I want to make better food choices for us, but I really don't like to cook. I used to, but now it's more like a chore. "What's for dinner?" are three words I dread hearing. I figure if I can gather enough recipes to start varying what we eat, maybe I'll start to enjoy cooking again.

I've been using the library to check out cookbooks. It's been a great way to know if I want them before I buy. The two titles I have now are Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and Eat Cheap, But Eat Well. Both are really good.

My other resource for cookbooks is Amazon. I go to the site a few times a day to look at the Kindle book offers. I've been able to grab several free and really cheap items that way. I look through the books on my tablet and decide if they're something I want to own or just borrow from the library. Today the cookbook section is pretty heavy with deals so I thought I'd share*.

These are two I can personally recommend. I've been reading Stephanie's food blog for at least a year, probably longer. I was so happy for her when she announced her first cookbook deal. Both of her titles are on special for $3.03 today.

I've also started to go to NPR for book and cookbook recommendations and they have these titles by Melissa Clark as one of their top choices for 2011 and 2010, respectively ($2.99 and $3.03). At this price these will  make excellent gift closet items.

These I can't vouch for but the prices are definitely right. All are .99.

 

All I can think of with these two is comfort food. The biscuits on the cover are making me drool ($2.99 and $2.51).

Phil's family spends a week camping at the beach near our house. Everyone takes turns making dinner. Last year was our first time getting our own campsite and I think the boys are going to want to camp more often. I can send them on their merry way with a cooler full of ready to heat meals. (free)

Tyler has been complaining about his lunch being boring. I told him picky eaters don't have many choices. Since this title is free, I thought we could go through it together and come up with some new things he may want to try. I love that the book is by bloggers!

I really hope I can get my kitchen mojo back. Tyler has asked a few times to help with dinner and I'm ready to let him.

What are your favorite cookbooks?

*I am an Amazon affiliate and these are affiliate links. You help keep me Starbucks card loaded when you make a purchase. Amazon prices change fast so always confirm the price before you add it to your cart. You don't need a Kindle to read Kindle books!

It's Official, I Am A Hockey Widow

So, here's the latest development. Now, in addition to worrying that my son will get hurt on the ice, I have to worry about my husband too. Hockey has almost completely taken over our house. Why couldn't they want to take yoga?!

Books and Stuff

This post isn't really "about" anything. I started three other posts about books and reading but they didn't have enough meat to stand on their own so I combined them into this random one. Do I know how to sell my blog, or what?

Are you tired of me talking about books? I hope not. I really, really love to read and so many in my circle do too. If I had to start from scratch with a blog, I would really consider one solely about books and coffee. Maybe I'd call it Good Books and A Cup O' Joe.

Or, I mentioned on Twitter that I'd love to work in the book section of Costco. I see people reading the covers of books I've read and sometimes I can't help but offer my opinion. I still feel it's my social obligation to tell everyone not to bother with the first 100 pages of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

*****

Are you listening to podcasts? I am. I hardly ever listen to the radio anymore. I recently found Books on the Nightstand and I really enjoy it. Part of me wishes I hadn't heard of their site because now my list of 'to be read' is beyond ridiculous. They posted a link to a fun little reading test from Staples. Take a look and see how fast you read. I'd love to know your score. 

***** 

I'm reading The Night Circus and I'm enjoying it. $10 says someone will try turning it into a movie. I think it could be visually stunning and have the most amazing costumes. If you listen to The Nerdist podcast, the book totally reminds of Neil Patrick Harris. I can't explain it, you'll have to take my word for it (or listen yourself, it's a great podcast though NSFW). Next I'm either going to re-read A Discovery of Witches (with book club) or read Roses by Leila Meacham. My mom read it and said it was great. It's 609 pages, so I hope she's right.

*****

What podcasts are you listening to? Have you read anything I need to know about? Do you read books multiple times or just once?

4/11/12 Update:
So, I realized yesterday I forgot the real reason I started this post. I was going to let you in on a little secret. I found out about a great site for free and cheap Kindle books. It's called Pixel of Ink. They post several offers a day across different genres. I admit, I've never seen an offer for a well known author, but it's been a good way to discover some new authors. It's been easier for me to keep up with Pixel of Ink on Facebook than remember to check their site. Enjoy!

Sh*t My Husband Says

"Dogs eat their own poop, should we do that too?" 

That was his comment after I told him about January Jones and her freeze dried placenta pills.

My Attempted April Fool Joke

Giveaway: HOP on DVD and Nintendo DS

 *This giveaway has ended* Congratulations to Laura H. And Heather R.

Now that the weather is getting warmer we're gearing up to start our movies on the lawn again. Buying the inflatable movie screen was one of the best decisions we've made. Wt try to host Front Lawn Movie Night (FLMN) at least once a month. Everyone brings their own lawn chair and blankets. The kids usually watch from their sleeping bags. We pop fresh corn in the popcorn machine and offer a variety of seasoning shakers. FLMN has been a great way to get to know our neighbors and has made for some really low maintenance parties.

A few days ago Phil and I were talking about hosting a show and I mentioned that I wish we had a copy of Hop since Easter is coming. Low and behold, the next day I opened my email and there was an offer from Universal! Some things are just meant to be.

I enjoyed the movie and I think Tyler and the neighbors will, too. It's from the same team as Despicable Me and The Lorax. They work really well together and it shows in their films. HOP has a great cast, the CG and live action works well together and it's a film adults can watch with their kids.






Win it!

Two (2) winners will receive:
*One HOP Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
*One HOP Nintendo DS Game

 
To enter:
1. Leave a comment below (mandatory). Please leave accurate contact information. Entries with no information will be deleted.
2. Winners chosen at random.
3. Share the contest however you wish (Facebook, Twitter etc.) and leave a separate comment with the permalink to your share (optional entry).
Please use this link to the post in your share:
http://bit.ly/HOPGiveaway
4. Contest runs today (3/26) through Sunday, 4/1 at 11pm CA time.
5. Winners have until 11pm CA time Monday 4/2 to respond or alternates will be chosen.
6. Winners will be announced on this post. 
7. Prizes will be shipped by the PR firm. MelADramaticMommy.com is not responsible for lost prizes.
8. Open to US only.

Fine print:
Total of two ways to enter. Pack valued $69.97 each. Giveaway open to US mailing addresses only. Giveaway courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Visit the official HOP website for movie reviews, a sneak peek at the new mini movie DVD extra and a list of bonus features.

Winners:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

27
12

Timestamp: 2012-04-02 15:52:51 UTC


* I was provided my own review copies for this giveaway
Editor's note: I deleted one of the comments below but not until after the winners were chosen. The deleted comment was not the winning one. I removed it because the person included their phone number!

Where Will I Be at 12:35am?

COUNTDOWN FOR WEBSITE

The Hunger Games and Matched | Dystopian Book Comparison

If you've been around my blog for awhile, you can probably see the correlation between light content here and my reading consumption. After my last book reviews for Explosive Eighteen and If You Were Here, I decided I needed to read The Hunger Games again*. The timing worked out well because, while finishing the last few chapters, I got the email notification that another Dystopian book, Matched, was ready for me to download from the library.

Aside: Colleen of Classy Mommy told me about Matched over dinner at the Big Miracle press trip. I believe six of us went out that night. The conversation turned to books and all of us had our phones out, tapping away with each new title mentioned. It was wonderfully nerdy.

Reading the two series back to back was interesting. Both are young adult fiction, set in the future and have a ruling class system but that's about it for similarities. At least for the first books. There are hints of unrest in Matched so maybe the story will heat up. The Hunger Games is such a page turner. It's gripping and hard to put down. I think it's because the action starts off so quickly. The first book sets everything in motion and second two are the aftermath of Katniss' actions.

Matched was smooth and more of a story. I feel like this trilogy is going to be the reverse of The Hunger Games where it starts off slowly and then builds to a final climax. I haven't read any of the reviews or synopses of the other two books (Crossed and Reached) so I can't say for sure. In fact, I had no idea what Matched was about before I read it. I checked it out because it seems Colleen and I love the same books so I trusted her recommendation.

Imagine this society: people are classified by the skills they have and jobs they can do. Food is fuel. Your movements are tracked and recorded. Illness has been eradicated. Marriages are arranged. Days are structured and scheduled. Knowledge is limited and controlled by the government. Negativity is discouraged. Death is predetermined. This is the world Cassia, the heroine, lives in. And she's perfectly happy, until her grandfather shares a secret in the form of forbidden poetry. 

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas

Again, with the way Matched ends (and the book cover images) hints at events to come, I smell a revolution. Or at least an uprising. I've already put Crossed on hold at the library. Review to come, of course.

Are you reading young adult fiction and/or Dystopian fiction? What other titles should I look into (please don't say Twilight)? Other books Colleen suggested are Divergent by Veronica Roth and Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

*I'm glad I read The Hunger Games again. Now the details are really fresh in my mind for the movie! *affiliate links used*

Explosive Eighteen, If You Were Here: Book Reviews

When I go to my local library, right off the bat I do two things: cruise through the used book store and check out the new releases section. Occasionally I get lucky and a book I've been wanting to read is on the New Releases shelf. I love it when I don't have to put a book on hold and wait for it to be available. Last week fate smiled and I was able to grab two titles on my Want To Read list; Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich and If You Were Here by Jenn Lancaster.

I think I said before I'm worried that the Stephanie Plum series is heading for Jump the Sharkville. The last few books felt as though they had lost their spark. Explosive Eighteen brought the spark back (see how I did that?). The plot wasn't vastly different than any of the previous books, (Stephanie, bad guys, Vinnie, Grandma Mazur and viewings and Ranger vs Morelli) though I liked the little twist in the beginning. I didn't see it coming and when it was explained, it definitely left room for more stuff to happen between the characters.

What won me over was the conversation Stephanie and Lula had about social media. Here's where my husband calls me a dork. Yes, having the characters talk about Facebook and Twitter brought me back to liking the series again. I would love to see Lula's Twitter stream. I'm hoping that the 18th book in the series is the start of a turn around and the books will be good again. It's hard to get that far in a series and not feel really invested. There's a bit of a cliffhanger so there is definitely room for things to get juicy.

If you've read any of Jenn Lancaster's memoirs, you know she's hilarious. I had no idea what If You Were Here was about and I didn't even bother to read to read the jacket. If Lancaster was ready to try fiction, I was ready to read it. It did not disappoint. The book started off well and chapter five pushed me over the edge in love with it. Her characters have my kind of sarcasm and humor and I laughed out loud in a few parts.

I don't want to reveal too much because I want everyone else to have the same combination "Yay!" and swoon moment that I did in the first pages of chapter five. But, the book is essentially about first time homebuyers Mia and Mac and their decision to completely remodel rather then buy a move in ready home. Anyone who has remodeled will sympathize with everything they go through.

I will say one thing: If you are in a book club, If You Were Here would make for a great theme-night book discussion. That's all I can say. I know it's cryptic, you'll just have to trust me.

Both of these books are my typical light, fast reads. If you have read either of these titles, what did you think?

*If someone starts Tweeting as Lula, you heard it here first. Affiliate links used.

Teaching Kids About Digital Footprints | Raising Responsible Digital Citizens

"A digital footprint is a trail left by an entity's interactions in a digital environment; including their usage of TV, mobile phone, internet and world wide web, mobile web and other devices and sensors. Digital footprints provide data on what an entity has performed in the digital environment; and are valuable in assisting behavioral targeting, personalization, targeted marketing, digital reputation, and other social media or social graphing services."

The definition above is taken from Wikipedia. I read a post this morning by Jennifer at Hip As I Wanna Be about an incident involving her son, text messages and one of her son's female classmates. I won't go into the details here so that I don't misquote or misrepresent; but I will say it's not that bad, it could have been worse and Jennifer and her son are handling it the same way I would with Tyler.

Parents: cell phones and iPod Touches are not toys. I know it's hard to convince our kids otherwise because of the crossover. We and our children use them for entertainment, but they need to be treated with a lot more respect than I see them getting. I'm continually confounded by people who hand these devices over to their children with no parental controls in place, no monitoring and without having serious discussions with their kids about that definition above and exactly what it means.

Each one of us has our own digital drawer in the card catalog of the world. Every time we hit send, reply, publish, share, like or any other verb, we add another entry into that card catalog. Remember last December when a student in Vienna requested a copy of his personal data from Facebook? After being on Facebook for only one year, the site had more than 1200 pages of information on him and his network of friends!

Kids are starting to fill their card catalog drawers at an early age, and unfortunately, like in the case of Jennifer's son's classmate, those entries aren't always good. Now, I know times are different. I certainly can't shield Tyler from everything. He has an iPod, he's played Call of Duty at friends' houses. But. 

Before we gave him the iPod I set up every parental control Apple allows, we explained the rules and consequences and we have his iPod in our room. He has to ask for it in order to play with it. He can play online games like World of Warcraft, but he's a low level user and my husband has turned off the chat feature. Tyler knows to come to us if anyone sends him a chat request.

It's my responsibility to make sure my son is not abusing his technology and to teach him to have respect for what it can do. It's my responsibility to talk to him about computer viruses, malware, spywear, and the idea that everything he does online is being filed away somewhere. Sometime in the future, someone is going to open his card catalog. What kind of things will he want that person to see? What kind of impression will he want to make?

Handing children under 14 a digital device and then walking away is irresponsible and can be dangerous. Parents, please talk to your kids about how long things can "live" online. Teach them about cyber bullying, sexting* and how to respond to those types of situations. I think it's awesome that Jennifer and her son have the type of relationship where he felt he could talk to her. I hope that's the type of trust I have with my son.

What are you doing to educate your kids about their digital footprints? Have you already had a bad experience with your kids? How did you handle it?

*When age appropriate, of course

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

St. Patrick's Day Lunchbox Ideas | 16 Green Themed Foods for Your Kids

If I needed proof that I am not destined to be a food blogger, putting this post together was it. This took me way longer than it should have. But, it was my own fault. I should have done some of the prep yesterday instead of taking a nap. I'm happy with the way it turned out and I think it's not bad for a first attempt.

A few days ago, I was thinking about St. Patrick's Day and what I want to put in Tyler's lunch since his class will probably have a little party on Friday. Last St. Patrick's Day, I thought of the few things I did at the last minute. I literally ran to the store the night before. This year, I wanted to be more prepared and give him more variety. Here's what I came up with:

The green blobs on the left are Ranch dressing and mustard with one drop of green food color. The beverages are sparkling water, not soda. I can't vouch for the color of the Funky Monkey snacks and the Soy Joy, but the packaging is fun. We're strict about candy but I think a surprise treat every so often isn't a bad thing, especially for a holiday.

Did I miss anything? What green foods are you going to put in your child's lunch for St. Patrick's Day?

ETA: So, you may have noticed the photo only has 15 items, not 16 like the post title says. I started writing the post and I was snacking on the treats when I realized I left an item off! I had zero desire to re-stage everything and take a new photo (plus, I'd eaten all the gummi bears), so here is what should have been item #16. Please pretend it's in the original photo.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday! No coincidence that it's also opening day for The Lorax. There were so many parts of the interviews that I loved, but meeting Betty White and Danny DeVito was my highlight. I left Zac Efron to Mary and the other cougars. (Kidding!)

DeVito could not be more perfect as the voice of The Lorax. I've tried to think of who else would have fit the role but I can't. He has just the right amount of gruff to make it work. Ken Duario, one of the writers said of DeVito that, "once that name came up as a thought and then, that was it.  That's all we ever had in our head because he's The Lorax."

DeVito has done voice work in animation before. He's done characters in My Little Pony, Matilda, Space Jam, Hercules and a cat in Last Action Hero. But, he didn't think about doing The Lorax until he was approached by the film makers. "I didn't identify with the character as much as I dug him," he said. "I thought he was really cute and cool. And it wasn't until two years ago or so when Chris Melandandri [Producer] called me and asked me if I would be interested."

When the interview was over, I told Mr. DeVito that he is the Boris Karloff of our time. Whenever I think of iconic Seuss, specifically The Grinch, I hear Karloff in my head. Now, when I think of The Lorax I'll hear Danny DeVito and I'll bet many others will too.

As for Betty White, could she be any cuter? I want to be just like her when I'm her age. She was so warm and funny in the interviews. She voices Grammy Norma. We all loved that her character was strong, sassy and cunning rather than doddering. Grammy Norma is actually instrumental in saving the day. 

I loved the Golden Girls and being in the same room with Betty White and listening to her tell her stories was so awesome. Between her television career, books and her work with the Morris Animal foundation, she's incredibly busy for a 90 year-old!

I promise this is the last time I'll say it, but I loved this movie. Dr. Seuss' words resonate just as much today as they did when he wrote The Lorax in the early 1970's. I love it that a whole new generation is getting to know Dr. Seuss and the lessons he shared.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday by visiting www.theloraxmovie.com to see all the sites participating in The Lorax blog hop. The Lorax opens in theaters today.

Thank you to universal Pictures for providing access during the press junket.

Life Hack: Salting a Margarita Glass | Works For Me Wednesday

Last Wednesday was National Margarita Day. At the last minute, I decided we needed to do our civic duty and celebrate the occasion properly. I took orders from the neighbors and broke out the frozen strawberries. Everyone wanted their glass salted and I forgot I don't own anything to properly salt a margarita glass. I thought about it for a minute and came up with the perfect solution.

Viola! If you have a citrus juicer, check to see if your margarita glasses fit inside. I poured a little Triple Sec into the bottom of the juicer, used a small plate for the salt and it worked perfectly! No need to go out and buy a separate gadget. This one does double duty.

What's working for you today? 

Toe Tappin with The Lorax Soundtrack

This past weekend I took my family to see an advanced screening of The Lorax and I've been humming some of the songs ever since. Tyler has politely asked me to stop several times but I can't help it!  

The music in The Lorax is fantastic. The songs are catchy and help tell the story and fill the holes from taking a 45 page book and turning it into a feature length movie. When we interviewed the directors and actors, Renee and Chelsea both brought up how good the music was. Chris Melandandri (one of the producers) said that, "when music works, it's such an engaging, uplifting aspect of a film with that chemistry between imagery and song, there's nothing like it in terms of just immersing you in the emotion of a scene in a movie." The music definitely works in this movie.

In the middle of The Lorax, when one of the turning points happens, Ed Helms moves the story along by having the character he voices, The Once-ler sing about his morals and ethics. Helms had an interesting dilemma in voicing The Once-ler. For consistency, the directors wanted him to do both old and young Once-ler.

So in addition to speaking in two different tones, Helms had to sing as the young Once-ler. Despite the challenge, he had fun. He said it was  "fun and silly and ridiculous and campy." He echoed my sentiments that the music is "amazing," and that John Powell (the composer) "just knocked it out of the park with the opening."

I should have known I'd still be singing the songs days later because Helms has been singing too. "I got (composer) John to give me an advance of the soundtrack," he said. "You see me at a stop light and I'm singing, 'Everybody needs a thneed!'"

Me too, Ed. Me too.

I asked the writers (Cinco Paul and Ken Duario) how they determined what parts of a movie to use songs over dialogue.

"The definition," Cinco said, "is generally, does it sing? And so, you want to sort of find the moments when it's almost demanding that the characters burst into song. But, also we used the songs really narratively to sort of tell a lot of story in a little time. And so, the first song was just a way of how can we introduce everybody to the world as quickly as possible and have them tapping their feet while they're introduced to the world, and those two moments were ways to sort of compress time and to cover a lot of ground."

During the opening sequence of The Lorax, when the townspeople of Thneedville were singing and dancing, I thought, "you know, I bet this would be great on Broadway." Then later in the movie, when the three Hummingfish harmonized for the first time, I was sold. I think the fish are my favorite inhabitants of Truffula Valley. Between the bold, colorful scenery and the songs, I think The Lorax should be a musical and I said as much to the writers.

Me: "It was the fish that made me think that this would make a very good stage production. I can see these amazing sets and more musical numbers. If somebody came to you and said we want to do The Lorax on Broadway, would you guys write it?"

Mr. Ken Duario:  "Yes ma'am."

Mr. Cinco Paul:  "Yes, please.  Yes, I am a huge fan of musicals.  So, I would love that."

If The Lorax becomes a stage production, you heard it here first. I think The Lorax would have been a very different movie without the music. It would have been easy to get lost in the environmental message and it may even have been a little sad, but the songs interspersed with the humor keep it so entertaining and fun. The Lorax opens this weekend on May 2nd.

Follow The Lorax on Twitter and Pinterest and play games on the official Lorax movie site. The Lorax soundtrack is available on Amazon for $9.49. (as of 3/5/12)

Thank you to Universal Pictures for providing travel and accommodations to a press viewing of The Lorax. Affiliate link used.

Caution Schmaution

Look before you leap. I think we've all heard that saying umpteen times. It's supposed to remind us to be cautious before taking a risk. But then there's "throw caution to the wind," which is pretty much the exact opposite. So, which one is right?

I'm a cautious person by nature. I like to know the who, what, when, where, why and all possible outcomes before I do anything. It can be exhausting because I over think and over analyze things to death. Caution also gets me stuck in a rut, afraid to move forward.

I've still been struggling with determining whether I'm thinker or a do-er. Today, I got tired of being stuck in a rut. I decided to be a do-er. I ignored caution altogether and jumped in feet first. Let's hope I stick the landing.

More to come...

Such A Tease

Phil and Tyler tease each other all the time. Phil has a sarcastic sense of humor, and Tyler can't always tell when Phil is joking. He makes himself a really easy target sometimes.

Tyler: When we get home is it my bedtime?

Phil: Yes

Me: No, it's Saturday of a holiday weekend I figured you'd both be up all night playing video games.

Tyler: Yeah dad, we're supposed to stay up doing father son things. We're supposed to relate to each other and tell each other our feelings.

Phil: Well then, I feel like it's going to be your bedtime.

One of these days, Tyler will catch on and be able to give as well he gets.

Where I Tell My Son What's What

I'm in a carpool and and give rides to two of the neighbor girls. Yesterday, I think my son decided he wanted to play it cool and got sassy with me. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's when he's disrespectful to me in front of other people. I have no problem setting him straight even if it means embarrassing him. Witness:

Tyler: "One of the boys in my class told me he's kissed a girl."

[all three] "Eeewwww!"

Girl 1: "Oh yeah, I heard that from [another girl]. She told me he kissed one of his sister's friends."

Me: "What kind of kiss are we talking about? A peck on the cheek?"

Tyler: "I don't know. And mom? Mind your own business."

Oh. No. He. Did. Not! 

If I could have slammed on the brakes so I could turn all the way around and look him in the eye, I would have.

Me: "Get this straight, as long as you live at home and you're under the age of 18? Everything is my business. You have no secrets from me. Got it?"

At least he had the sense to look abashed when we pulled into the driveway.

What have you had to set your kids straight about lately?

Coupons for Milk? Yes! | Thrifty Thursday

If your household is like mine, you probably run to the store for milk and bread at least once a week. I know dairy laws differ state to state but I always wondered why there were no coupons for milk since it's something almost every household buys in multiple quantities. Maybe I'm just behind the coupon times, but there are coupons for milk! I found this out during an event Real California Milk held last year.

Example of Real California Dairy coupon

On the Real California Milk site, you can print coupons for milk brands that have the Real California Milk seal. This comes in handy when the store brand has the seal since most store brands are almost always cheaper than name brands. I see this at WalMart and Sprouts Marketplace.

WalMart brand milk carries the Real California Milk seal

Using a coupon, this half gallon goes down to $1.33. The really cool thing is, because the coupon is offered as a PDF, you can download it and print as many as you like* (just be aware of the expiration dates). I have several of these in my coupon binder at all times. It's nice to be able to save on a fridge staple!

What other staple items do you always try to have

 coupons on hand for?

*As with all coupons, read the fine print and make sure the coupon is valid in your area. Only use coupons from trusted sources. Do not abuse, alter or use coupons fraudulently!

The Lorax Ticket Giveaway | San Diego Premiere

This ticket giveaway is for San Diego residents only. *   Contest has ended, winner announced.


If you liked Despicable Me, you'll love The Lorax. The same creative team behind Despicable reunited to work their magic and turn Dr. Seuss' iconic book into a 3D-CG feast for the eyes.

The movie is about Ted, his crush on Audrey and how his desire to make her happy leads him to the Once-ler and the story of Truffula Valley and Thneeds.

Danny DeVito is perfect as the voice of The Lorax. Zac Efron is Ted, Taylor Swift is Audrey, Betty White is Ted's grandmother, Ed Helms is the Once-ler and Rob Riggle plays the villain of Thneedville, Mr. O'Hare.

I think they did a great job tuning the book into a feature length film. I also think they used the 3D really well. This a really good film for the whole family. I'll have interviews with the cast coming soon. Find out more about the movie and play games at www.theloraxmovie.com.

Enter through the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win a family four pack of tickets to an advanced screening of DR SEUSS’ THE LORAX on February 25th.

Candy Buffet and Truffula Trees| Word{ful} Wednesday

Phil has re-arranged his schedule twice so I could attend recent events and I wanted to give him a little thank you gift. His sweet tooth is almost as bad as mine when it comes to certain treats. Well, there was a whole candy buffet of all his favorites in the press lounge for the Lorax.

I made a little goodie bag and left it so he'd find it on his way to work in the morning. I figured he would eat it all in one sitting, and I was right. I told him I could have brought more home for him, but I didn't want to be 'that person' with an assembly line of candy bags in front of me. Then I showed him the picture of the buffet.

He said, "oh man. Next time, please be that person!"

Thanks to Universal Pictures for the invitation to attend the press event!

A Soft Place to Land, Crunch Time | Book Reviews

I haven't done a book review for 2012, but that's not because I haven't been reading. Back in late November, I started (re)reading the Outlander series because it was finally chosen as our book club selection. So I read the first and then couldn't resist continuing on with the next three*. Since the beginning of the year, I've also read A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White and Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson.

I've said before I like books that deal with the relationship between sisters. I'm sure it's because I've always wanted to have a sister. This book follows two sisters from childhood to adulthood as they deal with the after effects of a tragedy. It's not a sad or depressing book, which is good because it really could have been.

Ruthie and Julia are young when their parents die in plane crash (not a spoiler, this is on the back of the book). After their parents' will is read, the girls' lives go in two totally different directions. It sounds weird to say, but one thing I liked about this book is that it wasn't too long or too short. some books zip through the conflict and resolution and others drag it out for way too long.

Crunch Time is the 16th book featuring the murder mystery solving caterer, Goldy. I've been starting to worry that this series is jumping the shark. It's kind of to be expected since it has to be hard writing the same characters year after year and coming up with new situations. I continue to read them because I feel so invested, kind of like the 'number' and 'alphabet' books by Evanovich and Grafton, respectively.

I wanted to like this book more. I didn't dislike it, but I was hoping there might be a new spark to the series. It did end in a way that future books could make me enjoy the series the same way I did in its beginning. Let's hope. If you need some 'I don't want to think about what I'm reading' fluff, this is a series for you.

I started Dreams of Joy by Lisa See right after Crunch Time. Night Circus is next for book club so look for reviews of both soon.

What's on your bookshelf? 

You can talk books with me on Pinterest and Goodreads.

*My love for this series is almost fanatical. This was my ninth (maybe tenth) reading of Outlander. When we met to discuss the book, many members didn't enjoy it. My talking about the other books in the series swayed some to keep going. 

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