Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase through the link, I will receive a small commission. I use that commission to offer blog giveaways like this one. Thank you!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you out there!  As I’ve said many times, giving birth does not qualify one to earn the congratulations for mother’s day.  Being a mother is so much more than that.  Women who have never borne a child are still mothers when they offer love, nourishment, or compassion on one of God’s creatures.  I’ve also known some mothers who had their kids yet possess the maternal instincts of a grasshopper.  So girls, today we all celebrate the moms who give of their hearts and souls to nurture their kids.  Let’s especially remember those women for whom Mother’s Day might bring a moment of sadness, whether they’ve lost a mother or they have had struggles with motherhood.   [Read more…]

Subscribing to brand newsletters or blog updates can be an excellent way to find great deals.   Just a few days ago I posted about the $20 Shutterfly credit that appeared in my Inbox.  Yesterday I received an email with a $20 magazine subscription gift, no strings attached.  In order to receive these great deals, though, it’s necessary to check one’s inbox on a regular basis.   Once upon a time I was able to keep my inbox cleaned out, but with just one day of neglect it completely overgrows.  Taking the time to filter your emails might seem as unlikely as locating the chupacabra.  In this case, I’m going to make it super easy for you. [Read more…]

It’s that time of year when our family’s budget is typically tighter than a steel drum.  Last year I posted about being strapped for cash around this time, too.  I think it has something to do with the fact that both our kids’ birthdays are in April, plus there’s a host of other events right around that time that we always seem to be shelling out cash for.  Anniversary, Mother’s Day, buying teacher gifts for the end of school, spring break, graduations, opening the pool, and so on — although we try to plan and budget for these events, there’s the inevitable pitfall that causes me to check the bank book more frequently.

Are you feeling the pinch of a tight budget too?  Here are some ideas for gifts that won’t make you dip into the emergency fund.  They’re ideal for Mother’s Day but could also work for teacher’s gifts too.  I’m not a DIY kind of person so I do have to resort to purchasing a gift, but with these ideas it’s easy to find a gift that doesn’t have us eating Ramen noodles for the next month.   [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

It’s hard to find a novel that’s high-interest for kids yet doesn’t contain scenes dripping with PG-13 material. The Lens and The Looker is the first in a futuristic new trilogy that’s set in medieval Italy. How can that be, you ask? The characters in the book are from the 24th century but are whisked back in time to the 14th century. Although they think that it’s all a game, the teens soon find out that they are the ones being played.

[Read more…]

Disclosure **This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. 

Meet my mom.   In this picture from 10 years ago, she came to help me with my new baby.  Only months later did I stop to remember that she didn’t have her mom with her when I was born.  That means that she doesn’t have a photo like this with her own mom.  You see, she moved here when she was in her early 20’s after marrying my dad and having me.  She spoke no English, had no job skills, and had no family nearby to help her with me.  Still, she somehow made it.  After she and my dad divorced when I was 8 years old (my brother was 3 years old), my mom learned to drive a car and got a job.  She couldn’t take us back home to Japan due to the custody agreement, so she ended up staying here in the States and made a life for us.  For as long as I can remember, my mom has been the hardest worker I know.  I don’t remember her taking a sick day or even leaving work early when I was a kid.  She was the sole provider for us and took that very seriously.  That might be why I feel such a passion for my career — my mom showed me that hard work pays off.  She is also generous as the day is long.   We were not flush with money, but mom always found a way to help out a friend in need.  She really is the most generous person I know.   We don’t always get along.  We definitely don’t always agree.  Still, when I have a hard day I think about the struggles she faced as a single mom all alone.  She endured so many hardships to raise us; her love for us kids kept her going.  In return, that keeps me going.  Mom lives 7 hours away from me and we don’t get to spend much time together, but she is an inspiration to me. [Read more…]

Disclosure: *This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I’ve got Disney on my mind — again.  Even though it’s been just a few short months since our last trip, my kids have been asking when we’ll go again.  There are so many things I love about Disney World. It’s one of the easiest vacation spots I’ve been, especially when it comes to finding things to do.  We stay on property so that we can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. My kids are up at the crack of dawn anyway; might as well ride some attractions!   The downside is that Disney isn’t really the place for a spontaneous vacation.  For the first couple of trips we took, we spent months of planning, reserving, and researching to get to do everything we wanted to do.  It was totally worth every moment though!

If you’re a first timer, here are a few things to consider. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received a party kit from MomSelect for this MommyParty.  The opinions shared here are 100%  mine.

You’ve probably heard about the movie Mom’s Night Out to be released on Mother’s Day Weekend.  Mothers everywhere will relate to the story, which features moms who depend on the dads to watch the kids for a few hours.  It reminded me of one day last summer when my husband’s parents offered to keep the kids so that my husband and I could go out with my brother- and sister-in-law.  While the boys weren’t interested in going out, sis and I decided we were not letting the opportunity go. We headed out and got pedicures!  Why is it so hard to get a moment away? [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received these books to review; the opinions shared here are 100% mine.

It started when my daughter was in daycare, somewhere around age 4.  The discussion couldn’t really be called a conversation, because they were so painfully one-sided.  I learned not to ask yes-or-no questions but instead asked open-ended things like, “Who did you sit beside at lunch?  What did you talk about?”  Still, crickets.  It was the same way with my son, who seems to be even more short-winded when it comes to details about his day. I tried setting ultimatums (“No turning on the TV until you tell me about school.”) but that just trained my kids to think that conversing with mom equals punishment.

Now that we’re entering the pre-teen realm, it’s a whole new ballgame.  You’d think that teaching 6th graders for 16 years would have provided me with some parenting pointers in this regard, but you’d be wrong.  It’s all different when it’s my own child. [Read more…]

Disclosure: This post contains my affiliate link.  If you purchase through the link, I will receive a small commission (which is how self-sponsored giveaways like this one are made possible).  The opinions shared here are 100% mine.
I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Time, like my calorie consumption, is precious. I don’t want to waste a moment reading a book that’s not worth reading.  Are you the same way?  Then may I suggest The Fault in Our Stars as a book that you must read in 2014?

 This book was on my TBR list for quite a while before I finally just clicked submit.  When the book arrived, I opened the cover and vaguely read the first few pages.  Then I sat up and took the book seriously.  Although the story is written from the perspective of teenaged Hazel Grace, the words are from a far more mature, wiser, old soul.  Hazel Grace is quite realistic about the prognosis of her cancer diagnosis, yet she lives a full life in the span of a few months.  The elemental truths and deep emotions in the pages of The Fault In Our Stars just reached to the bottom levels of my heart.    It’s a story that just begs to be shared.  In the middle of the book, I stopped and texted my sister something along the lines of “PLEASE tell me that you’ve read this book.  I HAVE to talk with someone about it!!!”  And of course, she hadn’t.  AAARRRGGHHH!!!   A few weeks later, she texted back that she read it in one night, THAT’S how good it is.  It’s a stay-up-all-nighter and you won’t regret a moment of it. One of my students mentioned to me that she’d like to read the book, so I brought it to her.  Now it’s made the rounds through my sixth graders and I have no idea where it is.   [Read more…]