Giveaway: Fab Fun With Puzzles

It's baaaaaaack and absolutely fabulous.

The Fabulous Fun With Puzzles book started in 1946 when Joseph Leeming created Fun With Puzzles followed by More Fun With Puzzles. Fabulous Fun With Puzzles combines the best puzzles from each edition.
"The challenges are varied, in both content and difficulty. You'll find forgotten classics and original creations, humorous teasers and logical testers, easy ticklers and confounding head-scratchers. And just when you think you've caught on to all the devious angles from which Mr. Leeming's puzzles come at you, a new twist will arise. Prepare to be continually bemused, amused, and amazed."

If you are up for the challenge and ready to concentrate, imagine, use logical thinking and clear correlated thinking, then you are ready to purchase Fabulous Fun With Puzzles... or you are ready to take the LSAT.

I can't begin to explain the number of emotions I went through when trying to figure out these puzzles! I'll try - intimidated, smart, feebleminded, proud, confused, rewarded, frustrated, elated, irked, cocky, clever, and dare I say "puzzled". And that was all with the first puzzle! Just kidding. However, when you get one right, you feel pretty dang brainy. You also want to try it on the first person you see, hoping to stump that person and feel like the genius has sprung within you!

To get a flavor of these ultra-fun teasers, here are a few examples (answers found below).

1. Two mothers and two daughters attended a picnic together. The main courses were hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled chicken - and yet each made a different choice. How could this be?
2. What is the weight of a fish if it weighs ten pounds plus half its weight?
3. Two of the jacks in an ordinary pack of cards are drawn so that one eye is visible. The other two are drawn with two eyes visible on each. Given that, what is the total number of eyes showing on all four jacks?

You will also find a number of conundrums with drawings, cutting out shapes, mixing up letters/words, number puzzles, longer story problems, etc.

What are you waiting for? Strap on your smarts and buy Fabulous Fun With Puzzles for the mind-teaser on your holiday list. That person won't be disappointed in the least!

Answers:

1. It was a threesome - a grandmother, mother, and daughter.

2. The fish weighs 20 pounds.

3. Twelve. Each jack has two heads.

Giveaway Alert!
I have a brand new copy of Fabulous Fun With Puzzles to giveaway to one lucky winner!

What you need to do:
Easy. Simply send an email to emilyallyn and be sure to put Fabulous Fun With Puzzles in the subject. That's it! Never has a contest been so easy.

The giveaway will end Monday, December 15th at 11:59 pm. The winner will be notified by email.

MIL Day + Giveaway

Today is Mothers-in-law Day.
In all honesty I had absolutely no idea this day even existed (sorry Kate), until I came across the book The Daughter-in-law Rules by Sally Shields. Sally wrote this book after her own life experiences of constantly being at odds with her mother-in-law. She decided to take matters into her own hands and "give in" once she "realized the bond between a mother and her son is impenetrable and there was no way in Kalamazoo [she] was going to get him to take sides."

After reading this book, my first reaction was, "Wow, I'm pretty dang lucky. I have a good relationship with my mother-in-law. Of course there are a few things in the book to which I can relate, but man I can't imagine going through life being at odds like this with my mother-in-law." However, I quickly remembered quite a few of my friends and their stories regarding their mothers-in-law. So, I know this book definitely resonates with many, many daughters-in-law out there. And if this is you, keep reading you will enjoy this! Here are a few snippets from the book, The Daughter-in-law Rules.

"By No Means Criticize Your Husband To Your MIL.
Even if you are especially mad at your mate, do not tell your MIL about it. She may not (D’UH!) take your side and you will end up feeling far worse than before. Save your marital gripes for your girlfriends, your own mother, or better yet, your trusty Daughter-in-Law Solutions Worksheet. (Just apply it to your husband!)"

"Tell Your MIL What a Great Job She Did As a Mother.
And truly mean it! After all, you chose to marry her son! This will most likely bring her to tears."

"Send Thank You Notes To Your MIL.
No matter what the gift, make sure you send your MIL a handwritten note to express your appreciation. But just in case she says, 'Whatever you do, DON’T send me Thank You cards! We're family!' a simple phone call will suffice. And be happy that she finally considers you part of the family unit!"

Giveaway Alert!
Would you like a copy of The Daughter-in-law Rules by Sally Shields? All you have to do is email me by Friday, October 31st: reachus@emilyallyn.com. In the subject type DIL Rules. We'll pick 5 winners to receive a free e-book.

Last thought: if today is Mothers-in-law Day, it begs the question, is there a daughters-in-law Day? I Googled it and found nothing. Silly me, of course not. Is there a Kid's Day? Every day is Kid's Day. So maybe every day is Daughters-in-law day. What do you think, Kate?!!? (Kate would be my mother-in-law.)

We've Got Spirit Yes We Do. We've Got Spirit How 'Bout You?

What did I do on vacation, you ask? A number of relaxing and fun things, but one of them included reading a book I've been meaning to read for a while now.

Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child Is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, Energetic by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

Mary Sheedy Kurcinka describes a spirited child as a normal child who is more - more intense, more persistent, more sensitive, and more perceptive. "All children possess these characteristics, " she writes, "but spirited kids possess them with depth and range not available to other children. "

Does this sound like it might be one of your children? If not, scroll down and linger through my other posts. If so, I highly suggest you read Raising Your Spirited Child. If you are not quite sure yet, here are some characteristics Mary gives to each spirited child. She warns that not all spirited kids will bear each characteristic, but the characteristics they do display, they display with rigor.

1. Intensity: Loud, dramatic, shrieking, noisy when they laugh, play, and even walk. Or they can be intensely observant.
2. Persistence: The child "locks in" to an activity or idea.
3. Sensitivity: Responds to the slightest noises, lights, smells, textures or changes in mood.
4. Perceptiveness: They notice everything.
5. Adaptability: Uncomfortable with change, do not like surprises (and we don't mean surprise birthday parties!).

Do you find your days are like roller coasters? Do you use words to describe your "spirited" child like demanding, aggressive, stubborn, loud, manipulative, wild, whiny (well, ok who doesn't call their child whiny!), and argumentative?

See if you can relate to this story.
One minute I am snuggling with my son. We are reading together, giggling, and enjoying each other's company. He then gives me a big kiss, a bear hug, tells me I'm the "bestest" mommy ever, and runs off to the other room to find his older sibling. I am in hog-heaven.
Then out of nowhere you hear shrieks so deafening you think surely only dogs can hear them, but no you hear them quite clearly. You run to the other room to find your oh-so-lovable-one-minute-ago-son screaming, and I mean screaming, and hitting his brother. (The brother has his hands over his ears and is kind of retracting inward because of the noise. The hitting doesn't help either.) You need to know what happened and you start quizzing the older brother who says, "I don't know." You find yourself asking your son to calm down so you can get to the bottom of this, "William, can you please stop crying so we can talk?" He can't even hear me, you think to yourself. You raise your voice, "William, please stop crying. I want to talk to you." Still nothing but incredibly loud crying that is out of control and very annoying. You feel agitated and yell, "WILLIAM, STOP IT NOW. 1, 2, 3..." Now, either the crying escalates back to the shrieks or he stops crying only because he doesn't want to go to his room but he is still breathing like crazy and very angry.

This is just one example; an example that resonates with me, in fact - the shrieks, the uncontrollable crying, the hitting, the "not listening to me", not to mention my atrocious parenting style. After a few minutes of talking, I found out they were wrestling and the older brother hurt William.

This brings me to one of the most enlightening parts for me in Raising Your Spirited Child. Mary addresses this type of behavior. She explains, "Spirited children experience every emotion and sensation deeply and powerfully. Their hearts pound, the adrenaline flows through their bodies. There is actually a physical reaction that occurs more strongly in their bodies than in less intense individuals. They are not loud because they know it irritates people; they are loud because they really feel that much excitement, pain, or whatever the emotion or sensation might be. Their intensity is real. It is their first and most natural reaction. When you know your child is intense, you can expect a strong reaction and develop a plan to help your child express his reaction appropriately or diffuse it."

I can honestly say this was an epiphany for me. I now know this is his temperament. He's not trying to annoy me. He's not shrieking because he is over-the-top dramatic. Intensity is simply a characteristic which he has "more" of than other children. And it is real.

I realize this isn't meant to be an excuse. It is however an explanation, and in other chapters Mary speaks about how to handle the different temperaments. Though this is just one example for one characteristic, the whole book is devoted to sharing many, many examples and discussing ways to handle the temperaments.

Since this one post has become quite lengthy, I will end it here and post again in the near future with part deux. There is so much to say!

If you are chomping at the bit to know more, visit Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's website. She is a wealth of knowledge. Plus, she has written other fascinating books such as Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles (my next read), and Sleepless in America.

Amazing stuff.

Pregnancy Through Preschool

You are pregnant and so incredibly excited to meet this little one growing inside you. In fact, you are positively glowing. You have waited to start creating that baby registry for a long time, so you bounce on down to the nearest baby gear store. You walk into the store and stop dead in your tracks. Feeling a little overwhelmed you automatically start practicing your Lamaze breathing.

"Oh my God" you think to yourself, "Where the hell do I start?" Crib, bassinet, moses basket, co-sleeper ("what's that?" you wonder), portable crib, crib mattress, bumper pad and sheets, glider/rocker, dresser, changing table... and those are just the items on your left in the front half of the store.

You start to walk around in a daze when you spot the stroller section: jogging, double, single, pram, light-weight, umbrella, all-terrain, luxury. "This is ridiculous," you think, "I just want a stroller. I can’t even think about jogging right now."

Wait there’s more. You round the back of the store to find car seats (infant, convertible, booster), seats that vibrate, bouncers, swings, safety gates, play yards, baby carriers, high chairs, booster high chairs, potties ("I think I'm going to hyperventilate. There are ten different potties. Who needs that kind of selection for a gross potty?"), baby monitors, bathtubs, and ("oh geez, there it is, the dreaded milking machine") the breast pumps. "I'm outta here," you say to yourself.

However, in order to get out of the store you must work your way back to the front, walking past all the toys, DVDs, clothing, and diaper bags. As you are now in a full out sprint for the front door, you catch a glimpse of a bright-colored book. You halt in your tracks to look at it. You are out of breath. Let's face it, these days you can't run more than 15 steps without getting winded. So, you pick up the book, The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide. You open to the table of contents and see a list of absolutely everything you just passed in the store.

You skim a few pages in the book. This book is amazing. It discusses all these gizmos in detail, what you should look for, why you need it, why the authors like or dislike it, things to consider, safety issues, and more. You close the book and proclaim out loud "There is a God!" Just then another pregnant woman opens the front door, walks in, and freezes. You see the look of horror on her face and shove a copy of the book in to her hands, "Here, you just won the lottery. Look at this book and then go shopping."

Epilogue: You read and re-read The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide in three days. You took grueling notes, flagged pages, and felt prepared to hit the store again. You knew exactly what you wanted and why. You felt confident in your choices and didn't pick one out of the twelve high-chairs because it was pretty. For the car seat, not only did you understand all the lingo, you knew which one fit your needs best. You also knew the main features you wanted in a stroller, so when you reached the store you narrowed your selection down to four and "test drove" those four to find your fit. You had your baby. You had all the gizmos you needed. And your baby grew up to be the well-adjusted, self-confident, driven daughter you are incredibly proud of... all because you bought The Baby Gizmo Buying Guide. Amazing how that works!

Emily's Note: This book is well worth the $11.55 at Amazon.com. You will finish it feeling like a confident, well-informed consumer. For those of you who like to read editorial comments and reviews on specific brands and products, have no fear. Although they are not found in the book (the book would be outdated before it was published), they are found on the BabyGizmo website. For example, if you want find out their Editor's Pick for Top 5 Strollers, click gear, click strollers, click the type of stroller you are interested in, and the Top 5 are on the right.

The best part: I have 4 copies to give away of this fabulous book! Check back later today or tomorrow for details. I'll give 2 away in April and 2 in May.

Another Three Martinis, Please

She did it again.
And, no, I'm not referring to Britney. That's an insult! Christie Mellor, author of The Three Martini Family Vacation has written another funny book. Once again, I am still chuckling over some of the situations she describes.

Her previous book, The Three Martini Playdate had me rolling on the floor (like Yoga) while providing my abs a nice work out from all the laughing. Have you ever heard of losing weight while reading a book? Bonus! This book is just as good. She has a way of taking everyday situations, revealing the stupidities of some parents, and trying to set them straight with some valid suggestions - all while being quite hilarious because you can picture so much of it in your mind. And you know many of "these" parents!

If you read The Three Martini Playdate, you have an inkling of what is coming in the chapters with titles like these:
Adventures in Babysitting
Your Endlessly Fascinating Child
Your Child-Free Getaway: The Best Lei'd Plans
Christmas Comes But Twice This Year!

Another fun read.

Mommy Yoga

Need a good laugh? Try Mommy Yoga: The 50 Stretches of Motherhood. I have seen this book written up so many times. I needed to get it and see what the buzz was all about. It is definitely worth a few good laughs! If you are a mom, you will enjoy this book. If you are a mom who has experience with yoga, you will laugh yourself silly. Mommy Yoga is chalk full of more than 90 "poses" you routinely perform as a mother. Some are newborn stage, some are toddler stage, some span the entire life of the child. A few of my favorites are:
The Triangle - refers to your child sleeping perpendicular between you and your husband.
Up Dog - when your children arise very early, especially on weekends and holidays
Many-Armed Goddess - self-explanatory!

If you are a mom who doesn't go to yoga class, you will be surprised to know you actually do attend yoga classes, daily.

The Glass Castle

Author: Jeannette Walls.
I just finished reading The Glass Castle. I whipped through it in two days, it was so good!

Currently, Jeannette Walls is a gossip columnist for msnbc.com dishing on other people's lives in her column, The Scoop. However, her memoir bears absolutely no similarity to the people she writes about now. Two quotes on the book's cover depict it's nature perfectly.
1. "Walls has joined the company of writers such Mary Karr and Frank McCourt who have been able to transform their sad memories into fine art." -- People
2. "On the eighth day, when God was handing out whining priviledges, he came upon Jeannette Walls and said, 'For you, an unlimited lifetime supply.' Apparently, Walls declined His kind offer." -- Chicago Tribune

Those quotes give you a good inkling as to what you are in for. She went from living like a gypsy, sleeping in a cardboard box and often going hungry to living on Park Avenue. It truly is a remarkable story. While reading it, many times I found my mouth hanging open and thinking, "I know some people live like this, but it's just so hard to believe."

Her inscription reads, "To John (her husband), for convincing me that everyone who is interesting has a past." I love that!

If you want to read more about Jeannette, I found two a good interview. And another interview. Here's one more from mediabistro - before she published The Glass Castle.
But be warned they do give away some of the story.

I Can Barely Say the Word...

Death.
I don't find it easy to talk about death. Quite honestly, I can cry at the very thought of it. I have no idea why, but it is what it is.

My Uncle passed away two days ago and although I wasn't very close to him, my eyes swell as I type about it. Any time a family member passes it's difficult. I've known him my whole life. Plus, I keep thinking about my dad (his brother), my uncle's children, my uncle's wife, and his parents - my grandparents. I can't imagine anything worse than outliving your own children.

After my father called me with the news, I hung up the phone and started crying. My boys immediately asked me what was wrong. And I told them Uncle Kirk died. The next question was how. I said he had cancer. Being 6 and 4, they of course don't understand cancer. My youngest said, "Does cancer have guns?" My oldest asked, "Will he be with God in heaven? What is heaven, mom?" The questions kept coming and I had absolutely no idea how to answer them. I had no idea how to explain what cancer is to a young child.

So, I got to thinking. I looked on Amazon.com for some books regarding talking to children about death. Below are some books I found. I hope if you are ever in this position, these will be helpful. My wish is that no one is ever in the position to explain death to young kids, but I know that is unrealistic. After all, death is a part of life. Great... now I'm a sobbing fool!

What's Heaven? by Maria Shriver (Author), Sandra Speidel (Illustrator)

Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings - When someone you love has cancer by Ellen McVicker and illustrated by Nanci Hersh (previously reviewed on Emily Allyn)

I Miss You by Pat Thomas (Author), Leslie Harker (Illustrator)

Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children by Doris Stickney (Author)

Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing With Loss by Michaelene Mundy (Author), R. W. Alley (Illustrator)

Reality Book

Even if you don't enjoy reality T.V. (though I would like to know who that is because I bet there is at least one show in the last 5 years you have been hooked on!), you will like this reality book. The Mommy Chronicles by Stephanie Triplett and Sara Ellington is a reality check on motherhood. Stephanie and Sara share their experiences as first-time mothers in a way that sheds light on the true daily events without scaring the bejesus out of you. After all, if you are already pregnant or just had your baby, it's not like you can return him or her, but Stephanie and Sara understand there are days when you might have that feeling! They come from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their mothering ideas and that is what makes this book unique. Each perspective is shared. I wish all moms understood that everyone has their own parenting style. New moms know everyone is giving them advice on how to do things. While, at times, it is needed and appreciated, sometimes people don't know how to give advice without sounding like "You do what? No, no, no. You need to do this..." If you are the advice-giver, my advice to you is to say something more delicate to moms like, "I know this technique isn't for everyone, but what worked for me to get little Johnny to sleep was..." If they are interested, they will ask you questions. OK slight tangent, sorry!

Back to the book. You will find yourself laughing and crying while reading their stories. I also appreciate the talk about postpartum depression. While the stigma has decreased, I think we still have a long way to go before moms can admit it and dads can deal with it (without thinking something is wrong with their wife).

The Mommy Chronicles website has a load of information. Stephanie and Sara also host a radio show every Friday where they find experts and ask questions every mom is wondering. These women are seriously busy because they also do podcasts and a blog.

Here's to taking different perspectives of motherhood and putting it down into fun-to-read stories. Amazon sells the book for only $11.66.

Three-Martini Playdate

Can you hear me laughing? I am still laughing at parts of this book, The Three- Martini Playdate - A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting by Christie Mellor. With chapters like these (just to name a few), you know it will be good:

Bedtime: Is Five-Thirty Too Early?

Child Labor: Not Just for the Third World!

Self-Esteem and Other Overrated Concepts.

Read this book and enjoy some of those deep belly laughs while you picture the scenes depicted through Christie's dead-on parenting tales. Then pass it on to a friend who could use some light humor about raising children... or better yet, a friend who may need to realize she is "one of those mothers" described in some of the hair-raising situations. There may be a few chapters you disagree with, but it's humor people! Laugh out loud and enjoy!

Here is an excerpt from the chapter, Children's Birthday Parties: Not Just for Children!

I encourage celebrating the first year. In fact, I heartily endorse the celebration of all birthdays. But things have gone completely haywire. Although a life-sized Barbie impersonator might be a treat for a few of the daddies, it is probable that your three-year old will not cherish the memory of the garishly bewigged ex-showgirl practicing hackneyed "magic" tricks on the back patio, or a bitter, marginally employed actor in a Batman cape making balloon animals.Why not have an afternoon cocktail party. Sure, invite the kids. It's your child's birthday, after all.