Audiobooks Through the Ages
Audio Books Through the Ages
I am a huge reader.
It wasn’t until I was finished university and realized I could CHOOSE what I wanted to read that I discovered the joy of reading. Now, I am in a book club, host frequent book swap parties, and will read just about anything.
I have also discoverd the joy of audiobooks. When we travel in the car, whenever we put on an audiobook, the children magically go silent and pay attention to every word! It is how we survive car trips!
In fact, audiobooks can be used at all stages of life! Here’s how:
Newborn
At this stage, the audiobooks are more about the breastfeeding mama.
When my first son was born, I was looking forward to catching up on my reading, but as a new mom, I didn’t always have the time. So, I started playing audio books in the nursery. I always looked forward to going in for a feed so that I could hear the next part of the story.
In fact, my idea was featured in the December 2008 edition of Today’s Parent!
Toddlers and Preschoolers
At the stage when kids are first learning to read, they love to follow along with stories. We are lucky that our library has a big collection of the “kits” that come with both the book and the CD.
Some of our favourites for this age group include:
– David Shannon’s – Too Many Toys: Book and CD
– Any of the Skippy Jon Jones books by Judy Schachner: Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble
School-Aged Children
My boys love to listen to audio books in the car, even if only for a five-minute drive. We were also having troubles with our oldest falling asleep quickly at night as he was always playing around in his room. However, when we set up an audio story to play for half-an-hour, he would lay quietly listening to the story and would often fall asleep before it was over.
By far our favourite series is Mr. Gum read by Kate Winslett. These are a MUST.
– The Mr. Gum Collection: Part One: Four Wacky Adventures Narrated by Kate Winslet
– Winnie The Pooh Audio
– How To Train Your Dragon
– The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2CD Limited Special Edition)
– The Lord of the Rings: The Complete Trilogy
Adulthood
Now that my kids are in school, I am always listening to audiobooks – when I bake, clean, walk the dog, etc. I love a good murder mystery or adventure story!
– I love anything by Janet Evanovich- for example Two For The Dough
– Cold Sassy Tree
– Anything by David Baldacci like Hell’s Corner
What are your favourite audiobooks – either for kids or adults? Leave a suggestion (along with the age range).
5 Ways to Beat Mealtime Battles
5 Ways to beat mealtime battles!
Are there ever mealtime battles at your house? Do the kids ever ask you how much more they have to eat before they can leave the table? I have lots of people who have told me how stressful meals can be. It’s no different at our house either! But, we have found a few tricks, when used sparingly, can really work.
1. Kids Help with Meal Planning: We do up a weekly meal plan and I always ask the kids to pick one meal each that they would like to have that week.
2. Crazy-themed Meals SDRAWKCAB Meal – Want a new fun way to spice up your meal time? Try a Backwards Meal! Start with dessert and end off with main course. Take up a level and invite your family to wear their clothes backwards, too! Eating supper was never so much fun!
3. Utensils Meal!
Remember those days of summer camp where you did silly things at meal time? The next time you are having spaghetti (or something equally as messy) for supper, fill a pillowcase and fill it with kitchen utensils – egg beaters, mashers, salad spoons, ladles, etc. Have everyone draw out a utensil and that is what they will be using to eat their meal with!
4. The Dice Gamble: To determine how many more bites your child has to eat, have them roll the dice. Feeling nice? Use one. Want more of a risk? Use two! 
5. Treat Under a Bowl: This is my personal favourite! Get a special treat for your child and put it on a plate with a bowl upside down hiding it. I’ve used anything from a toy to a cookie, Timbit, etc. Then, place a plate on top of the bowl. In order for the child to have the treat under the bowl, they must first eat what’s on the plate on the top. No peeking! 
What are some of tricks that you use? Leave a comment and share some new ideas!
Nova Scotia Fishermen
I was lucky enough to be given a sample pack of products from Nova Scotia Fisherman. These are all natural NS Kelp infused soaps, lotions, lip and body balm for life’s rough patches. And, they are all handmade right here in New Minas.
By merely having these soaps in my bathroom, gave it a fresh scent – and that in itself was worth it! Over the past few weeks I have been trying out the various soaps. My favourite is definitely the clay mint! The hand lotion is not greasy, and the best word to describe the lip balm is invigorating!
My husband has been using the body lotion on his cracked feet, and after only two applications, his feet are completely healed! (Be thankful I didn’t include before and after pictures!)
For those concerned with ingredients and process, these products are not tested on animals, have no petroleum based ingredients, no artificial fragrances and are paraben free. They use a variety of oils from palm, coconut and olive that are good for babies’ skin as well. When you go on their website, every product’s ingredients are listed so you can rest assured what is in it.
Besides being made locally, Nova Scotia Fisherman works with local adult-service centre organizations such as the Flower Cart and Apple Tree Industries to help with packaging. They are a very valuable part of how they do business.
Every time you buy a Nova Scotia Fisherman product you are also giving back to nature. A portion of every sale benefis the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)! The NCC works on a landscape scale to acquire, manage and restore habitats, including some of the region’s most iconic landscapes.
Locally, Nova Scotia Fisherman products are available at
Home Hardware; Pete’s; Stirlings; Hennigars; Mader’s Pharmacy; Wilson’s Pharmacy; Larry’s Pharmacy; Boutique de Grand Pre; Gaspereau Vineyard or at their storefront 15 Jones Road, New Minas (across from the RCMP station), or online. If you go onto the website and enter your postal code you will find other retailers near you, too. FIND LOCAL RETAILERS
I highly recommend checking them out and supporting the local campaign!
http://www.novascotiafisherman.com
Leave a comment and tell me about which Nova Scotia Fisherman products you’ve tried and where you found them!
Fairy Bread
When my friend Lisa from Australia started talking about “Fairy Bread” with “Hundreds and Thousands” I had no idea what she was talking about! Her explanation has turned into one of the boys’ favourite treats. Once you see the recipe, you’ll understand why!
What is Fairy Bread? Bread spread with butter with sprinkles (known as hundreds and thousands in Australia) on the top!
The word Fairy Bread is thought to have come from A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894).
COME up here, O dusty feet!
Here is fairy bread to eat.
Here in my retiring room,
Children, you may dine
On the golden smell of broom
And the shade of pine;
And when you have eaten well,
Fairy stories hear and tell.
Directions:
Spread margarine onto slices of bread. Cover with sprinkles. Cut into triangles to serve.
The finished product!
Monster Jam 2014
Since infancy, Thomas (almost six) has been obsessed with Hot Wheels. He has Hot Wheels sheets, shirts, backpacks, a lunch bag, and a Hot Wheels car carrier. Inside are hundreds of Hot Wheels cars and Monster Jam trucks. He is a living and breathing expert.
So, when I heard that Monster Jam was coming again this year to Scotia Speedworld (in Halifax near the airport), I knew I had to look into it! Not sure what I mean by Moster Jam?
Maple Leaf Monster Jam®, stars the biggest performers on four wheels: Monster Jam monster trucks! The twelve-feet-tall, ten-thousand-pound machines will bring you to your feet, racing and ripping up a custom-designed track full of obstacles to soar over or smash through! Monster Jam provides a massive night’s entertainment tailored perfectly for your family’s budget, and these colorful, larger-than-life beasts are sure to capture the hearts of both young and old. Check out this video from a previous Halifax show!
Here’s what I found out about the Halifax show:
Monster Jam is coming Saturday, May 31st and Sunday, June 1st with shows at 1pm and 7pm on Saturday, and a show at 1pm on Sunday.
Tickets for the show Reserved – $30 Adults / $25 Kids (ages 2 – 12)
General Admission – $20 Adults / $15 Pizza Pizza Kids Tickets ( ages 2- 12)
All tickets $2 more day of show.
Plus, you can purchase tickets to join the Pit Party, too!
AND, if you book in advance HERE you can get a discount through Valley Family Fun for $4 off each general admission ticket on every show!
Just enter the promo code MUM4
Only valid on Adult General Admission tickets. Excludes Front Row, Gold Circle, TAP, and VIP tickets. No double discounts. Additional Fees May Apply. Weekday is defined as Monday thru Thursday. Weekend is defined as Friday through Sunday. Limit of four (4) per purchase.
Now, that makes it an even more affordable family-friendly adventure! Because we’re so close in the Valley, we can easily go down for a day trip to enjoy the show! No excuses not to go!
I am also going to be doing a give away for 4 tickets To See Maple Leaf Monster Jam at Scotia Speedworld for the 7pm show on May 31st! Stay tuned for details!
For now, I’m going to try to keep our tickets a secret from the boys. I can’t wait to see Thomas’ reaction!
Valentine’s Sucker Cards
Valentine’s Day Sucker Cards
This is a simple Valentine’s Day card that the boys just made for their classmates. Some schools have rules about sending in treats, so please check first!
Simply cut out hearts and leaves out of construction paper (a great way to use up our scraps!). Then, tape on a sucker and the leaves.
I bought a bag of heart-shaped suckers at Walmart for $4. I figured this would be the same amount of money that I would have spent on purchasing cards.
Have the kids write the names on the back, and voila!
