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head exhibit. The Itty Bitty City is a little bit smaller than usual, but favorite areas including the grocery store, Tot Spot area, crane, and factory are still in the city. The Itty Bitty Golf Course and a few other items were removed temporarily to make room for the new exhibit “The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head” that is also designed for an early childhood audience and they will return in the Fall.
NatureScope – Explore the great outdoors from inside the museum. McWane Science Center and the Birmingham Audubon Society are partnering to create a new exhibit called NatureScope. Explore the science of the birds and the bugs in this new area! Get up close and personal with some resident creepy crawlies! Learn what role insects play in our ecosystem with the decomposition chamber. Meet large bugs including emperor scorpions, a tarantula, and even a giant African millipede!
Molecules to the Max – Catch a ride to NanoSpace with Oxy and her crew to boldly go where only atoms have gone before! This animated adventure brings audiences into amazingly small places and fascinates them with incredibly big ideas. Through May 31, 2010
Birmingham Zoo
Lorikeet Aviary – Our Lorikeet Aviary has more birds than ever! Zoo guests can feed these exotic birds every day. You and your family will see these birds’ behavior as they eat nectar out of your hand.
Weekends 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
PELICAN FEEDING – A great way to see our pelicans in action is to witness them eating their favorite treats near the pelican boardwalk.
RHINO ENCOUNTER – Embark on an African adventure and experience one of the world’s most extraordinary animals, the Southern White Rhino. Watch from only feet away as our zookeepers engage in hands-on interaction with the animals inside their African-themed exhibit. Don’t miss this exciting encounter with one of the largest mammals on the planet!
Weekdays: 3pm – 3:30pm
Weekends: 11:30am – Noon & 3pm – 3:30 pm
GIRAFFE FEEDING – This up close and personal animal encounter is a memory you and your family will have for a lifetime.
Weekday: 11am – Noon
Weekends: 10am – 11am & 2pm – 3pm
Do you have or know of an event you would like to have added to our weekly calendar? Please email us at contact@birminghammommy.com, subject line “Events Calendar” – We would love to hear from you!
We are incredibly excited about the turn out and response we had to the Twilight over 21 Event at McWane Science Center. We were grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this night and wanted to thank all of the businesses and people that helped by donating swag for the Dazzle Bags and Door prizes. Please make sure to check out their sites and show them some love!! These are the people in our community who take care of us, and we tip our hats to them! Or should we say we tip our fangs? Our abs?
And of course our evening would not have been complete without our fabulous paparazzi for the night, the talented Amanda Traywick who was there capturing our Red Carpet Moments.. Make sure to watch Facebook for all of her pictures!
Thanks again to everyone for attending, thank you to McWane Science Center and to all of our wonderful Contributors! We hope to have the opportunity to work with you all again in the future!
We love to shop for the little ones. In fact, I don’t think I’m alone when I say I spend more time and money on the little ones than I ever do on myself. It’s hard to resist, kid items are all so little and….cute. We found a few things this month that were darling.
Baby Girl Elephant Personalized Onesie Set available from The Baby Gardner. Let’s all take a collective “Awww” together now, shall we?
The Dishes. Just like the laundry, the dishes multiply. But when we saw this “Dirty Dishes” set from Alex Toys, we couldn’t help but love the idea. Cute, cute, cute – but might as well train them early, eh?
Black and White. We love anything black and white. Check out this gorgeous dress from Jen Jen. We love.
You’re relaxing in the gorgeous sunshine of bright, Alabama day when you wind up in the middle of a water-gun fight between two children whose parents are too busy catching up on neighborhood gossip to care. Been there? If not, you have probably been close.
It’s time to let it all out about pool etiquette – if there is such a thing. Now, we know that none of your darling children (or ours) have ever been involved in such shenanigans as what we’ll describe below, but just so we’re all on the same page, let’s dive in, shall we? (But first, let’s forgive that horrible pun)
1. Community pools are communal – you dig? But that means we share the pool – and that’s it. Unknown kids, please don’t grab my kids pool toys, floats or other crap I just dragged across the hot-as-hell parking lot, unless I know you or have told you it is ok. The last thing I need on my hands is my kid freaking out near a large body of water because your kid took “Mr. Flippy Frog” without him deciding to share (or me making him do so, which I will). Same goes for the cooler, if I don’t know them, I’d prefer kids keep their hands away from my juiceboxes. Have you seen my kid flip out when she’s super-tired and super-thirsty? It’s not pretty. Save me from this, I beg you.
2. Your older kid, yeah him, he doesn’t belong in the 1.5 ft deep kiddie pool. That over-sized bathtub is there so that us neurotic new parents can breathe a little easier knowing our kids won’t sink.. So really, the last thing we need is your 7-yr-old practicing his wrestling moves in a 6 ft by 6 ft confined space that also contains BABIES.
3. Le Food. Seriously, we shouldn’t have to say this, but… please don’t let your kid eat a hamburger in the pool while wading. Seriously?
4. Le Poop. For the love of Pete, please understand that a swim diaper is meant for swimming, not pooping.. It may act as a containment device, but time is limited. Once your child drops a doodie in that diaper you have mere seconds to get them up and out of the pool before you risk contamination to all of those around you! There is nothing more frustrating than schlepping 3 kids (and their gear) to the pool, getting them slathered in sunscreen and wrangled into floaties only to hear the dreaded whistle that summons everyone from the pool because of “unidentified substance” floating around. So please, please please, check those swim diapers often and help us avoid a “code brown” at the pool this summer.
5. I don’t babysit unless I birthed them, volunteered or am being paid accordingly. Don’t make me watch your kids too. Picture this: You’re in the pool with one hand on the baby float and one hand on the toddler whose floaty wings make her a candidate for the next “So You Think You Can Dance” reject. Then, two other children come over and ask you to help them swim, keep on swimming right with you and then ask you to hold their goggles while they go find their other friends and tell them about this really nice lady who is giving swim help to all the pool kids. I’m no Octopus, see these two appendages, they’re hands, and that’s all I’ve got.
My new thing this week was to unplug for an entire day. No cell phones (dead anyway) & no computer (laptop cord croaked). Instead I spent copious amounts of time hanging out with the kids, watching movies with the husband and generally living in a state of “now”. It was a first, although not by choice.
Trish –
My new thing this week is to make sure my home environment isn’t negative. There is so much of our day that is all about “No!” and “stop!” because of my kids’ ages. I am checking once a day every day to make sure the climate of our house is not grumpy or negative. I’m low on patience a lot of the time, so I set an alarm on my phone to remind me… in case I forget. 😉
Angie –
I panicked when I realized I didn’t have a single new thing to talk about this past week, that or I just couldn’t remember what it was so I went to the store and bought a new flavor of ice cream. I chose wisely. I love Heath Bar anything so I picked up the Ben and Jerry’s Vanilla Heath Bar and it was superb! Try it!
For more New Things or if you’d like to participate in 52 new things along with BirminghamMommy and many others – please join in by posting your new thing to your blog, facebook or on twitter (use #52newthings) – Also, you can head over to www.willblogforshoes.com to link up every Thursday!
Summer is officially in full swing. The pools are packed, the air conditioner is running non-stop, and the kids are BORED! It’s too early for bored! It’s not even July yet! This is where we come to the rescue— a fun, educational project that can make summer fun!
For the toddler/preschool/kindergarten crew:
1. Make an Alphabet Scrapbook that is specific to your child. Start looking for letter associations in everyday life- friends, toys, places you go. On a trip to the zoo, snap a pic of your kiddo in front of the zebras. Z is for Zebra will mean a lot more when they see themself in the picture.
Another spin on this would be numbers– look for things in sets. If you see 3 dogs, snap a pic and make a page for all things 3.
For the older kids, let them try to create some art. Challenge them to find letters around town to create a fun and unique nameplate for their room. To make it special, they can choose letters from places that are significant to them and their family; their school sign, their town sign, etc. Take pictures of the letters, help them crop them, and arrange them in a frame. You can even use a free photo program to superimpose images, change the colors, etc. Try Picasa from Google.
Time will fly and the kids will learn something this summer!
BirminghamMommy.com is thrilled to be teaming up with McWane Science Center and 103.7Q to bring you a night of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse. We’ll be celebrating the love of all things Twilight under the moonlight on the plaza. Complete with games, prizes, great food and cocktails.
We’re happy to be giving one lucky reader 2 FREE TICKETS to Twilight Over 21, the 5pm showing! You’ll be able to walk the red carpet and have your picture made with the life size cutouts of some of your favorite vampires or werewolves. You can declare your love with a Vampire bite or Wolfpack tattoo. So come toast to Twilight with blood red cocktails that even a Vampire would kill for!
Here’s how to enter:
1. Comment here, tell us why you love Twilight! (1 entry allowed)
2. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT US! Share the love! If a friend comments that you referred them to the giveaway, we’ll give you each an extra entry! (unlimited entries allowed)
Giveaway will begin on Monday June 28 and will end on Tuesday June 29 at NOON CST. Winner will be announced that day. Good luck!
Event Details:
TWILIGHT OVER 21
Date: July 1
Party Time: 8 pm – 10 pm
Movie Time: 5pm, 10 pm(sold out)
Where: McWane Science Center
Tickets: $25, BirminghamMommy followers will get $5 OFF that price! (Includes party, food, and movie ticket)
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! Must call (205) 714-8414 with promo code BHAM MOMMY to get the discount. It will not be available
So, we decided to put together a list of our favorite books, and a few of yours too. Let us know what we’re missing and why, as we are always anxious to get a good book recommendation!
