Skipping a Beat {GIVEAWAY}

I admit it.  In the first few months after having Gabrielle and Alaina, I didn't pick up a single book.  Okay, who are we kidding?  It was more like the first 24 months!  Yes, I went two years without reading anything longer than an article in Us Weekly, and for someone who adores reading like I do, it was a tough pill to swallow.  But I didn't have the time to dedicate to following a story from beginning to end so I anxiously awaited the day I'd be able to curl up with a good book and when I finally got the chance, I picked up The Other Side of Me by Sarah Pekkanen.

It's the story of adult twin sisters who've grown apart but who come together again at a pivotal point in their lives, and I couldn't put it down.  I was so sad to leave the characters of Lindsey and Alex when the novel ended that I immediately headed to Amazon to look for any other books written by the same author that I could get my hands on.  No luck - The Opposite of Me was her debut but through friends who had recommended Sarah's book, I found her Facebook fan page and "liked" it, figuring someone would share when her next one would come out.  I was so surprised to find that Sarah regularly posts and interacts with readers on her page.  It was there that I learned about a reading she was having in NYC to promote the release of her second book, Skipping a Beat, and I was shocked when I e-mailed her about it that not only did she e-mail me back, but went out of her way to make sure I was on the guest list.  So so sweet.

At the reading, I found Sarah to be as genuine in person as she is on Facebook.  She read an excerpt from Skipping a Beat and answered questions from the attendees, and her energy was infectious. 

It was so inspiring to hear her talk about how she got her first book published (she visited bookstores, made a list of the people who edited her favorite books and then sent them copies of her manuscript!), how she manages life as a mom and an author (she actually writes in her car while waiting to pick up her kids from school) and what she's working on next (here's a scoop - it may be the story of three couples whose lives are intertwined).  I headed home with a new copy of Skipping a Beat inscribed just for me:

And I couldn't wait to start reading it.  When I did, Skipping a Beat was all I expected it to be.  It's the story of Michael and Julia, two high school sweethearts who manage to achieve all of their dreams but whose lives change dramatically when Michael has a near-death experience.  I won't give too much away, but prepare to become totally emotionally invested in the marriage of two people you never met.  Sarah's writing vividly depicts what happens to a couple after being together for years and how they start to drift apart despite having everything they could ever want, and as a reader, you'll start to question how you would handle a similar situation.  I finished Skipping a Beat on a plane ride this weekend and was mortified to find myself sobbing through the final chapters.  The guy in the next seat looked at me like I was nuts but I couldn't bear to put it down until I knew what happened so I pulled out some tissues and just kept reading.  It's a book makes you think, make you cry and makes you wish it wouldn't end.  But alas, it did.  Now there's nothing for me to do but stalk Sarah's Facebook page, hoping for some news on when her next one will be out!

If you're a fan of authors like Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin or Jodi Picoult, I think you'll enjoy The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat.  Now the next time you're looking for a good read, you know where to look!

Sarah has graciously offered to give away one copy of Skipping a Beat to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, post a comment here telling me what your favorite book is (this is mandatory). For additional entries:

• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• "Like" Sarah Pekkanen's Fan Page on Facebook and leave a comment that A Few of My Favorite Things sent you.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway: #Win a copy of Sarah Pekkanen's book "Skipping a Beat" at @AFOMFT http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here - - to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did. You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.
• Donate $10 to the Red Cross to help the relief efforts in Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999 (the donation will be billed to your cell phone bill).  (This is worth 5 entries so please post five separate comments saying that you made a donation)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post. Comments on Facebook will not count as entries. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends April 5th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on April 6th. If the winner does not contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

A New Favorite Book {GIVEAWAY}

The last few days, I've been posting about DVDs I plan to bring with us on our first flight with the girls next month.  We'll also be toting along a bunch of books, and at the top of the pile will be Gabrielle and Alaina's new favorite, Who Said Coo?

They cannot get enough of this sweet bedtime story.  In the book, Lulu (which is our nickname for Alaina!) is a sleepy pig whose pals Pigeon, who "coos", and Owl, who "whoos", have shown up at bedtime and want to play.  Lulu tries to send her noisy friends away but after their boo-hooing, she invites them in for a slumber party. Our copy usually comes out right before the girls are about to hit the sack themselves.  Can you tell by the binky, blankie and Big Bird?

The girls love the sweet illustrations and both of them enjoy telling Pigeon and Owl to "Shhhhh!" since it's sleepy time.  See what I mean?

I really like the fact that the rhymes have just the right rhythm for reading aloud which makes it one of the few books I don't mind repeating over and over.  There's a great amount of repetition that Gabrielle and Alaina have caught on to quickly, and there are lots of opportunities for them to "coo", "whoo" and "moo" like the animals in the book do.  Here's our Lulu doing her best "moo".

There are also some really funny moments and a good moral about conflict resolution in the story so the girls laugh and learn. And even though the book is so interactive, the illustrations are soft, sweet and almost kind of sleepy, which make it the perfect story to read right before bed.

And here's one more fun fact about Who Said Coo?  It was written and illustrated by twin sisters! Here are Deborah Ruddell, who wrote the book, and Robin Luebs, who drew the images, now:

And as little girls:

I know that Gabrielle and Alaina have no idea that their favorite book was written by twins but it makes me happy.  Maybe it's the thought that someday they'll work together on something like Debbie and Robin have.  A mom can dream, right? In any case, Who Said Coo? is a read that both you and your children will love!

And I've got great news because one lucky AFOMFT reader is going to win a copy of their very own!  To enter to win, post a comment here telling me what your child's favorite book is (this is mandatory).

For additional entries, click this graphic to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs:

And post a comment that you did.  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends March 3rd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on March 4th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that I was sent a copy of Who Said Coo? for the purpose of this review and giveaway.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of this book are my own and yours may differ.

Images: AFOMFT, Brian Ruddell & Craig Luebs

Valentine Freebie Festival, Day 2! {FREEBIES}

It's day two of our VALENTINE FREEBIE FESTIVAL and today we've got another great non-candy option your kiddos can hand out at school on the 14th - bookmarks!

Sanquanetti Design created these five freebies for MG Party Impressions and the cute animal-themed sayings are perfect for boys or girls.

Not only will kids love them but the other moms will thank you for giving out something that won't result in a trip to the dentist!

You can download the five free Valentine's bookmarks and get the how to for assembly here at MG Party Impressions and if you have a free Valentine's printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

Letters For Santa {DISCOUNT}

Before Santa arrives this year, I'm going to have to do a purge of Gabrielle and Alaina's toys.  They have so many and some they've outgrown, and while we'll give most of them away to kids who need them, it kind of breaks my heart how many of them will get tossed.  So I decided I wanted to try to buy them some gifts this holiday season that they'd be able to use now and keep forever.  Something that maybe they'd pass down to their kids.  And no, Dance Party Mickey doesn't count.

I knew I'd found exactly what I was looking for when I came across Drawn to Letters.  In addition to making fabulous Nursery Rhyme prints (I love this one!):

And sweet Personalized Art Prints:

Joanne, the lady behind the letters, also makes these wonderful Cloth Alphabet Books.

Each one spells out the child's name and is hand-sewn.

Joanne has illustrated each and every letter herself and then prints them onto fabric, and the last page has a special message just for the child the book is for.

Since Gabrielle and Alaina are obsessed with all things letters, I knew I had to order two of the Drawn to Letters books for them.  They came packaged in these darling boxes.

And when I opened them up, I gasped.  Yes, they were that adorable!

The books are 5.5 inches square and have a velcro closure so they're perfect for little hands and each page features a different illustration:

And the whole book also folds out flat so kids can look at the whole thing at once.

I had the dedication pages include "Merry Christmas" and the year so the girls will always know when they received them.

And best of all, they're washable!

Someday, when Gabrielle and Alaina are older and don't use their Drawn to Letters books anymore, I may pack them away or frame them to hang in their rooms, so they can share them with their children too.  Now that's a gift that keeps on giving, which is why the Cloth Alphabet Books are one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

I don't have any pictures of the girls playing with their books because they'll wrapped until the tree on Christmas Day but I can tell you from handling them personally that the quality is first rate.  They're soft and flexible and I know Gabrielle and Alaina will enjoy folding and unfolding their books while naming the letters.  And to me, a personal gift like this is so much more special than this season's "hot toy."  But guess what?  In honor of "Black Friday," Joanne has generously offered a discount exclusively to AFOMFT readers!

Get 20% off your purchase from Drawn to Letters today, Friday, November 26th through Sunday, November 28th by entering code AFOMFT when you check out.  Happy shopping!

Images: AFOMFT & Drawn to Letters

For Your Bookworms {GIVEAWAY}

My kids love books right now.  Our apartment often looks like a library exploded in it because of all of the books they have strewn about.  Their favorites at the moment are what I call "touch books" - you know, the ones that have something fun for them to feel on each page.  They don't want to sit down and hear a story, they just want to touch all of the cool textures.  So when Little Scholastic offered to send me two of their newest titles and I realized they were "touch books," I was so excited!  I knew the girls would love them.  And they do.

The first book we received was Petting Farm.

This board book helps pre-schoolers learn about farm animals in a really innovative way - by seeing, hearing and touching them.  Each page features a different animal with something about it touch - a horse's mane, a pig's nose - which Gabrielle and Alaina adore.  But that's not all.  Petting Farm comes with a 20-minute DVD that brings the animals to life!  And it's so fun to watch - not only are all of the baby animals adorable but the photography is wonderful and the music is delightful.  Your kids won't be the only ones who want to start the DVD again when it ends.

The second book we got was Little Shapes.

You may be wondering what there is to touch when it comes to shapes but all of the shapes in this book have a tactile element - shiny, scratchy, etc.  That interaction really seems to help facilitate learning because we repeat the names of the shapes, touch them and look at them.  The pages are sturdy and hold up well to lots of handling and I really like that they have rounded edges.  Gabrielle and Alaina tend to run around with their books so I appreciate that there aren't any pointy corners for me to worry about.  I'm going to get the girls some of the other books in the "Little" series including Little Colors, Alphabet, Peek-a-Zoo and Numbers.

If you're looking for educational books that your little ones will enjoy, I would highly recommend these two titles.  You can buy both Petting Farm and Little Shapes on Amazon.

About Little Scholastic:
From the most trusted name in learning comes Little Scholastic, a developmental publishing program that introduces reading to babies and toddlers ages birth to three years. Each book features rhyming, repetitive, or predictable text, interactive components, and familiar subjects—all formatted to delight babies, toddlers, and parents. Visit www.littlescholastic.com for expert advice and articles, parenting tips, book information, and more.

And boy do I have a great giveaway for you today!  Little Scholastic is generously giving three lucky AFOMFT readers copies of Petting Farm and Little Shapes.  That's right, there will be three winners chosen!  To enter, post a comment here telling me what your child's favorite book is right now (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT with a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win two wonderful children's books from @Scholastic - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab our HOLIDAY HAPPENING button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends November 19th at 11:59 pm EST. Three winners will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on November 20th. If the winners don't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that Little Scholastic provided me with the two books listed above for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of these titles are my own and yours may differ.

Images: Little Scholastic

For the Book Worms {GIVEAWAY}

Gabrielle and Alaina have recently turned into little book worms and I'm always asking friends which books their kids like so I can add some fun new titles to our collection.  I figured some of you might be looking for new books too, so here are a few our current favorites.

Gabrielle and Alaina love "touch" books, like Matthew Van Fleet's board books.  Their current picks are Cats, which has lots of soft tails to stroke and other fun interactive pieces to pull and push.

And Tails, which is very similar but also has scratch and sniff spots!

They're kind of stir crazy at this age but there are a few books they'll sit and listen to me read to them, like Giraffes Can't Dance by Gilles Andrae.

And The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.

The two newest additions to our repertoire are The Boy Who Wouldn't Share which is written by Mike Reiss, a former writer for The Simpsons. 

It's the story of Edward, who won't share his toys and ends up stuck in a pile of them after he tries to keep them all for himself. The illustrations are really entertaining and I like the message of the book a lot.

And then there's Push Button by Aliki. 

My girls love to push any buttons they find, so this book about different buttons and the noises they make when you push them is perfect for them. I also love the bright illustrations - they really pop off the page.

Check out some of these fun titles the next time you're at the library or the bookstore and I hope your little ones enjoy them as much as mine do!

AFOMFT is giving away two titles from Gabrielle and Alaina's favorite books, The Boy Who Wouldn't Share and Push Buttons, to two lucky readers.  To enter, post a comment here telling me what your children's favorite books are right now (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win two terrific children's books @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends August 5th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on August 6th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

YOU TAKEOVER TUESDAY: Get Your Cook On! {GIVEAWAY}

It's Tuesday which means you takeover.  Today's question comes from Sandra in Tallahassee, Florida.  She e-mailed:

Dear AFOMFT, I have twins (Jacob and Justine) who are around the same age as your girls.  They love to eat and will try almost anything but I feel like I'm in a rut with what I make for them.  I've never been a big cook but I like to make their meals.  Any suggestions for new recipes I can try that are healthy and taste good but are easy for me to make?

Sandra, I totally know where you're coming from with this post.  There was a stretch there when my girls had grilled cheese, chicken fingers, meatballs or pasta almost every day because I knew they loved those foods and they were easy for me to make.  But then I got Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child and it opened up a whole new world of fun menu options for Gabrielle and Alaina.

Written by children's food expert Annabel Karmel who you may have seen on the Today Show, Top 100 Finger Foods features recipes for tasty and healthy choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack time.  From French Toast Fingers and Tuna Muffin Melts to Carrot and Cheese Muffins and Veggie Burgers, there's something that even the fussiest toddler will love. 

What I really like about the recipes in this book is that while they're "finger friendly" and easy for kids to eat, they're also really hearty and packed with flavor.  Annabel shows you just how easy it is to make delicious dishes like Chinese Glazed Chicken Wings and Minty Lamb Koftas that aren't only good for little ones, but are also so yummy that you may want to make another batch for you and your husband.  The Apple Parcels in particular are so delicious that I can't help but eat them myself and the girls are lucky if there any left for them at all.  And best of all is that the preparation time on most of the recipes is less than 15 minutes and many of them take less than 20 minutes to cook - perfect for busy parents.  The book also includes information on how to freeze large batches so you can just re-heat on busy days.

Sandra, I hope that Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child helps you find some new easy dishes that become family favorites.  Annabel Karmel has written lots of other great children's cookbooks you may want to check out too.  There's one for fussy eaters:

And another for meals on-the-go:

Food for those new to solids:

And for the entire family:

Want to give some of Annabel's recipes a try?  You're in luck because we've got a copy of Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child to give away to an AFOMFT reader!

To enter, post a comment here telling me what your child's favorite food is (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  #Win "Top 100 Finger Foods: 100 Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Child" by @annabelkarmel @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends July 10th at 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on July 21st. If the winners don't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Annabel Karmel