Making memories: Share the experience of a unique children’s book from Blurb

Posted on December 10, 2013 by XT Reid

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I was compensated for this post, however all opinions and views are 100% my own.

There’s something about the holidays—that warm glow from the fire, the fact that you actually get to spend time with your kids (or your friends’ and family’s kids)—that makes it the perfect time to curl up with the little ones in your life and read them a storybook. Reading a totally new, beautiful, amazing book with a child is a treasured holiday experience. And if you choose the right book, every time the child reads it alone in the future will bring back the memory of that time you shared.

If you’re a little tired of the standard children’s book selections in your local brick and mortar store, Blurb has a really incredible assortment of self-published children’s books that you won’t find anywhere else this holiday season. Try a few of these future classics and create some new holiday memories this year.

Title: Ollie + Loo
Author: Joni Cooper
www.blurb.com/b/4554150-ollie-+-loo
Joni Cooper brings incredibly original characters to life with brilliant illustrations in a book that will have parents and kids laughing along together.

Title: Edward Hopper and the Carrot Crunch
Author: Mike Smith
www.blurb.com/books/1189264-edward-hopper-and-the-carrot-crunch
Very few children’s books have financial mismanagement as a central theme—we can only assume most children’s book authors have not had the pleasure of meeting a rabbit named Edward Hopper.

Title: My Bug Journal
Author: Hannah Rollings
www.blurb.com/b/1925331-my-bug-journal
Bug-lover or other, this journal is sure to spark interest from anyone who takes a peek inside the covers. Enchanted illustrations, bug facts, room for records and much, much more.

Title: Myrtle & the Scarecrow
Author: Kate Lowe
www.blurb.com/b/4662116-myrtle-the-scarecrow
Myrtle finds solace with a not-so-scary scarecrow?and learns a lot about herself? in this short but sweet tale. The atmospheric illustrations have a little magic about them—we look forward to more from this young, talented illustrator.

Title: The Trouble with Bears
Author: K.D. O’Reilley
www.blurb.com/b/400437-the-trouble-with-bears?pid=Featured
This story cleverly combines a lesson on self-worth with an exploration of different cultures, geography, and history. The talents of a former writing instructor and a visual artist are a winning combination here.

Title: Mylo & Peet
Author: Janyce Portalatin
www.blurb.com/b/4290427-mylo-peet
A graphically pleasing book with a message tailor-made for the new generation of eco-warriors the importance of recycling and protecting the planet.

Title: Theo
Author: Kenny Lim & Grant Gilliand
www.blurb.com/b/781375-theo?pid=Featured
Join Theo on his journey as he navigates the obstacles and challenges of school—made all the more difficult due to his not-so-normal third eye. Fantastic illustrations bring this story’s great message to life.

Title: A Whimsical Tale of Invention
Author: Kara Pooley
www.blurb.com/b/628072-a-whimsical-tale-of-invention
Fascinating facts, inspired inventions, intriguing illustrations, a poem or two—this book has it all.

Title: Ahwen’s Journal
Author: Alice Alder
www.blurb.com/b/4291566-ahwen-s-journal
It would be impossible not to fall in love with the beautifully illustrated characters in this book. Ahwen, Harn, Charwood—we’ll be keeping an eye out for you the next time we’re in the woods.

Title: Marco and the Zombies
Author: Justin Kerr
www.blurb.com/b/1360926-marco-and-the-zombies?pid=Featured
Another collaborative project delivers a brilliant book. With Zombies at the heart of this story—and superb illustrations by Bret Bowers—it’s one older children are sure to enjoy.

Title: Baby Bear gets a Present
Author: Chris Wood
www.blurb.com/b/4387364-baby-bear-gets-a-present
Even toys relegated to a box in a forgotten corner of the house have lives of their own. In this heartwarming tale we learn just how much fun they have.

Title: Penelope and her Puffy Brown Crown
Author: Jasmin Ortiz
www.blurb.com/b/4181634-penelope-and-her-puffy-brown-crown-paperback
Popping with color and originality, this rhythmical story makes reading aloud a real pleasure. Apparently, bad hair-days happen to young people too.

Title: My Best Friend
Author: Nathalie Josephine
www.blurb.com/b/4295225-my-best-friend
In this lovely little book, bright (and very cute) characters illustrate a story designed to help children deal with the loss of a friend.

Title: A Bit Lost
Author: Leanne New
www.blurb.com/b/4275053-a-bit-lost
Delightful creativity elevates the imagery in this standout book, a simple tale of lost-and-found for little ones.

Title: The Goose Girl
Author: Madeleine Valley
www.blurb.com/b/4274145-the-goose-girl
A lesser-known story by The Brothers Grimm gets a thoroughly modern makeover in this graphically rich retelling of Goose Girl from Madeleine Valley. This is one for the older bunch.

Title: The Great Bear Surprise
Author: Carolan Coughlin
www.blurb.com/b/4259737-the-great-bear-surprise
Join Carolan on her hike up Red Plume Mountain where she discovers much more than the view of the surrounding landscape. This is a sweet story of unexpected friendship.

Title: Goodnight Forest
Author: Emilie Dale
www.blurb.com/b/3018559-good-night-forest
See your little ones off to sleep and bid goodnight to the forest with this rhythmic wind-down bedtime book, from graphic designer and illustrator Emilie Dale.

Title: The Adventures of Dude, Squat and Mose
Author: Michael Hall
http://www.blurb.com/b/4720681-the-adventures-of-dude-squat-and-mose
With fabulous illustrations from Gerald Kelley and a fun-packed story from author Michael Hall, the adventures of this brave trio of adopted dogs if sure to become a favorite.

Save 20% on print books for your little ones when you spend $40 or more!

xxoo,

Recognizing and Dealing with Baby Growth Spurts

Posted on December 9, 2013 by XT Reid

My 6 week old son is a chunk! We (really just me) actually call him chunk chunk, or the more endearing term chunk-chunk-chunk-a-lot. He’s gotten to be such a chunk, because he loves to nurse. From birth he’s been an excellent nurser with an extremely healthy appetite. However, sometimes this healthy appetite becomes quite demanding, especially during a growth spurt.

I’ve learned that growth spurts can happen anytime during the first year. Babies typically have their first growth spurt between 1 and 3 weeks. I remember my son’s very well around 2-3 weeks, because he was on my boob constantly. I was worried that I wasn’t producing enough milk and that he was hungry, but it was just a growth spurt. Whewww!

Now my son is rolling up on 6 weeks and he just finished having a pretty big growth spurt. He was nursing a lot during week 5, and he looks like he’s gained a good bit of weight this week. However, I think he’s actually going to have another one coming up on week 7. Its common for babies to have them between 6 and 8 weeks, and then another one at 3 months. After that, I can pretty much expect him to have them every three months or so up to a year.

Growth spurts can be tough, especially if your breastfeeding. Just know that they only last a few days and your baby will return to their normal, precious self in no time. The best thing you can do when dealing with growth spurts is to know what to expect. Knowledge is power!

Recognizing when your baby is going through a growth spurt:

Baby wants to eat nonstop. This is probably one of the first and most overt signs that your baby is going through a growth spurt. If your baby usually nurses every 3 or 4 hours, they may start nursing every 1-2 hours. Don’t be alarmed! Remember, the more often your baby breastfeeds, the more he or she stimulates milk production to keep up with the growing appetite. This goes the same for older babies, oftentimes they will also want to nurse more and up their intake of solids, if they’re on them.

Baby will be up more often at night. During a growth spurt you can expect for your little one to be up more frequently throughout the night to eat. Older babies tend to take shorter naps, due to feeling the need to eat more.

Baby will be crankier/fussier than usual. You may notice that baby latches and unlatches a lot, because they may grow frustrated with the fact that you milk is not coming down fast enough. The latching and unlatching is just impatience, and most likely has nothing to do with you having a lack of adequate milk supply for baby. Additionally, the lack of sleep from staying up makes babies a bit more crankier/fussier than usual.

Best ways to deal with growth spurts:

Stay hydrated, by drinking plenty of water.

Have your partner or a friend to help with things around the house.- This is a good time to catch up on all those shows you miss in the primetime or that movie you never got around to seeing.

Don’t give up on breastfeeding, this is the best time to keep at it. When baby seems hungrier and crankier than normal, you may worry that he’s not getting enough to eat and that there’s a problem with your milk supply. Don’t let the growth spurt make you think is and discourage you from breastfeeding. The round-the-clock feedings are temporary, and are actually your baby’s way of boosting your milk supply to keep pace with the healthy appetite.

Keep an eye on two things, if you do in fact become concerned: diapers and weight gain. If baby is gaining weight and soaking five or six diapers a day, then everything is fine. Of course pay attention to that mother’s intuition and consult your doctor if you have further concerns.

The most important thing to do during a baby’s growth spurt is to remain patience, which is hard…I know! Keep in mind that it is temporary and will pass in a matter of days. And also, you baby is only a baby for a short time, soon you’ll look back on these growth spurts with fondness when you see your little one thriving.

xxoo,

Co-Hosting Social Media Sunday

Posted on December 7, 2013 by XT Reid

<div align="center"><a href="http://fromabcstoacts.com/" title="From ABC's to ACT's"><img src="http://i1025.photobucket.com/albums/y311/abcstoacts/SMS225_zpsb70454fc.jpg" alt="From ABC's to ACT's" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

It’s that time again friends! Time for another Social Media Sunday!

Amber @ From ABC’s to ACT’s

Michelle @ The MaMade Diaries

Natasha @ Epic Mommy Adventures

Teresa @ Crafty Wife

Penny @ The Real Housewife of Caroline County

As you know, Social Media Sundays are a place for you to connect with other bloggers in as many ways as possible, since meeting other bloggers and making new friends is one of the best parts of this online world!

The rules are simple!

Christina @ Laughing and Losing It

Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer

Tenns @ New Mama Diaries

Follow your hosts and guest hosts (the first 8 in the link up) and leave a comment letting us know so that we can follow you back.

Grab the button and spread the word, the more the merrier!

Get to hopping! Check out your fellow bloggers and make a new friend or two.

Most importantly, have FUN!

Gifts for Everyone Guide Pt. 1 + Holiday Spending Tracker Printable

Posted on December 6, 2013 by XT Reid

Gift shopping during the holidays can be stressful and painstaking. You would think that my long history in retail would make me an excellent gift giver, but I’m not. Its my dirty little secret! I figured I’d keep it simple, and stick to three main categories this year: Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, and Gifts for Them!

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Co-Hosting Get Inspired #18

Posted on December 5, 2013 by XT Reid

It’s Pinning Time!

What’s a link party? A link party is a get together that bloggers have to share and promote their latest blog creations. Some are recipes, crafts, some are blogging tips or even cleaning tips. But, they are AWESOME! Lots and lots of work go into these posts with some major PINWORTHY stuff. So get ready, browse around over the next few days and check out the growing list and pin away!

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10 Free Christmas Fonts

Posted on December 2, 2013 by XT Reid

The holidays are right around the corner, so its time to get started (if you haven’t already) on your holiday themed projects. I previously put together a list of fun Halloween themed fonts in this post, and promised I’d be back with another list. So, here we are with 10 Christmas/Holiday themed fonts:

You can download all of these fonts for free at UrbanFonts.com.

As always, check back as I will be putting together another fun themed font list soon!

xxoo,