BareBooks

Do you know about Bare books? If you don't, you should. They are awesome. My best friend, KP, told me about them a few years ago. They're super cheap, high quality empty books for kids to fill up with their stories and artwork. Certainly, the idea isn't original, but they are at such a fair price, like $1.50, they stand out as a favorite in our house. They also sell game boards you can customize, Francis has been on me about ordering one, so I'll post it when I do. Can't wait to see what game she comes up with. She is hilariously all about the rules. Don't ever play Chutes and Ladders with that girl... it takes FOREVER. I don't mean to say that I like to cheat, but people... when you land at the top of the slide for the 8th time...can't we just pretend it didn't happen? Nope. Not in this house.

Here are the front and back of the ocean themed books:

And the farm books:


I think my favorites are the completely blank books, but Francis likes the ones with the covers she can color. She likes having a "theme" for her books. She has a Farm animal book that she draws farm animals in and writes facts about them, etc. and George, well, he doesn't discriminate. He'll draw whatever, wherever. He's my free spirit. He doesn't need a themed cover...

The Amazing Mr. Ed Emberley

My sister first introduced me to Ed Emberley's books a few years ago. She bought a handful for her son for Christmas and when I asked her what they were, she kept saying "You don't know about Ed Emberley? Seriously? He's awesome. You should know about these (repeat)," etc. And so, like a dutiful little sister, I took note. And when my oldest started showing signs of being able to sit at a table more than 60 seconds (for us, age 4), I went out and bought a couple. Since then, I have found myself preaching the Ed Emberley gospel. Seriously, folks... she was right. He's awesome.

For those of you who didn't grow up with his books in the 60's, here's a bio. He's an illustrator that made easy step by step drawing books for kids. It's great because more than once I've heard Francis say, "I can't draw that one, it's too hard" and then minutes later, she's all smiles because she ACTUALLY DID IT and BY HERSELF. Not only does it teach her how to draw her favorite animals, but she has gained so much confidence from it as well. It's perfect for that rather unfortunate stage of childhood when your kids evolve from drawing everything to thinking they can't draw anything "right." I hate that stupid rotten evolution. I am in constant battle with it myself.

Francis: Ladybug and Catepiller


Francis: Rollerskating Monkey


George: (unfinished) devil

Here are some of his books on Amazon. I actually bought mine at my local Barnes and Noble. And last week, we actually found another one at our local library so be sure to check that out. He also has a pretty nice website that has a bunch of free activities and games.

Cheap Treat

I am not a fan of fast food. I can't say I've officially banned it from my life, but unless a mom's group is meeting there or unless I'm on a road trip - you will never find me eating there. Wait, Chick-fil-a doesn't count, right? Okay, so like I said, it's not a hard and fast rule in my house, but you won't see me breakin' down any doors... until that is, I found out about this silly little key fob at Wendy's.

Wendy's has a frosty key fob that costs $1. With it, you get a free Jr. Frosty with every purchase you make there until the end of 2010. My kids always appreciate a special treat (especially with this Texas heat) and getting ice cream nowadays costs a ton. You can easily walk out of Braums having spent $7+ on ice cream that is: a) way too much to spend and b) way too much for your kid to eat. Half of it goes uneaten and I can't help but always feeling like it was a waste. Enter, the Jr. Frosty deal. Buy one, get one free and it only costs $1 plus tax. It's the size of a Dixie cup and I found out that if you ask for whipped cream on top, they add it for free. Perfect.

My kids think I rule... and I don't hate myself for wasting money.

Sure, sure... it's not in the healthy treat category, but you gotta live it up sometimes. ;)

Green Glasses Fabric

How much do I love this fabric at fabric robot? I've seen it before but couldn't source it... now that the mystery is solved, on to figuring out what I need to make with it! :)

Also check out this great fabric. Perfect for Back to School projects. Maybe I'll make George a lunch bag or something?

**UPDATE: the kind folks at Fabric Robot have offered us all a 10% off coupon code: SAVE10 Enter at checkout. Gotta love that...

Canon 7D vs. Barbie

There's really not much to add. This just cracks me up...especially given my great desire to own the new Canon 5D. Maybe Barbie will have to do in the meantime. Hmm...

Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl from Brandon Bloch on Vimeo.

Love.

Sitting on my couch surfing etsy, I came across String Theory's shop. I love, love, love these. They are a bit pricey, but think about it. You would have these for a lifetime and what beautiful work...

Merry Christmas - Take Lots of Pictures!

This was my family's Christmas card this year. The inside read: "Happy Holidays! Hold your loved ones close."
Due to the overwhelming response to our card, I'll be offering this as a Christmas card package next year. It's the perfect solution for families because it's so darn hard to get a group shot of everybody smiling. This allows you to pick the best of each individual. And not to mention, it just looks cool.