Wordless Wednesday

Partners in Crime

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5 Minutes for Mom

Tuesday Blog Hop

Hello friends! Happy Tuesday :) I was checking out the lists of blog hops over at Random Deals (awesome resource- what a brilliant idea) and came across this sweet little Tuesday Blog Hop hosted by Chic 'n Savvy Reviews. I thought I'd join in, partly because one can never have too many friends and partly because I'm a sucker for all things owl ;)

So here's the scoop:
"You simply add your blog's name and link. In return, you are to follow the host (ChicnSavvy Reviews) of the blog hop. The blogs you follow will follow you back just make sure you leave a comment so that the blog owner knows you were there. Also if you don't follow back, please don't sign up. This is to help boost our traffic and followers on our blogs, and I want it to be effective and fun!"

If you are visiting for the first time, welcome to my little world! This blog is about the life and times of a military wife and stay at home homeschooling mom of 4 ages 9, 6, 3 and 9 months. Written by a great dane-loving, cookie-haording, educational adventurer who rarely puts down her camera and drinks coffee by the gallons. I occasionally host reviews and giveaways for products of value to my readers.


Thanks so much for stopping by today. I look forward to hopping along to your blog ;)

The Princess's Putt Putt Party

Yesterday was a day we had been anticipating for quite some time. Every day since about February my daughter has been counting down to her 6th birthday. We celebrated yesterday with friends and family and a few rounds of Glow-in-the-dark putt-putt. She was so excited and had the time of her life. We all had a good laugh at her shrieks of excitement over each gift. It was priceless.

It is bitter sweet to see how she is growing up into such a young lady. I miss that chubby, cuddly, cute baby, but am so proud of my beautiful, sweet big girl!

SOOC Saturday

Welcome to SOOC Saturday {or Sunday} hosted by Marvelous Mommy who says: "Whether you are a professional photographer, an amateur photographer, or just someone who likes taking pictures, I encourage you to link up. This is a super simple weekend meme that doesn’t take up much time. Please join me! I’d love to see your shots."

There's a lot of excitement at our house this weekend with a birthday party and company visiting from out of town. All that socializing can wear a girl out!



Thanks for stopping by today! For more SOOC Saturday fun visit Marvelous Mommy.

Summer Reading Programs For Kids

Looking for a way to keep your kids engaged in reading this summer?

There is no shortage of incentive programs to choose from. Check out this varied list:

- This one's new to me: Be sure to check out the Mensa Foundation's
Excellence in Reading Award Program at
http://mensaforkids.com/school_template.cfm?showPage=school_readeraward.cfm

- Half Price Books' program runs June 1st through July 31. If kids read 15
minutes a day, they can earn a $5 gift card. For more information, check
out http://www.hpb.com/community/fyb/. You can get the reading log at:
http://www.hpb.com/community/fyb/pdfs/FYBReadingLog.pdf

- PBS Kids Summer Reading Challenge: PBS/iVillage has a program that could
keep you busy all summer long. There are several aspects to it, and you can
find out more at http://www.pbs.org/parents/read/. Each week there will be
a special theme, and you can read more about that at:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/read/pdfs/themeweekschedule.pdf

- Borders has what they call the "Double Dog Dare Challenge." Kids who read
10 books and track them can get a free book. For more info, check out:
http://www.borders.com/online/store/MediaView_doubledogdare

- Chuck E. Cheese has a number of awards that they will grant 10 free tokens
for, including reading (and no nose picking!). You can find them at:
http://www.chuckecheese.com/promotions/rewards-calendars.php

- Barnes & Noble will give kids a free book for every 8 books they read.
They also have some parent information. Find out more at:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/summerreading/index.asp

- Scholastic Book also has a summer program in which kids read and log in to
win prizes. Details are available at: http://www.scholastic.com/summer/

- Book It! will give your child a "prize package" for reading. There are
some fun things in it - check out their Web site for more info:
http://www.bookitprogram.com/summerbreak/docs/entryform.pdf. Be sure to
check out the Pizza Hut school year Book It! program as well:
http://www.bookitprogram.com/

- If you are on the east coast, TD Bank has a summer reading program:
http://www.tdbank.com/summerreading/. Commerce Bank will deposit $10 in
young savers' accounts when they read ten books.

- If you are in an area with H-E-B Grocery Store, they have a program as
well. The instructions can be found at:
http://www.hebuddy.com/content/pdf/summerreadingclub.pdf

- Even Pottery Barn has a summer reading program (who knew?!), along
with other kids' events. Check it out at:
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/customer-service/store-events.html

- Old Spaghetti Factory offers a free kids meal to every child who reads
five books. Information at: http://www.osf.com/kids/rewards-of-reading.html

- Sylvan Learning Centers has a free reading incentive program for kids
through grade 8 that runs all the time. You can register and find more
information at: http://www.bookadventure.com/

- Kids 8 & up can be "reading warriors" with this special program built
around Erin Hunter's Warrior series of books. Information:
http://www.readingwarriors.com/rwshell.html

If you're feeling a little less cerebral or need some air conditioning, this
Web site lists places with free summer movies:
http://freebies.about.com/od/familyactivities/tp/free-summer-movies.htm

There are so many great programs from which to choose!  There is bound to be at least one that sparks an interest in every young reader. And there are no rules that say you can't participate in more than one ;) Feel free to share this post. If you participate in any of these programs I'd love to hear your thoughts on your experience.

Happy Summer. Happy reading!

Wordless Wednesday

S'mores!

What was the highlight of your holiday weekend?
For more Wednesday fun, be sure to visit these fabulous blogs:
5 Minutes for Mom
Wordless Wednesday HQ