Dark Dreamweaver

With the impending arrival of the final Harry Potter book there is a "void-in-the-air" feeling around our house... for me it is the feeling of maybe never being able to get my children to read another book, so when the Parent Blogger Network offered me a chance to review the first in a new series of fantasy-esque stories, I was more than happy to oblige.

The Dark Dreamweaver, by Nick Ruth, is the tale of David who "takes matters into his own hands" when he sets out to find the source of an "epidemic of nightmares" which are plaguing the dreamers of Earth.

It's a wonderful journey, full of fantasy and excitement. Fast paced and creative, both my boys are looking forward to reading the next installment.

On an interesting side note, Ruth didn't intend to be an author, rather, The Dark Dreamweaver began as a personal story for his son, a way for him them to connect over their love of reading.

Just What I Needed

I have a friend whose mother took her aside and said, quite seriously, "If you insist on being so perfect, what are you leaving for your daughter to excel in?"

Good question.

For me, this book affirms what it took me 3 children to figure out... good enough parenting is often just what both mothers and children need.

Forget the frillion after school activities, forget the structured play dates and the organic soy milk and the interactive DVDs.

Say hello to downtime, neighborhood friends, the occasional potato chip and Scooby Doo.

Lazy? No. Confident, capeable and relaxed? Yes!

Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box is a step by step manual (if you will) on how to address and break the vicious cycle of "perfection parenting".

Because it will never happen.

You will never be a perfect parent.

Although you may drive yourself and your children perfectly insane.

Vue, This!

In a word - L.O.V.E.

As the driver of a big car. A really big car and someone who is waiting the arrival of my even bigger car, I was skeptical about liking this little Saturn Vue, but, because I feel guilty over my big car, and the soon to be here even bigger one, I was compelled to give this hybrid a week's worth of whirl.

It was a blast.

The Vue is a 5 seat, zippy little SUV, with a nice big boot - it is comfortable and, although I was informed that I was driving a rather "basic" model, I still thought it was nice with all the things you want in your car...

My only issue (if you will) is that a 5 passenger is really too small for myself (and many people I know) for use on a daily basis. With 3 kids, 4 dogs and a carpool of 2+kids, I really am committed to a larger vehicle.

However-

The average fuel savings is about 20% and a new and shiny one can be yours this summer for around 23k. It's hard to argue with those numbers and I confess to a conversation which involved the purchase of said Vue to use for running around town.

I do A LOT of local driving and on Tuesday and Thursday you will pass me eleventy times going in circles as 2 of my children have overlapping activities on both the start and finish time; a hybrid is perfect for this situation as I really did notice the fuel economy.

And we all loved how absolutely silence at stop signs - the first time we took it out for a spin we thought the engine had died!

Yes, I loved this little Saturn Vue Hybrid... if they could just make one with a 3rd row...

Hola!

One of the things that "sold" my husband and I on the school our boys currently attend was the fact that a Spanish program was offered from Kindergarten...

Fantastic! They'll be fluent by second grade!

Or, maybe not.

While both children have earned nothing by "A" grades, they would be hard pressed to wish you a good morning or bid you farewell...

un poco decepcionante, no?

So, when PBN offered up the opportunity to review the Boca Beth Spanish program, I jumped.

And, I have to say that I am a fan.

The program is broken up into a coloring book, a DVD and a CD with a spongey bird puppet called, "Boca", to help the children with the more interactive aspects of the shows.

With the DVD Boca says the words while their is animal action in the background... it's basic "repeat-after-me" stuff, but because they are cute little animals, the children's attention is really captured.

Each lesson is followed by an interactive song and dance with the Boca Beth kids... the songs are familiar, like "Monkeys On The Bed", and make it easy for your child to pick up the words...I would say that it took my daughter maybe 3 viewings before she was singing along and transitioning (fairly well) between the Spanish and English lyrics without thought.

Eva enjoyed using Boca to sing along with the songs and has a personal favorite number called, "Movin' & Groovin"... she gets up and dances and sings along all the while learning the names of body parts.

Which is a quite clever way of teaching.

The coloring book is also a hit, as my daughter loves to color and is always demanding to know what the words are... it's an easy reinforcement.

We have yet to listen to the CD as I am a little territorial on the music played both in the house and the car... (I know - mean).

We all know that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language and Boca Beth is a great start.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and easy way to introduce a second language to their child.

Now, if only I could get the school to use it...

Eva, dancing with Boca Bird