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| Tuesday, August 26, 2008 |
Sleep is for the Weak Review |
Part of the allure of the blogosphere for moms is that they can read posts from other moms in the same stage of life or who have commonalities with the reader. The blogosphere isn't for everyone though. The thought of reading essays on the computer is not appealing to some people. That's why I was so interested in purchasing the book Sleep is For the Weak by blogger Rita Arens from Surrender, Dorothy and reviewing it for the Parent Bloggers Network. Rita put together a collection of essays from none other than bloggers.
I like this book for a variety of reasons. First of all, it's very easy to read. It's broken down into humerous categories like Never Sleeping Again or Personal Growth Blows which each have about 6 pieces in them. The essays are all different lengths with some as short as a paragraph and the longest just being a few pages. The idea is to be able to read each one whenever you can fit in the time, and since moms of young kids don't tend to have a lot of time, they're written accordingly.
The pieces in this book are also very honest and sometimes funny. It's easy to identify with the topics. State of Grace by Jenny Lauckfrankly describes how hard it is to work at home with kids. Nicole Richie Has Nothing On Me by Rita Arens describes what is what like to be pregnant and then a mother after having an eating disorder as a young adult. The Dinner Party by Joanna Polyn is a humorous story written from her daughter's point of view about the time she "relieved herself" is the middle of a dinner party.
I heard at BlogHer that Rita came up with this idea after asking her favorite bloggers to sign copies of their favorite blog posts that she had printed. The idea of an anthology of favorite blog posts was then born. Again, the new parents may be not be interested in the blogosphere for a variety of reasons, most significantly because they may not understand it. This book though is a way to curl up on a fluffy chair or frankly on the floor of your kids' room when they just have to have you there to fall asleep and be able to identify with other moms. It would make a great baby shower gift.
Of course I did buy a copy of Sleep is for the Weak at BlogHer, and I had it autographed. |
posted by Alex Elliot @ 11:18 PM
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| Wednesday, August 20, 2008 |
Review of Daniel X |
I really enjoying reading, and I love to try new books. I can't fall asleep at night unless I read first. My husband and I sincerely hope that both of our boys develop the same love of reading that we have. However, I have learned from talking with other moms of boys, that it can be hard to find books that are interesting to boys. When I think back to my junior high years, Sweet Valley High was the rage. The girls in my class couldn't get enough of them. That's where our allowances went. I don't remember the boys showing any interest whatsoever in reading them. With all that in mind, I happy to see that Mom Central and Mother Talk teamed up to have bloggers review James Patterson and Michael Ledwidges' The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Being a fan of James Patterson's adult books myself, I was happy to read more of his work.
Lest you think this is an adult book, let me explain. This is the first book in a science fiction series written for readers of all ages. It even has its own Wikipedia entry. As Patterson said in a NY Times article, he is writing books for younger readers to encourage kids to enjoy reading. He wanted a book that would captivate kids. He is the father of a ten year old boy.
To give a brief background, Daniel X is about a boy who is alien hunter. After his parents are killed by an alien, he sets off to rid the world of aliens. He has a number of powers that allow him to do things like create people from past memories and change form.
This book is very creative. Daniel's powers alone make him very unique. Unlike other superheros, he doesn't have just one super power. Throughout the book, new powers keep appearing. I think this alone will keep kids and adults alike entertained.
The book also uses "fun" language. For example, I think kids would appreciate the very frequent appearance of the word "wack-a-doo". As I was reading some of the descriptions I could picture a kid squealing "Eww! Gross!" with delight; lots of talk about eyeballs and brains. This is definitely written to keep the kids wanting to read further. Charles Dickens it's not, but that's not its purpose. Its purpose is to get kids to enjoy to read.
When I first started reading the book, it reminded me a little of Harry Potter, particularly because Daniel's parents were murdered when he was just a tyke. However, I don't think that's a bad thing. Tons of kids (and many adults including me) love Harry Potter! Because those books explored danger and had magic and lots of fun things to provoke kids' imaginations, they Harry Potter series made for great reading. I believe Daniel X would appeal for the same reason. After the initial introduction, the book steered away from Harry Potter-like tones, but it continued to demonstrate exploring power and danger for someone who looks just like the kid next door.
What I liked best about the book was its potential to generate a lot of good conversation between parents and kids. Because it could be fun for people of all ages, it would be a fun subject for a family discussion or a family read-aloud. I also appreciated the fact that the book was broken into short chapters, which makes it more accessible for kids, particularly if they are taking turns reading it out loud. I'm not usually big on science fiction. Frankly I read it because I was curious what was out there for my sons. However, I really enjoyed it. To order this book check it out on amazon.com . For additional info, check out the publisher's website and of course the book website. |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 8:09 AM
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| Monday, August 11, 2008 |
Hanes Review |
Underwear is a big deal in our house. Sure there can be tons of clean underwear in my older son's (OS) dresser drawer, but if it's not the "right" underwear, well then there may as well be no underwear drawer. The Parent Bloggers Network announced that they were looking for people to review Hanes underwear and socks as part of Hanes Comfort Fit Promise which guarantees a comfortable fit or you get your money back.
My 4.5 year old wore a pair of the underwear the first morning after they arrived. He put them on with little fuss. There was no tag to irritate his skin. The material is soft and durable. I know that last part seems weird, but we have underwear from a certain chain store that is thin and a little rough. After a couple of washings you can basically see through them in spots. The Hanes underwear has double stitching on the seams. OS's only complaint was that there were no fun pictures on them. They are plain white with a gray waistband that does not chafe the skin. In addition to the comfort fit guarantee, this underwear is also guaranteed to not ride up. Their words! Otherwise you get your money back.
We also received a package of boxers. Again the boxers appear to be well made. They were in a "big boy" designs meaning plaid prints. Again they are tagless with the comfortable waistband, and the fly doesn't open. The same money back guarantee applies to the boxers. Doesn't get much better than that! Unfortunately, OS wanted nothing to do with them as he is quite satisfied with his briefs.
The third item I received was a package of Premium custom fit Boys' Crew socks. If you know me in real life, you might know how much I hate boys socks. My experience with them is that they shrink after a month's of washing so they no longer fit, requiring you to have to buy more. Unfortunately the next size remains too large even after shrinkage so you end up buying the same size that caused you grief in the first place. Those rare socks that continue to fit for a month get thinned out in the heels and are generally gross. I rarely hand socks down to my younger son. At least he will never be in therapy saying "And I didn't even get my own socks!!!". However, I would prefer that it would be from choice. Most of all I would like to not have to continually replace my son's socks. The Hanes socks are very well made. They are thick and comfortable and have a reinforced heel and toe. We have yet to find any thinning spots. The gray heel and toe hide the dirt that may exact on my infrequently mopped floors. The tops of the socks are also made to stay up all day and to hold up all school year. Once again there is a money back guarantee.
Overall, I'm very happy with these products. Can I say one more time money back guarantee?
Stop by the Parent Bloggers Network on August 22nd and you might win Hanes for your child. |
| posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:41 PM
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My Profile
| Name: | Alex Elliot |
| Home: | MA, United States |
| About Me: | Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 6 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe. |
| See my complete profile |
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