When my blog suffers, it's either because A) I'm so busy I'm overwhelmed, B) I'm on a break or C) I've been lucky enough to find some really good books. Last week's hiatus was due to B and C. I've read one good and two great books recently.

The Good: What She Wants by Cathy Kelly

I've read several of Kelly's books. I've enjoyed them all and this one was no exception. All her stories are about Ireland, family and relationships. This one came at a weird time because one of the characters is 'the other woman' and some people in my life are going through this. It was hard not to read the book from a place of anger and think of Izzie as 'that stupid, cheating beyotch.' Overall, I liked the book. Kelly's stories are always easy reads.

The Great: Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

I have said before that Joshilyn Jackson is at the top of my Authors I Will Always Read list. I need to read her books with a highlighter because some of her sentences blow me away. Knowing that I was going to tell you about the book, you'd think I'd do exactly that. But I didn't so you'll have to take my word for it. I love the plot of this book and all the characters.

The main character, Rose, made an appearance in an earlier work, so of course I want to go back and read Gods in Alabama again with a fresh perspective on the character. I need to see a therapist to figure out why I have such a fascination with books set in the south. Maybe I need to go to the south. It must be some kind of sign. If you haven't read anything by Jackson, these two titles are a good place to start. I stayed up until the wee hours finishing Backyard Saints.

Entertainment Weekly is one of my favorite magazines. I was at the library and A Discovery of Witches was in the 'new' section. I remembered reading a great review in EW so I picked it up. LOVE. It has witches, vampires and demons but it's nothing like the Sookie Stackhouse books. For starters, this book is 500+ pages. It reads more like historical fiction or historical romance. I like the explanations of how demons, vampires and witches came to be in this book better than the Stackhouse books. It's not entirely fair to compare them, but I can't think of any other books recent books with witches and vampires. To say the ending is a cliffhanger is a bit of an understatement. I'm really happy it's part of a trilogy. I think I spent most of a Saturday reading this.

I'm always looking for suggestions, especially now that I'm enjoying digital books. What book kept you up all night recently?

Future Politician?!

This is one of my cliche Mommy Blogger posts where I brag about my kid. Tyler decided to run for Student Council again this year. I didn't think he would after how disappointed he was to lose by one vote last year. We helped him put together his bullet points and then he wrote the speech. He practiced for us and it was so cute! He gave me permission to post it here. 


Hello-
My name it Tyler. I've been a student here since kindergarten. I think I should be on Student Council for know that I can give the school good ideas such as:
Menu suggestions for the cafeteria like the Mexican Lasagne my mom makes, the Tony Hawk skate boarding program for PE and once a month Movie Night Mondays!! (double exclamations are his)


Our school is great but I know it can be better. I should be on Student Council because I play hockey so I am responsible and a team player. Thank you for your time and listening and please vote for Tyler. 


Adorable! He lost by two votes this time but he's OK about it and I'm just happy he had the confidence to try again. He's really coming into his own and it's wonderful to see. 

Retail Birthday Discounts Save You Big! | Fashionably Frugal Friday

I couldn't decide if today's post fell under Frugal or Fashion so I decided it's both. I wanted to remind you all to take advantage of your favorite retail stores' Birthday Club promotions. Programs like that are one of the main reasons I have a 'junk' email address. I love a free dessert just as much as the next person, but I'd much rather have a gift card or discount to one of my favorite stores. Case in point: Loehmann's Insider Club. 

I went shopping before BlogHer looking for tops and pants (OK, shoes too). The only downside to weight loss is not having 'professional' clothes that fit. My old work wardrobe is too big (I know, tiny violins) but I don't need office friendly wear often enough to justify replacing it. So, I figured a trip to Loehmann's was in order. They have fantastic sales, and occasionally mark things down even more with special color tag clearance sales. 

The day I went in, the Shopping Gods must have known I needed help. The store was having a Yellow Tag clearance where every yellow price sticker was an additional 40% or 50% off. Yes, Loehmann's is a store where you need to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and dig. But for savings like that, I say it's totally worth the time and effort. 

It wasn't until I'd picked out my items and was ready to check out that I remembered my birthday discount. Loehmann's gives their Insider Club members15% off in addition to regular sale prices. Because of my extra savings, I went back to the shoe department and grabbed a pair I'd put back thinking I only had room in my budget for one. Please say hello to the newest additions in my collection.

Both are by Steve Madden, who I love. Between the store sale and my birthday discount, I paid $48.06. That's total, not each. I also bought three tops, one if which was not part of the color tag clearance. Still, my total for all five items was $99.68! Considering the blue shoes alone are sale priced at $90 right now on Steve Madden's site, I think I did pretty well. 

Taking advantage of special offers like birthday and 'insider' discounts is a great way to save big, especially on designer items. Loehmann's is one of my go to places to look for the overpriced jeans I love so much.

Aveda, DSW, Sephora and World Market have good birthday reward programs. What's your favorite store reward? Do you know of any other retail stores who offer great birthday discounts?

Age Appropriate Books | More on Raising a Reader

This post is sponsored by Buddig's Sandwich and a Story Sweepstakes.

I can't remember who I was chatting with on Facebook but the subject was books we read as kids that were totally inappropriate for our age, and someone mentioned Flowers in the Attic. I can't remember exactly how old I was when I read it, but I was definitely new to double digits. How I went from reading Sweet Valley High to that series I'm not sure but those books definitely aren't for younger eyes.

While Tyler is definitely not reading anything near that inappropriate, he has been reading books above his grade level which present some challenges. He started reading a new series, Pendragon by DJ MacHale. He loves it. He says it's one of the best series of books he's ever read. I didn't think I needed to check out the series to make sure it was OK for his age, but I guess I should have. Last night he told me again how much he likes the books but, "they sure do say the H and A words alot."

Oops.

I mentioned it to Phil and he said it's part of the hazards of having a kid who reads so much (and isn't content with short stories anymore). Eventually, they're going to start coming across things with older themes. I'm not sure why Young Adult authors feel the need to use swear words in their books in the first place. Maybe I'm just getting old.

The language in the books presented a good opportunity for Tyler and I to have a conversation about things he's allowed to do and say versus what we consider 'grown up' language and behaviors. We told him we didn't mind him continuing to read books with the occasional bad word as long as he's not repeating them. This has also been a good lesson for me to investigate the books he's interested in a little before I let him read them. When we want to know if a movie is OK for Tyler to watch, we go to IMDB. I was looking for a similar service for books but couldn't find one.

I can only imagine we'll run into this type of situation again, especially since Tyler favors the Sci Fi/Fantasy genre. Tell me, how do handle this in your home? 

******

This post is sponsored by Buddig and their Be A Reader sweepstakes. Buddig is nourishing children’s minds as a proud supporter of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and the national Be A Reader campaign. During the yearlong Be A Reader campaign, parents and their children are encouraged to create their own reading and literacy experiences wherever they may be. As a proud supporter of RIF, Buddig will provide a minimum of $100,000 through May 30, 2012 to help children across the nation discover the joy of reading.

How to Enter: To enter the sweepstakes look for specially marked packages of Buddig lunchmeats and go to Buddig.com/SandwichAndAStory. Enter your code and complete the entry form to enter the sweepstakes. 

Eligibility: The Buddig Make A Sandwich And A Story sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Timing: Sweepstakes begins on Aug. 15, 2011 at 12:00:01 a.m. Central Time (CT) and ends on Oct. 30, 2011 at 11:59:59 p.m. (CT). 

Prizes: 

*Five Grand Prize winners will receive a Scholastic book library plus a Buddig backpack filled with school supplies (ARV $200). 

*400 First Prize winners will receive a Buddig backpack (ARV $13.00). 

*118 winners each week beginning on Aug. 22 will receive a free Scholastic book (ARV $10.00).  Limit: 5 entries per person/email address per day. 

Beware the Coupon Thieves

Mean people suck. I've been reading more posts and articles about coupons being stolen from newspapers. Most everyone is blaming TLC's Extreme Couponing. I can definitely see how the show may have pushed people in that direction. The show makes couponing look a little more effortless than it is and some of the deals people have gotten are questionable at best. 

I've had coupons missing from my paper and the mail inserts, and I've also bought packaging that was supposed to have a coupon attached and it didn't, but didn't think much of it. After my experience at Target a few days ago, I'm going to be a bit more thorough before I buy something that advertises coupons are included.

I had another toothbrush in my cart when I spotted this one on an endcap. They were priced the same, but the included coupons and the Crest Whitestrip (which Phil uses) moved me to make the switch. Of course when I got home and started putting the groceries away I saw the packaging had been opened and both the coupons and strip were missing. Buying this particular toothbrush was a double win because of the sample and the possibility of the coupons. It felt like I'd be making money on the deal. Someone literally took money out of my pocket.

Still, I'm not too bent about it. Obviously someone needed them more than I did, but the rule follower in me can't picture myself ever standing in a store opening something that someone else is going to buy and taking things out.

There are plenty of ways to get coupons without snatching them. I print them, get them directly from companies, buy my own newspaper, ask my neighbors for them and buy really high value ones from clipping services. I want to save money just as much as the next person but I'm going to be ethical in how I do it.

Have you had any experiences with coupon thievery?

Keeping my iPad Protected on the Go | Things iLove Thursday

My friend Jill from The Diaper Diaries hosts a meme called Things I Love Thursday. I've been wanting to participate and thought now would be a good time to jump in. I'm pretty late to the iRevolution. Before my dad bought me my iPad I felt like everyone and their mother (grandmother!) had more technology than I did. Heck, my mom got a smartphone before me.

I know it's silly to feel that way because lots of people are in the same boat I was. Now that I'm on board I'm having a great time catching up on all the apps, gadgets, gear and other things everyone else already knew of; as well as keeping an eye out for new stuff. So, this series is for everyone who has either just bought a smartphone and/or tablet or is thinking of getting one. 

For my first post in the meme, I thought I'd start with the basics: the cases for my iPad. When I got it, I wasn't sure what kind of case I wanted. I knew I'd need something for everyday use but wanted a supplemental case for travel (OK, also because I'm super over protective). It took me awhile to find what I wanted and every night I'd put it back in the box it came in rather than leave it lying around. My requirements for an everyday case were protection without bulk, convertible into a stand and pretty color. A little bit of Googling led me to the Slim Line case from HandHeld Items and a 10" netbook case from Built.

The Slim Line is thin but doesn't feel flimsy. The inside cover is sueded so it doesn't slide when using it as a stand. It fits well in the outside pocket of the purse I'm using for summer. I don't really like having it in the outer pocket so I'm on the hunt for a fall bag I can carry it inside of.

I became more familiar with Built when I went to the International Housewares Show a few years ago. They had a great display. We've bought several things by them since (laptop sleeve, bottle carrier and a lunch tote). Their items are sturdy and great for travel. The Slim Line case slides in and out really easily and there's no gap around the zipper so the iPad isn't sliding around.

I feel good now about taking the iPad out and about with me. That was the whole point of getting it. Leaving it at home in its box wasn't doing me much good. It's been a great alternative to carrying my laptop around in my backpack.

Future posts in the series will be more about apps and things I use the iPad and iPhone for. I'd love to answer questions from those of you on the fence about getting one of your own. 

*If you want to see other things people are loving this Thursday or contribute your own post, Jill has a linky on her site. This is not a sponsored post.

Fourth Grade | Word{ful} Wednesday

Hey Kiddo-

I know you said you're not looking forward to being back at school, but I have a feeling it's going to be a great year. You have grown so much, both in height and maturity. I look at you and see the beginnings of a fine young man. Do your best this year. That's all we ask. You're such a smart kid, you just don't know it yet. But when that happens? It's going to be amazing to see what you will do. Your dad and I are so proud of you. 

Love you!

Mom