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When I was pregnant all I wanted to do was talk about my pregnancy. Unfortunately, most of my friends are light years away from even thinking about having kids and my mom's advice all came from 1982. I love ya mom but... your memory ain't what it used to be!

So, I found myself lacking the support I needed. What do I do whenever I find that I'm lacking something? Go online, of course! I found several message boards and forums where I could get support and advice from other preggos and I made some good friends too!

I recently had the opportunity to review a forum called Full Time Moms and I have to say, "I wish I'd found this forum when I was pregnant!" But, I'm truly glad that I found it now.

I created an account in order to get the full forum experience. It was easy (and free) to sign up and I immediately started lurking and got lost reading different posts. When I ventured back to the "Welcome Center" board I was surprised to find that there was a post welcoming me along with several friendly replies! I really was touched and I'm looking forward to learning more about the ladies on this forum!

What is Full Time Moms?

Full Time Moms is a forum for women to discuss fertility, pregnancy, adoption and parenting. But that's not all! They also have boards for home organization, recipes, hobbies, beauty and more! They even have a board for woman who play The Sims! ohmygoodness... I'm addicted to the game all over again

How do I Join?

Just head on over to http://www.fulltimemomsforum.com and click on register under the top bar. Here's a direct link :) It's free to join and post. If you like the experience you can subscribe for extra perks and access to a special forum.

I hope to see you there!

Disclaimer:  I was provided the opportunity to write this post for Full Time Moms in exchange for an ad to write this review.  However, I was not required to write a positive review or write the review at all simply because they offered me an ad.  All the above information is completely my opinion and was not at all influenced in any way. 

Traveling Tuesday: We're Sailing Down the Nile!

Today on Traveling Tuesday we are going to Egypt! The book is We're Sailing Down the Nile by Laurie Krebs and illustrated by Anne Wilson.

Travel the Nile River with your kids starting at the temples at Abu Simbel in the south and moving north to finish the journey at the Giza Plateau. Of course there are many stops along the way including (but not limited to) The Valley of the Kings, Ashwan and Cairo.

As with other books by Laurie Krebs, the text is fun and easy to read out loud. The repeating text encourages children to participate.

"Climb aboard the river boat! We're sailing down the Nile. We'll reach The Valley of the Kings in just a little while."

 The vibrant illustrations in the book tie in seamlessly with the text and make the reading even more fun. Watch farmers working in their fields and gaze in awe at the incredible landmarks that Egypt has to offer! The illustrations are of course stylistic and do not have a lot of detail but I think this just adds to the book, evoking a feeling of the country.

One of the greatest things about this book is the end notes: eleven full pages of information including:

• Information about Ancient Egypt
• Facts about gods and goddesses of Egypt
• A map of Egypt including landmarks
• More in depth information about the sites visited in the main text
• and more!

This book is recommended for kids age 4-10. Younger kids will enjoy the colorful illustrations and rhyming text. Older children (and adults!) will find the facts in the back of the book interesting and informative

You can purchase We're Sailing Down the Nile online at the Barefoot Books Marketplace

Books for Africa
We're Sailing Down the Nile is one of many books that Barefoot Books offers for the Books for Africa organization. Books for Africa has one goal: to end the book famine in Africa. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped over 22 million high-quality text and library books to children and adults in 45 African countries. Millions more are needed.

Barefoot Books is helping this cause by offering many of their books for a reduced price to be purchased and donated to Books for Africa. When you buy one of these books it will be sent directly to a child in need.

Find out more about Barefoot Book's association with Books for Africa.
Purchase a copy of We're Sailing Down the Nile to be sent to a child in Africa


Disclosure: I was not paid for this review however, as a Barefoot Books Ambassador, I will receive commission for any books purchased from the posted links. I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on products and I will never give a review that does not reflect my true feelings, regardless of possible compensation.

Traveling Tuesday: Off we go to Mexico!

Sorry I'm so late in posting this! I'm busy, you know, with a baby to feed, change and play with. Plus, I had to see the season finale of Glee!

Anyway, for Traveling Tuesday this week I want to talk about the book Off We Go to Mexico! written by Laurie Kreb and Christopher Corr.

Off We Go to Mexico! is a fun, colorful book that takes the reader through various places in Mexico. I thought the text was well written with a rhyming scheme that rolls off the tongue.

Excerpt:

Off we go, off we go, off we go to Mexico!
We swim in turquoise water and build castles on the beach.
We climb up rocks or watch from docks,
to see the gray whales breach.

Each page has four words that are translated into Spanish which was a bonus for me since my future sister-in-law is from Mexico and her kids speak fluent Spanish! Now I can say things like "we climb pyramids" and "things to buy" which I'm sure will come in handy! ;)

The illustrations throughout the book are bright and colorful. The warm colors really make you think of sunshine and hot days on the beach. Each page is filled with interesting people, animals and other things for little eyes to take in. You could spend a long time with your child just pointing out different images on a page (which may or may not be a good thing for parents!).

In addition to the Spanish words found on each page, there is a page in the back of the books which translates more common words and phrases. Learn how to say "Good Morning", "I don't understand", "What is your name?" and more.

The endnotes in the back also consists of:

• A full page map of Mexico
• Facts about Mexico such as population, weather and information about landmarks
• Information about important festivals in Mexican culture
• Illustrated history of Mexico

Off We Go to Mexico! is recommended for children 4-10 years old. I think children under 4 would still enjoy the rhyming words and colorful pictures even if they don't get much out of the context. Older kids we enjoy the end notes and practicing the Spanish words sprinkled throughout the book.

You can buy Off We Go to Mexico! online here.

Disclosure: I was not paid for this review however, as a Barefoot Books Ambassador, I will receive commission for any books purchased from the posted links. I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on products and I will never give a review that does not reflect my true feelings, regardless of possible compensation.

Memorial Day Weekend Sale

Click the banner above to enter the Barefoot Books Store and save 20% this weekend only!

Here are some of my favorite Barefoot Books, in every age range! 

Click the image of the book to go directly to that item!

 Baby's First Journal (Age: Babies - 1 year)

Record all of the special moments of baby's first year in this beautiful baby book. Includes sections for baby's "firsts", favorites, family tree, photos and more! Baby's First Journal makes a great gift for new parents! I have given this baby book as a gift at a few showers and I always get rave reviews from the new moms and dads. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to looks through her copy and learn about her first year of life!

 Who's in the Garden? (Age: 1 - 4 years)
This adorable book asks your little one to answer the question "Who's coming to see how my garden grows?" By looking through the holes in the page, children are able to see which little critter is coming to visit the garden next. I love the bouncy, rhyming text in this book and the illustrations by Jill McDonald are so colorful and fun to look at. This book is a joy to read over and over again.

Jack and the Beanstalk (Age: 3 - 7 years)
A retelling of the classic tale about a boy who trades his cow for a handful of beans. The whimsical illustrations give us a new take on a traditional story without losing the old world charm.  This magical book is sure to be a favorite for your children! This book is available with or without a CD. The CD holds a recording of the story read by Richard Hope - complete with sound effects! Books on CD are a great way to keep the little ones entertained on long card rides!

Winter Shadow (Age: 7 years and up)
Maria finds a lone wolf cub on her walk to school and goes against her village elders wishes when she adopts the cub whom she names Shadow. It doesn't take long for Maria and Shadow to become inseparable. But what will happen when a mysterious storyteller comes to town and Shadow disappears?

This is honestly one of the most visually appealing chapter books I have ever seen. Each page has beautiful illustrations that work around the text. I think this is a great choice for a child who is just starting to get into longer, chapter books. The books explores the delicate balance between humans and nature and the ties between an individual and her community.

My introduction to Barefoot Books

When my friend Megan was planning my baby shower last year she wanted me to choose a theme for the shower. I didn't really have a theme in mind, so I told my friend to just do whatever she wanted. Well, Megan came up with a novel (pardon the pun) idea - we had a book themed shower!

When the invitations for the shower went out they asked guests to bring a favorite children's book instead of a greeting card. I thought it was a great idea! I have loved books since I was a kid and I was excited to start growing my daughter's library.

I got so many new kid's books at that shower, some of the classics like "The Runaway Bunny", "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel" and "Where the Wild Things Are". I also got several books I had never heard of which was a lot of fun too.

One of the new books was called "I Took the Moon for a Walk" by Carolyn Curtis and Alison Jay. My friend Emily said it was one of her son's favorite books and that it was also a story she didn't mind reading over and over again.

That night as I looked through the gifts I had received at my shower I took some time to read "I Took the Moon for a Walk" and I quickly fell in love with it. The illustrations are dreamlike and beautiful and the language is lyrical and descriptive at the same time.

It opens with:
"I took the moon for a walk last night / It followed behind like a still summer kite / Though there wasn't a string or tail in sight / when I took the moon for a walk."

The story follows a boy on a nighttime stroll with the moon "sharing his sweet sleepy light". The boy meets several nocturnal animals on his walk as well as other people enjoying the evening. As a bonus, there's a section at the end of the book that talks about moon phases and gives more information about moon phases.

My daughter is only 6 months old and is too young to ask for a special book or toy. But, I know that Allison loves this book. Every time we read it she smiles as soon as I read the first sentence. I look forward to the day she starts really pointing to the animals in the picture, to the day that she looks into the night sky and smiles to see the moon looking down on her and to the day she starts reading the book herself. I know this book will be a favorite for a long time.

Several months after I received my first Barefoot Book I decided to find out if there were more books like it out there. I asked my friend Emily about it and she explained that Barefoot Books aren't sold in stores but are available online or through individual "ambassadors".

I found Barefoot Books easily online and after browsing through their books for a few minutes I realized I was in love. I wanted all of them! As I was browsing the site I came across a link to become a Barefoot Books Ambassador. I was more than a little intrigues about the idea of selling these beautiful books and when I realized that it was free to sign up, I just couldn't resist!

I'm still very new to this but I'm very excited to be an Ambassador for Barefoot Books. I think every child should have access to engaging books like "I Took the Moon for a Walk".