I'm a full-time mummy

I am so thrilled to review this compilation book of informative (and hilarious) letters from 50 precocious toddlers by Jeremy Greenberg called: "Sorry I Peed on You".

I was totally attracted by the cute cover picture. Reminds me of the time Ben did a similar thing...

(Ben sucking his toes at 6 months old)

Author: Jeremy Greenberg
Publisher:  Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 978-1449401856
Paperback: 64 pages
Dimension: 6 X 6 inches

* Scheduled to publish on March 22, 2011

Excerpts from the marketing copy:

"MSN's resident parenting blogger Jeremy Greenberg, who also travels the world performing stand-up comedy, combines cute, informative letters from 50 precocious toddlers with accompanying full-color photographs inside Sorry I Peed on You (and Other Heartwarming Letters to Mommy).

Wouldn't you love to know what your toddler's thinking when he refuses to stop jumping on the couch? Jeremy Greenberg's hilarious and thoughtful letters give parents a glimpse into the minds of their little ones. Finally, we can hear "first person" how a kid really isn't fooled by broccoli buried in cheese, how he'd really appreciate it if he could start going down the slide by himself, or how he'd like to apologize for peeing on you during the two seconds it took for you to reach for a fresh diaper. From Daddy's latest four-letter vocab lessons to the dog's (not the toddler's) repeated milk dribbles on the carpet, this hilarious book answers a question every mother of a toddler wants to know: What in the world are they thinking?! "

Firstly, love love love the cute cover!

Next, as you flipped the pages in the book, you will get to see cute pictures of babies and toddlers, accompanied by their 'letters' to their mummies, explaining why they behave in a certain way.

I love how the author explains in a humorous way why babies and toddlers behave strangely differently. For example, in one of the letters, a toddler explains how the act of tossing the marinara sauce against the wall is actually an act of creative expression and wondered why mummy is not happy at all while daddy seems to be thirsty and 'need a drink' after seeing his masterpiece on the wall! Just super hilarious!

This is just one of many many more hilarious letters from the children to their mummies. You really should watch out for this book when it's out (scheduled 22nd March 2011)

If you are planning to get a book for a new parents, you should consider this book! As for parents like us, when you read the letters and look at the pictures of the babies and toddlers, it will definitely brings a smile and chuckle as you reminisced back to those scary-heart-attack funny days when your own child is acting just like the one you saw in the book.

You can purchase this book from  Amazon.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a galley proof of the book via my association with netGalley as a reviewer in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"

I am so thrilled to be able to review this crafts and hobbies book by Tina Barseghian called: "A Homemade Christmas".

Author: Tina Barseghian
Publisher:  Harlequin
ISBN: 9780373892228
Product Dimensions: 5.13in x 8in
Paperback: 128 pages

"A Homemade Christmas" is chock-full of projects, recipes, tips, and helpful hints that are guaranteed to add a homemade touch to your holiday season. Open this charming volume to any page and discover a wealth of practical and easy-to-accomplish ideas for a homemade holiday:
* create personal, distinctive holiday greetings
* deck the halls with festive, handmade trimmings
* cook simple but memorable homemade dishes
* make unique, handcrafted gifts
* share the joy of the season with friends and family

Packed with inspiration and how-tos for ideas that are family-friendly and eco-conscious, festive and meaningful, A Homemade Christmas will put homemade back into your holidays!

Ever since Ben came along in March 2009, Christmas (oh, and other festivities of course!) just seem so much more meaningful, fun and lively! I actually did some DIY decoration for last year's Christmas and am pretty proud of that. Just look at the pictures below:

My simple DIY decoration using old greeting cards and deco items which I tied with strings of wool to each staircase railings. I got this idea from Martha Stewart's website last year. And this tip was also mentioned in this book.

This is a snapshot of one of the DIY Christmas gifts we made for hubby's clients. We bought the glass jars from Ikea, throw in some candies and chocolates and I tied each glass jars with golden stripped red ribbons, attaching a mini greeting cards as well.

Anyway, back to this review. This book was categorised into 5 chapters:

* Greeting - there's a couple of cool ideas in this chapter such as making a photo card and stitching up your own greetings card which I find creative and worth to try!

* Trimming - I particularly love the tutorials on how to make your own snow globe and the idea on a non traditional way of making a Christmas tree is just too cool! You really got to read this book to find out what it is!

* Cooking - there are some simple recipes given for us to try to make. I'm going to try the shortbread sugar cookies this year hopefully!

* Giving - there are a variety of creative and clever ideas on how to decorate our gifts which I like.

* Celebrating - In this chapter, there are ideas on creating new and continuing the old traditions and also connecting with our community.

I love the simplicity of the book, the instructions and tutorials given are easy to understand though I do prefer if there are more illustrations provided (thanks to Ben, I love books with tons of pictures in it!). The fact that most of the tips given can be easily done at the comfort of our home is just awe-inspiring!

With this book now, I am able to get more ideas for this year's Christmas!

You can purchase this book from Amazon or the eHarlequin store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a galley proof of the book by eHarlequin via my association with netGalley as a reviewer in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"

I have the privilege of reviewing a children's book by Brian T. Yates (illustrated by Tielman Chaney) called "Yalu and the Puppy Room".

Yalu and the Puppy Room is about a golden retriever puppy's experience in trying to find everlasting happiness in having a family to belong to.

This book relates to how our life is in the real world. How we wished to belong to someone and the desire to be acknowledged.

The book brings us through the life of Yalu; her desperate desire to move out of the Puppy Room; how she sees her siblings leave the place one by one and how she also wanted to go home with a human family.

I enjoyed reading where Yalu thought to herself that she needs to stand out from the rest, to be unique and noticed. The plan worked and led to her being brought home by a loving couple.

The story has a happy ending where Yalu goes home, enjoys the comfort of her new family, becomes familiar with the surroundings and new exposures in her life.

The simple illustrations are not too ornate and easy on the eyes. As for storyline, it is pretty simple and easy to read. I would have preferred a more impactful strategy from Yalu in showing off to her new owners that she is different from the rest. What the author does is not bad, though more could have been written on her strategy in order to relate to our everyday life as well.

As this is only the first in the series of Yalu, I can't wait to find out what other adventures Yalu will be in!

Author: Brian T. Yates
Illustrator: Tielman Chaney
Publisher: Mystic Publishers
ISBN-10: 193405142X, ISBN-13: 978-1934051429
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
Hardcover: 60 pages

Brian Yates, the author of the Yalu series, resides in fabulous Las Vegas where he is a member of the Henderson Writers Group. Brian also holds a BA in history from Keene State and a Masters from University of Wisconsin. Watch out for Brian's upcoming titles "Yalu and the Stinky Stink" and "The Adventures of Sheriff Yeager". You can also read more from the YaluThePuppyDog website.

You can purchase this book from Amazon.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a softcopy of the book by the author via my association with BookPleasures in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"