Silly Eagle Books

Poetry for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Juliet brought this home from school yesterday. Robert Frost has always been one of my favorite poets, so I was thrilled that she got a little early exposure to his work (who knew they read Frost in preschool?)

And while I think this poem is a bit dark for the preschool crowd, I'm sure her teacher didn't go there with the kids. From what I got from Juliet, it was about a man in the woods, but it wasn't his woods. And there was snow. Then, made a pine cone bird feeder. Which is always a fun time.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers

It did remind me that there is a picture book adaptation of this poem that I've seen in bookstores (I don't own it, but would love to.) And as I type this, I'm thinking this is probably what Juliet's teacher shared with the kids. She always reads a book and does a craft with it, so I'm guessing this was it. (My detective skills are amazing, aren't they?)

Anyways, I'm going to see if our library has a copy of this book. Hopefully, yours does too. But if it doesn't, you can always print out the poem and let your child glue snowflakes around it as you read it. Either way, it's an easy way to get some beautiful language into their heads.

children of the world mobile

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Last week, I shared some photos of a new favorite book of ours, and in the background, you could see a glimpse of Juliet's mobile hanging from the ceiling.

Source: meghanmarymorrow.blogspot.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

I've shared photos of it before on my friend Meghan's blog, and a few people have inquired about where we got it. It was a gift given to Ben a long time ago, and we have no idea where it originated.

However, someone emailed me asking about it again, so I tried to hunt it down online and was successful, finally!

I thought I'd share the source with you in case you are in the market for a cute mobile.

Source: serrv.org via Vanessa on Pinterest

You can buy it on SERV which sells a ton of beautiful fair trade, handmade goods.

Being a bit of a mobile junkie (see my pinboard devoted entirely to mobiles), I was delighted to find these other beauties.

Source: serrv.org via Vanessa on Pinterest

Noah's ark looks really fun for a nursery. Have you seen my favorite Noah's Ark book?

Source: serrv.org via Vanessa on Pinterest

Animal jamboree

Source: serrv.org via Vanessa on Pinterest

I also love this nativity one. It would make a fun addition to our Christmas decorations. I'm really thinking about this one....

Happy Valentines Day, by the way!

(don't forget to enter my giveaway, if you haven't done so yet!)

printable valentine paper dolls (joan walsh anglund)

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:34:00 +0000

If you are still looking for something for your little girl for Valentines, I found these cute printable paper dolls by Joan Walsh Anglund.

I recently picked up this copy of A Child's Year at goodwill. Most of her books are out of print, so it's fun when I find them in thrift shops.

The February page is full of red hearts and it makes me smile. I hope your week is off to a good start!

My Memories digital scrapbooking software review and giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Here's a peek at what's going in Juliet's Valentine box tonight. (To get full use out of our mailboxes, I've been dropping notes and treats inside everyday since February 1. Lucia is getting treats, too, but of a more toddler-friendly variety.)

The old candy necklace, a vintage punchout valentine, and a personal note I created myself using some new digital scrapbooking software from My Memories.

I was given a chance to use the software and this is my first creation. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and how easy it was to use. (My favorite part is the stitching on the sides--much easier than using a real sewing machine!)

Back before I had kids, I got into scrapbooking (it kept me busy during the summers while I was a teacher). But since becoming a mom, I have not made one single book. Pulling out all the paper, scissors, photos, etc is just too much for me.

But this scrapbooking software is really easy and best of all--no piles of mess! Just upload the pictures you want from your computer and pick your papers, colors, fonts, embellishments, etc. and make it how you like.

I don't know if I will ever have enough time to sit down and make an entire book, but I do like being able to whip up cards, signs, invitations, and valentines from time to time.

My Memories is offering you a chance to win one of of their software packs. All you have to do is visit their site, and leave a comment here telling me which digital kit is your favorite. (There is a coupon code at the bottom of this post, if you want to get started now!)

For an extra entry, you can like their facebook page or follow them on twitter. (Leave a separate

comment telling me you did!)

Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593
Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite

I will choose a winner next Friday!

And in case you want to get started now, you can use the code STMMMS28049 to receive $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

how to wrap a book like a pro (or not)

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:29:00 +0000

Sadness.

Confession 1: I am a horrible gift-wrapper.

Confession 2: I am okay with it.

I always look forward to the holiday season when bloggers like to bust out their fanciest ways of wrapping packages and gifts like a pro. You've seen them. Their gift-wraps are works of art.

Maybe you even possess the gift-wrapping talent gene.

I don't.

But I love looking at it. I even have a pinboard where I collect beautiful gift wrapping ideas--in the hopes that maybe I will be inspired to pretty up my packages.

I even made some map-feather gift-toppers and wrapped a fake present all fancy-like for a blog post, just to see if that would push me into it.

But it didn't.

When it came down to the task of wrapping real presents, I just do what I always do.

Grab whatever is closest, slap on some tape, and use a sharpie to write the recipient's name on it.

That's all.

Totally pin-worthy.

A lot of times, the tape doesn't really stick. So I just sort of turn it over and smash it down and hope it stays shut...

Also, I don't bother with making the folded edges pretty. Nope.

Just fold and smash, tape, and hope for the best.

That's right. The woman who spent several hours carefully affixing tiny white office labels to the back of a cardboard box in order to create the perfect backsplash tile effect in her daughter's dollhouse cannot take two seconds to make sure gift wrap is folded down neatly.

I have no explanation.

Just thought you should know.

cloud dough recipe

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:18:00 +0000

I found a recipe for cloud dough on pinterest and tried it out with the girls the other day.

Easy.

Fun.

Just right for little Lucia hands and big-girl Juliet hands.

It is very messy--so we took it outside in the backyard.

The girls were inspired to bring in some pine needles and magnolias leaves and make wintery nature arrangements.

We also had measuring cups and tiny plastic animals running through the white dough.

It was really fun. Your kids would love it. I found the cloud dough recipe at Tinkerlab.

The Cloud Collector's Handbook is on my list of books to get my hands on. I think the girls and I could have a lot of fun with it this spring.

kids craft spaces

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:07:00 +0000

Without a dedicated craft room or space in our home, our kitchen table generally looks something like this.

Most projects take us several days to complete from start to finish--even the very simplest ones. Phase one usually involves me cutting out shapes and gathering supplies. Phase two involves the girls working with the materials, and phase three involves the drying process.

All of these processes require the use of our kitchen table.

So, most of the time, there is some sort of craft material inhabiting our table space in one of the three phases, unless we have company coming over at which point I hastily throw all the stuff into the garage or our kitchen pantry.

You can see left over lunch items, paper hearts, scissors, scraps, wipes, tea mugs, and piles of books.

It drives Ben crazy, but we don't really have any other options.

What about you? How do you deal with craft messes in your home? Is it everywhere or do you have a nice and neat space for it?

how to keep toddlers from drawing on the wall

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Behold. Lucia's latest artistic endeavor. On our wall. (chalk)

She was caught in the act and promptly reprimanded by Ben. At which point, Juliet ran gleefully into the room with this in her hands:

She then proceeded to point out to Lucia the "no-no" behavior and reinforced the "yes-yes" one. All she really got was a blank stare, but so far, no more art explosions on the wall, so maybe, just maybe this worked.

I've always loved No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli. She has a wonderful series of board books for toddlers.

Have your kids ever used your walls for their own artistic purposes?

thar she blows! vintage whale book goodness

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:21:00 +0000

I'm a big Robert McCloskey fan (who isn't?), but I had no idea about Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man until a few weeks ago. (Shameful, I know. And I call myself a book blogger...)

Have you read it? The story is wonderful, but again, it's the pictures that really get me. Here are some for your viewing pleasure. (Our whale project yesterday reminded me of this book.)

This poor whale gets his tale caught on Burt's hook.

Burt fixes it with a band-aid!

Not just any band-aid--a peppermint striped one.

Which only makes all the other whales jealous--you can't blame them--I kind of want a peppermint striped band-aid now, too.

These photos were taken as we were reading the book one afternoon--so I had a little helper with me. :)

Have you seen this book? The colors are so beautiful. I hope your library has a copy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

whale valentines day craft

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:04:00 +0000

You've seen the book My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall. It has inspired many a valentines day project. A few years ago, we made a heart fish for our cat. (Yes, count us in the group of crazies who make valentines for their pets.)

Christianne made adorable animal valentines for her daughter's class based on the book and just recently, Whitney shared her kids' heart project (you have to see the mosquito).

We needed something easy and fun to do, so I cut out some hearts in various sizes one afternoon--just old school style by folding the paper in half and cutting half a heart shape. I wish I had a heart paper punch, but I don't.

We got out the mod podge and made some heart animals. These are whales--the big heart cut in half. I wish I had a picture of the giraffe Juliet made, but we sent it to her sponsored kid and I forgot to take a picture. It was crazy cute, though.

Lucia (15 months) even got in on the action. (Because it's never to early to start them on mod podge.) She had a lot of fun pounding the foam brush onto the paper.

I will say--she got the stuff all over her, so make sure your kids aren't wearing their sunday best. And don't be afraid to use an old cup lid as a glue holder.

The unpictured giraffe was 100% Juliet's idea, but the whales we saw in this vintage craft book. This is where people got their ideas before there were blogs. How very quaint. :)

What heart-y things are you up to this week?

kids flower costumes

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Source: zulily.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

I saw these flower costumes on Zulilly today and they reminded me of a beautiful book by Elsa Beskow:

Around the Year

Juliet really liked the flower people.

I think the Iris costume is my favorite, but this stargazer lily is pretty cute, too!

Source: zulily.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

What flower/plant would your kids want to be? (There are some pretty funny and feisty weeds in that book!)

book-ish valentines day card ideas

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:09:00 +0000

I've been keeping track of some fun bookish valentines day ideas. Here are some of my favorites.

Source: vixenmade.blogspot.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

What could be easier than twisting two pipe cleaners together? I like simple stuff like this.

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

These are so sweet.

Source: bhg.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

I like the idea of doing a "10 things I love about you" list on a library card.

Source: family.go.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

Juliet would go nuts for this.

Source: quiltedturtle.blogspot.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

I like the bookmark take on the old paint chip valentine idea. And that punched out heart is a perfect detail.

Source: greenhalloween.org via Vanessa on Pinterest

These don't exactly look easy to make, but they are beautiful and I could see myself keeping it forever.

vintage noah's ark book

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:12:00 +0000

Sorry for not posting yesterday--Lucia's been extremely feverish the past two days and tending to a sick baby has consumed all my time. She is sleeping right now, so I thought I'd jump on and share some photos of a beautiful book I discovered earlier this month.

My parents' local library has a lot of old books. Like really old--the ones I get excited about.

This old copy of Noah's Ark by Miche Wynants was just calling out to me.

It alternates between black white and color illustrations. I can't decide which I like better.

This goes into my "I want to rip out the pages and frame it as art" category.

All the animals get on the ark--two by two...

Even the insects--which as a general rule, I am not a big fan of, but here, I kind of like them.

This inspires me to some sort of paper collage activity--the ocean is gorgeous.

I returned this one with great reluctance! It's on my list of ones I hope to find at Goodwill or at a library sale one day.

What books have you recently discovered?

valentines books for preschoolers: library booklist

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:05:00 +0000

image from The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

The key to getting holiday books at the library is to request them early! (Took me about 2 years to learn that lesson.)

So, hopefully, I am early enough in sharing this with you today that you can get a jump on a few of these titles.

The Best Valentine in the World by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (illustrated by Lilian Obligado)
This was my favorite this year, but it looks like it is out of print. So hopefully, your library has a copy. Lilian Obligado is one of my favorite illustrators, so that may be why I loved it so much, but the story itself is a good one, too--sweet and a little bit old-fashioned. It also doesn't hurt that the foxes are named Ferdinand and Florette which makes me want to adopt some baby fox cubs just so I can name them after the characters in the book. Don't worry, Ben will stop me. This is why I married him.

The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

I've always loved Bunting and Brett on their own, but combined? They are a superpower. And since learning from Whitney what Jan Brett's shoes look like, I like her books even more than I already did. This is a sweet tale about Mr. and Mrs. Bear who wake up early to celebrate Valentines day together for the first time. (Usually, they are hibernating on Feb. 14.)

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit

I can relate to Anne Estelle's quest for the most beautiful valentines box ever. I'm also loving the heart garland she has on the front cover. Maybe we'll make that this week.

The Valentine Express by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
This gives a good preschool-sized dose of the history of Valentines day--not too much, but just enough. Also, it lists some valentine-y cities in the US such as Valentine, Nebraska; Loveland, CO; Lovejoy, GA; Lovelady, TX, etc.

(Side note, one of the kids in the class is named "Vanessa", so that was more than a little bit exciting as we read it together--there are also a Minna, Lindsey, Pip and Tyrone--in case one of those is your name.)

The story part is really sweet. Minna and Pip wonder if grown-ups get Valentines anymore, and decide to make some for their neighbors. They make personalized ones for all the older people on their street and then deliver them via the "Valentine Express"--Pip's wagon. I like how it focuses on showing neighbors love and that kids can do big things all on their own. Good inspiration for kids to see.

If You'll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant
This is a sweet rhyming book about a little boy who finds ways to show all the people in his life just how much he loves them.

Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman
This was Juliet's favorite. Little Ruby loves Valentines day so much, she spends weeks preparing for it by making cards and gifts for all the people of Heartland. The night before she falls asleep and sleeps through Valentines Day--when she wakes up she is disappointed and thinks she has to wait until next year, but her pet lovebird tells her to give her gifts today. She does and realizes that every day is a good day to tell someone you love them.

The Ballad of Valentine by Alison Jackson
I always like finding books you can sing--this one is a remake of Oh My Darling Clementine. It's easy to sing and it will make your kids laugh at you. Well, maybe just if you can't sing--which I can't. If you can sing, they will probably stare at you in wonder and amazement. Either way--it's good stuff.

The Very Special Valentine by Maggie Keen
It's hard to find good toddler friendly books at our library, but this one has flaps and Lucia is into flaps right now. Juliet is still into flaps--do they ever get over flaps? I think I am still into them as well. It's full of forest friends which are good since we are in the "we don't read the words just talk and point at pictures and make animal noises whenever possible" phase with Lucia. Juliet loved this book too--we read the words with her. It also has a lot of shiny things in it--which are exceedingly enticing to my two little magpies.

Here are books we loved in years past:

What valentines books do you suggest to me? There's still time for me to make another library run before they are all gone!

personalized vintage-inspired bookplates for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:31:00 +0000

It has long been on my list of things to do: buy bookplates and install them in my kids' books! The problem is that I have waited so long and have acquired so many books that I will need quite a lot to put inside them all.

So, no, I have not accomplished my goal yet, but I have found a shop that is nudging me closer to it.

Oiseaux on etsy has a beautiful collection of personalized bookplates for kids. I love the delicate fairytale quality of all of them.

And they are not just for girls--there are so many perfectly boyish options.

This one has almost convinced me to name my son Max--should I ever have one.

Check out the rest of the bookplates! You will love them.

Which one is your favorite? (I think this mermaid one is mine.) I feel like these would be a good little valentines box treat...

valentines collage for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:18:00 +0000

Juliet made this for me two years ago when she was 3. I cut out some valentine images from a magazine and let her mod podge them onto the top of a cookie tin. (It makes a great canvas and is easy to hang on a nail!)

I got it out last week and have had it displayed as our Valentine Decor. You could do something similar with stickers, scrapbook embellishments or pink and red ribbons and heart.

If you don't have an old lid, a fabric or paper covered piece of sturdy cardboard would work, an old plate, or even a big rock would be pretty all decorated with valentines sentiments.

This years book list is coming on Friday, but here is a link to last years favorites if you need a few suggestions!

paint chip valentines for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Last year, I made these paint chip valentines for Juliet's pink mailbox. You can see a picture of them when they were shiny and new here.

The picture above, however, is from this week. I wanted to show you how they held up over the year.

While definitely bent and worn--they are still surprisingly in good shape! And most of the wear and tear comes from Lucia's handling--she REALLY loves these things or she really loves opening and shutting the mailbox--either way, they see a lot of action these days.

I'm kind of over the whole paint chip thing, but I thought they were worth mentioning just because they are so easy, durable, and my kids seem to love them.

I've been storing away some books that I picked up at goodwill over the past few weeks. I plan on wrapping them and putting one in the mailboxes every day before V-Day. (Right now I only have six, so we'll have to come up with something else for the other days--have any good suggestions?)

I've got a Valentines Day Library book list coming up on Friday, but here's a sneak peek:

From The Best Valentine in the World

This is my favorite find this week. Ferdinand worked so hard on his Valentine for Florette! Makes me want to make a giant purple heart for each of my girls.

recycled cereal box valentine box

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:08:00 +0000

I'm quite fond of valentines boxes. Last year, I found an old mailbox that I spray painted pink and hung in Juliet's room. It is still there and working fine, but I couldn't resist making some more this year. After all, Lucia needed one, so we HAD to. :)

My favorite thing to make them out of is empty cardboard food boxes. I wanted to make mailbox-inspired boxes to hang on the girls' doors, so one morning, Juliet and I got to work.

Raid your recycle box and decide how you want the opening to look. I went with straight across for Lucia's.

Juliet went with a triangle opening--which ended up being easier to decorate.

You can see the top edges were straighter.

We just used scrapbook paper and mod podge to decorate our boxes, but you could use anything: wrapping paper, paint, contact paper (we did that a few years ago and it turned out beautifully--see it here.) ribbon, stickers, etc...the sky is the limit.

She even took the extra step and lined the inside of hers.

After it dried, I hot glued some ribbon to the top and hung it from her door. It is ready and waiting to be filled with Valentines!

Lucia's too! They kind of look like purses to me--maybe they can keep using them after Feb. 14.

Need some ideas for what to put inside your kids' boxes? Here's a list to get you started. Here are some book inspired valentines I made a few years ago.

Need a good box-decorating story?

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit

She spends so much time making the perfect box that she forgets to make Valentines for her friends! In the end, she takes the box apart and gives the embellishments as valentines.

linking to Made by You Monday and Making Monday Marvelous, and Show and Tell.

five for friday: library book list

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:18:00 +0000

Here's this week list of books to take to the library with you this weekend!

Big Wolf and Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme
This book is stunning. And the story is so heart-warming. I love it for Valentines Day (coming up) and for any time of the year when you want to celebrate the friendships in your life.

Willis by James Marshall
Hopefully, you already know and love James Marshall's George and Martha books. This was our first "other" James Marshall experience and we loved it. Another great story about the beauty of friendship.

Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley

A modern take on the classic tale, Juliet requested this one over and over again. It's about a girl searching for a friend--she finally finds one who is "just right" in baby bear. I love the illustrations in this one, too.

ABC Doctor by Liz Murphy
I discovered this book a week too late for Juliet's 5th doctor birthday party. It would have been perfect. As an ABC book lover, I really enjoyed the illustrations and text.

Blue Moose by Manus Pinkwater
I don't know if your library will have this--we found our copy at goodwill, but it's worth a shot. It's a longer book--we read it in "chapters." I think there are 4 or 5 sections. I think it is intended for kids already reading on their own, but we enjoy a good moose tale, so we picked it up.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Please let me know what you are reading in the comments section so I can look for them this week--I always love hearing your suggestions.

Next Friday, I will have some Valentines picks for you.

Goodwill Grand Opening!

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:43:00 +0000

I mentioned last week that the girls and I were going to a Goodwill Grand Opening. We were hoping to find some books and other assorted treasures.

Instead, what we found was by far one of the most bizarre shopping experiences of my life.

Have any of you ever been to a Goodwill Grand opening?

I realized that something was up when I first pulled into the parking lot. Located in a shopping center with other stores, I quickly saw that parking was going to be a problem. And not a "we have to park a mile away" kind of problem, but rather a "we have to drive around the parking lot for 15 minutes before we get a spot" kind of problem.

We drove around and around. And around some more.

I'm not a very aggressive person. In fact, I'm probably the least aggressive/competitive person I know. But after about 10 minutes of cruising the parking lot, I realized I would have to start stalking people.

You know--waiting for someone to come out of the doors and then slowly following them in my car all the way to their car. I don't think I've ever done this--I've seen other more brazen shoppers do this and always thought it was a little much, but now, here I was, doing the same thing--in the Goodwill parking lot of all places.

I spotted an older woman with a huge bag and started tailing her. I had no idea if her car was in this lane and out of the side of my eye I saw another car slowing down in the opposite lane--waiting to see if she was going to cross over. I gripped the wheel and leaned in. Her spot was MINE.

At that moment, Juliet yells out, "Hey mom! The police are here!!" Which made my heart jump because of course, I was certain that they were after me for attempting to drive down a helpless old lady.

Fortunately, they were not after me, but were just part of the security for the big event.

When we entered the store and passed through a blue and white balloon arch; there were people everywhere. It was impossible to walk a straight line to anywhere due to the shopping cart traffic jam. People were pushing and shoving and there was a tinge of mania in the air. You could tell people were grabbing things just to grab them--so no one else could get them. Worse than Walmart on the Saturday before Christmas. It was insane.

We pushed through--kind of--and eventually made our way to the furniture. Except there were about three carts between us and the furniture, so I couldn't really tell if there was anything good. I saw a giant wicker chair that looked interesting, but I couldn't figure out how I would carry it out through the shopping cart armageddon.

Like lemmings being pushed to the sea, we found ourselves in the basket aisle. Only one other cart joined us so we had a chance to breathe. I found a large round basket that I thought could work for toy storage and Juliet eyed a picnic basket that looked just like Dorothy's from the Wizard of Oz.

We loaded them up and tried to make our way to the far corner of the store--where all the children's books were.

As I tried to move into the traffic, a woman smiled at me and I said, "Wow--I did not expect there to be so many people here today!" And she said, "I heard that people were lined up out here 3 hours before it opened. All the booksellers were here carting off all the good books to resell at their stores."

My heart sunk at this news. We arrived a good two hours after opening, so there was likely to be nothing left on the shelves.

We pressed on anyway, though. I still had hope.

When we finally got to the shelf, the children's section was pretty small. Two older women were searching through the books and after my parking lot police scare (and seeing all the uniformed officers patrolling the inside of the store), I decided to be on my best behavior and not push them out of my way. I stood their for about 3 minutes until they noticed me and invited me in.

As I was looking, I spotted two Usborne Touch and Feel books and immediately snatched them up. (Ha! Take that, you early-rising booksellers! You didn't get these gems!) And then I heard one of the ladies (who seemed to be in her 70s or 80s) say, "Oh, this book! I just don't get this book. Kind of like Where the Wild Things Are. I never got that book."

I was so curious as to what book she was talking about, but I couldn't see it in time before she put it back on the shelf. Any guesses? Even without knowing the title, her comment made me laugh.

She then picked up a Dr. Seuss book and exclaimed, "Oh my! Dr. Seuss books have gotten big!" (It seemed to be a regular sized book) "I remember when they were so small...."

Again, I was so curious to hear more, but at that point, the tide of shopping carts was moving us on and I had think of my children's survival.

Somehow we made our way to the end of the checkout line. There were 10 carts in front of us--all packed full of stuff.

I knew we would be there for a while and the girls were getting restless, so I pulled out the big guns: the fruit snacks.

Which of course only bought me about 1.5 minutes of time. There were still 10 carts in front of us. We waited and waited and waited some more. At 10 minutes in, I looked at our finds and thought, "Nothing in this cart is that GREAT. I think we should just ditch it and head out the door."

Lucia, who had been screaming intermittently for the past 10 minutes looked relieved, but Juliet looked pained and yelled, "NO! What about my picnic basket?!"

"Do you really need a basket?" I asked her. We can find one another day. "This is going to take way too long and your sister is upset."

"I really need it." she replied solemnly.

So, we stayed.

10 minutes of crying later, and we are still in line. Now there are 7 carts in front of us. A manager walks up to us and asks, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Um...feels like 20 years, but I'm guessing it's only been about 20 minutes." He gave me a weird look and left.

After he walked away, I noticed that Lucia had stopped crying.

She was frantically rubbing her chest with her hand--kind of in a circular motion. Her eyes were fixated on me pleadingly.

I had no idea what she was doing and then it hit me. She was signing the word "please."

We've been trying to teach her this sign for several months--I think she has done it maybe one other time before. Generally, she prefers a loud squawk to let you know she wants something. To her 15 month old way of thinking, "please" is for chumps.

But here she was, stuck in the never-ending Goodwill line and so desperate to leave that she would try ANYTHING--even good manners to just make this ALL GO AWAY.

I don't know how much longer we waited--it's all kind of a blur--but eventually we paid for our stuff and walked out the door.

As I walked past the receipt checker with a wild-eyed Lucia in one arm, a giant basket full of books in another and a 5 year old with a half-crazed/triumphant look on her face and a picnic basket as big as she is on her arm, he took one look at me and said, "Honey, I am not even going to make you empty your baskets. You have a good day now."

And out we walked, through the blue and white balloon arch, past the police men, and a few miles to our parking spot.

Victory.

We had survived the Goodwill Grand Opening.

The basket. In all its glory.

So worth it.

The books we found?

While I don't think I'll go back to a grand opening, I am glad we made it out with our lives and few fun treasures to show for it.

Do you like these sort of shopping experiences or do you prefer a calmer atmosphere?

Romeo and Juliet board book: baby Lit review

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I discovered this beautiful series of Baby Lit board books. I was dying to read them and was so excited when I received a review copy of Romeo and Juliet in the mail.

In case you are wondering, they are every bit as wonderful and beautiful as I hoped they would be.

Always curious about how publishers present such a story to kids--babies even-- but I love this approach. It's not really a story, but a counting primer based on the story.

So kids get to enjoy numbers and pretty pictures and parents get to remember and enjoy the story that they love, but aren't quite ready to share with their kids.

It begins with 1 balcony. (Did you know that we took a trip to Verona a few years ago? Juliet got to stand in Juliet's balcony!)

This page gets me excited for valentines day cards. We're going to break out the red and pink supplies really soon. In fact, these would be great inspiration.

There are a few well-known quotes scattered throughout the book. Really, I could just enjoy this book for hours. It's so pretty.

But it's Juliet's. She finally has her name book.

However, there are NO little girls with the name JANE or ALICE in this house, so that one is going to be MINE.

Don't worry. I'll share. :)

Pinterest at the library

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:33:00 +0000

Pinterest is not just a fun time-waster for me (although, that is its primary function.) Lately, I've been using it as my personal library assistant.

Although, I sometimes avoid looking for books that other people suggest because I fear the heartbreak of learning that our library does not have the book, mostly, I give it a shot and see.

My luck seems to be about 50/50. Which is not great, but could be worse, I suppose.

While reading blogs and browsing online shops, I often come across books I want to read. Since the advent of Pinterest, I've been pinning them to my "books to read" board.

I love having a visual list of what I'm looking for.

It sure beats my old scribbled lists and is a million times better than relying on my memory.

Do you have a books to read board? What's on your to read list?

martin luther king jr books for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day--I posted about some books for kids last year--you can read my list here.

Also, there are some crafts like the handprint banner in the photo. You can read about that here.

I also like this peace flower craft.

And Katie's I Have a Dream Cloud mobile. I'd keep that up all year!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday. :)

library book list

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:42:00 +0000

I found this inside a storybook we read the other night. It's the book dedication by the author. As I read the words, it made me smile.

If you read my blog, you are probably one of those parents who are on a quest to fill their children's childhoods with stories.

I'm going to try to share a list of books every week (on Fridays) that you can use in your library trips the upcoming week.

Although, I love getting book recommendations, I always find it frustrating when I have a long list of books that I'm looking for only to learn that our library only has a few of the titles.

So, rather than give you a big list, I think I'll just share 5 that we are loving that week in the hopes that you will be able to find at least one or two of them in your own library.

Here are our picks for this week:

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

The magic of rainboots and umbrellas captivated Juliet.

Rosie and Buttercup by Chieri Uegaki
Juliet really related to this story of a big sister who decides to give her little sister away. She then rethinks her decision and ends up trading her two most precious possessions to get her back. This is a really sweet story--especially for older siblings.

The Sea Monster by Chris Wormell
This one is scary. But in a good way. A sea monster lives at the bottom of the sea--but he is nice. He ends up saving a little boy who is swept out to sea. Juliet had her fingernails in her mouth through the entire thing. It's wonderful.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead
I'm late to the party on this one, but we finally checked it out. It's beautiful. And I really want Amos's peacock print blanket. For my own bed.

Posy by Linda Newberry
You know we love a good cat book. This one is gorgeously illustrated.

What should I look for this week?

vintage globe

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

I found this gorgeous globe at goodwill a few weeks ago. Actually, everything pictured was found at goodwill. (Not on the same day.) Love that place.

The colors are so beautiful--I've been hoping to find one like this for awhile.

Hooray for globes.

And Hooray for goodwill. There is a new store opening up today in our area. The girls and I are off to see what treasures we can find!