3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires

The Sorceress is the third in the series of fantasy books by author Michael Scott. What first drew my husband's and my attention to this book series is the recently released Alchemyst Game . . . Challenges of the Elder. Being a huge fan of fantasy and science fiction novels, my husband gladly volunteered to review this book.

Picking up where the first two books in the series The Alchemyst and The Magician left off, The Sorceress continues the tale of the good and the evil immortals who exist all around us without our knowledge. The couple Nicholas and Perenelle Fleming seek out the Twins (a.k.a. the Two that are One) in order to prevent the evil immortals from restoring the ways of a darker time when evil prevailed.

What my husband thought about this book:

1) His favorite character was Perenelle. She is the most complex character of the book. Her appeal is that she is perceived to be very powerful, both by the reader and the other characters in the book, but she is a human immortal who shows vulnerability despite her power.

2) My husband's favorite part of the book was the battle at the junk yard fortress. He thought Scott did an excellent job helping the reader visualize the battle.

3) He liked that there were references throughout the story of real life places and events. For example, the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius was explained to have been the result of a heated battle between the two sides of good and evil immortals.

4) He believed the author did well with writing the story so that the reader did not have any conflict about the possibility, no matter how minute, that immortals could actually exist all around us.

5) He found it to be an interesting character trait that the immortals have lived so long that each is knowledgeable about almost every language and dialect in existence. What was even more interesting was that the characters would revert back to the language they feel most comfortable with when they found themselves to be in a stressful situation.

6) Although he found it interesting, my husband thought the idea of famous people in history, such as Joan of Arc, Billy the Kid, and William Shakespeare, actually being immortal was overplayed. He thought maybe the mention of just one or two would have sufficed.

7) My husband thought the author did a good job easing the reader into the story in the beginning. You do not necessarily need to read the previous two books in the series to understand The Sorceress. However, he did think the book ended very abruptly. He felt that a few things should have been resolved even if there was still a cliffhanger at the end.

Overall, my husband enjoyed the book very much. He definitely would like to read Volumes 4 and 5 when they are available. Although he does not need to read the first two volumes, he definitely would not turn down a chance to read them both.


The Sorceress is now available to be ordered on RandomHouse.com . You can also find it locally and online in most places where fiction books are sold.


Thank you to Random House for providing us with a review product free of charge.

"Storyteller"

"Decadence"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

In a time when so many people are committing to giving their young children a chemical-free life, a product like Piggy Paint is most welcome. Created by stay-at-home mom Melanie Hurley, this revolutionary water-based kids nail polish and nail polish remover are both non-toxic and odorless.

Piggy Paint is made of natural ingredients and is free of acetate, acetone, formaldehyde, and other harmful chemicals. Their motto is "natural as mud." The Piggy Paint polish remover is free of the solvents you are normally so concerned about your children inhaling or swallowing.

What I thought about Piggy Paint natural nail polish and natural polish remover:

1) I liked that the polish was quick-drying. That is especially important for wiggly toddler toes.

2) I recommend that you follow the instructions of 2 to 3 coats. Because the blue was so dark, I tried to get away with only one coat and the polish started to chip off my active toddler's toes in just one day.

3) I like that the brushes are not too full. It makes it much easier to paint on tiny toes.

4) With 14 different colors, every little girl is sure to find several that she likes.

5) The remover worked well with removing the Piggy Paint polish. I had a tough time getting the blue off around the cuticle area though. I think that will be true with most dark nail polishes.

6) The Piggy Paint remover also works on regular non-Piggy Paint nail polish. It is slightly weaker than regular nail polish remover, but it is worth a little extra rubbing to have the peace of mind of a non-toxic remover.

7) Finally, I love that the remover is odorless. It took me years before I could get use to the toxic smell of regular nail polish remover. I use to have to turn my head away and hold my breath before I used it on each nail.

Although my husband and I have presented the idea of child sexual abuse to our now 5.5yr old son in the past, we feel that he is just now old enough to truly comprehend what entails abuse. This book "My Body Belongs To Me" was a great tool in helping us explain about abuse. It offered avenues for elaboration on our part as parents and opportunities for questions from our son.

Authored by Bronx Assistant District Attorney Jill Starishevsky, this book drives home the point that a child's body is his or hers alone and nobody has the right to touch it, especially in the private areas. Along with the storybook example of abuse and of what the child should do if such a thing occurs, the illustrations by Sara Muller truly helped to bring across both the ideas and the mood of each page.

What I thought about this book as a parent:

1) Although this book was candid, it was written in a way that it was not frightening to my son.

2) I liked that the book works for both boys and girls. Even the illustrations of the child are ambiguous as far as gender goes.

3) It was helpful to have a list of suggestions at the end about how to begin a dialog with your child using this book.

4) This book allowed me to elaborate on all the different things an abuser might say to convince the child to keep their secret.

5) The book also allowed me to explain that abuse does not have to hurt, but it could just feel uncomfortable or just not right.

What my son thought about this book:

1) The only question he had was regarding where the abuser touched the child in the book. It was not clear to him. I had to explain to him more explicitly and turned back to the second illustration in the book.

2) My son seemed to understand all the other aspects of the book. Aside from my husband and I introducing this topic to him, it has been touched upon by his teachers, children's television programs, and even in online children's games.

3) My son did ask me if the child in the story was a boy or a girl and he finally decided that it was a boy. I think this is a sign that he understood and could somewhat relate to the story.

As far as I am concerned, educating our children about child sexual predators is just as important as teaching them not to talk to strangers, not to take drugs, not to play with matches, and not to run out into the street. "My Body Belongs To Me" helps to give children the courage to stand up for themselves and to be brave in telling someone they trust if anything should ever happen. I recommend this book as a useful tool for any parents of children preschool-aged and older.

You can find more information about "My Body Belongs To Me" on MyBodyBelongsToMe.com where it is available for purchase. This book is due to hit the local and online bookstores in September of 2009.

Thank you to Safety Star Media for providing us with a review product free of charge.

Happy 4th of July to all my readers! I hope you have some fun plans today and the weather is cooperating where you are.

Will you be going to see a fireworks display this year or maybe putting on one of your own? Fireworks are actually illegal in my state unless you have permission to set them off. They use to hold a fireworks display on the roof of one of our local malls, but they stopped doing that 5 years ago. The only way we'll get to see fireworks is to drive into the city. I think we will wait another year for this since neither twin cares for loud noises at all.

For those of you who are celebrating Independence Day without fireworks this year, you can watch a display and set some off yourself online. As part of their Summer Fun campaign, Free Realms is offering its registered members some fun online freebies. All you need to do is visit Seaside, complete a quest, and earn Seaside stickers that you can redeem for virtual fireworks and other summer items.

Remember that this online roll-playing game is free to play. If you are registered by July 12th, 2009, you can login on that day to claim a bonus freebie . . . a set of blue and green sparklers (pictured above) to light up your virtual world at night.

There are lots of other things to look forward to this summer on Free Realms. If you are stuck inside today for one reason or another, why not go online and set off some fireworks? It's fun, free, and safe!

We have one contest to draw the winner for today!

Out of 600 entries, the winner of the Kiss My Face Kids Natural Body Products is . . .

I know I just gave my blog a new look not too long ago, but I have decided to switch to a magazine template. Since I have been blogging 2 or 3 times a day, recent posts were being buried. I hope that this will be an improvement.

I am going to be working directly on this blog rather than a dummy blog. The last time I tried to move a design from my dummy blog onto this one, it didn't go so well. So this time, you will be able to watch the transformation.

Hopefully, the transition will go smoothly. I apologize for any temporary inconvenience this may cause and I thank you in advance for your patience.

Sit down and let me tell you the tale of the 3 showerheads we've gone through in the past year. About 6 months ago, our plastic handheld showerhead, which we've had for about two years, started to spring a leak around the threads where it connected to the shower pipe. It sprayed water all over the ceiling every time we used the shower. So we had throw a hand towel over the leak each time we showered. After about 4 months of that, we picked up another plastic handheld showerhead on sale at a home furnishings store that was going out of business. About a month later, I hopped in the shower, reached up to tilt the showerhead down a bit, and the showerhead broke off right in my hand. It didn't break at a joint, it just broke right in the middle of the handle.

So this brings us to our third showerhead. Since it was late at night when the showerhead broke and we could not run out and buy a replacement, we had no other choice but to reinstall the original showerhead that came with the house. Right away, I knew we were wasting water. So much water was coming out of the shower that it hurt to stand under it no matter how I adjusted the stream. Also, the tub drain suddenly could not keep up with the amount of water that coming out of the showerhead. There was about two inches of water constantly at the bottom of the tub.

That was when I found Evolve eco-friendly showerheads online. Outfitted with solid brass fittings, this showerhead is not likely to snap in half.

What actually attracted me to the Macaw the most is that it, not only saves water, but it also saves hot water with its ShowerStart technology. This showerhead is smart! If it senses the water temperature reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it will slow itself down to a trickle. That way, if you are in the habit of doing other things while your shower warms up, you will not waste water if you do not hop in the second it gets hot. To resume the full flow, you just need to tug on the little cord.

My 5yr old son has loved anything that involves transportation since before he could walk. So he was thrilled when he found out that he would be able to review the recently released DVD The Best of Mighty Machines.

What I thought about this DVD as a parent:

1) I thought the personification of the machines truly made the episodes more enjoyable for my son. Each episode was narrated by a machine and most of the machines introduced had names.

2) This DVD took the best six of the series and put them all onto one disc. The topics included demolition, a trip to the dump, race cars, search and rescue vehicles, trucks, and farm vehicles. I liked that each episode was quite different than the others.

What my son thought about The Best of Mighty Machines DVD:

1) He was mesmerized by every second of every episode. I've never seen him watch or listen so carefully before. (I wish he would pay that much attention when I or my husband are speaking to him.)

2) He often shouted for me to "look at this" and "look at that" while he pointed excitedly.

Needless to say, this DVD is a winner. I think the directors did a wonderful job keeping the episodes visually appealing and the writers did just as well with the narration.

You can find The Best of Mighty Machines DVD and others from this series on NCircle Entertainment, Amazon.com, and many other places where children's DVDs are sold.

Thank you to NCircle Entertainment for providing us with a review product free of charge.

Kolobags has quickly become one of the leaders in online sources of stylish laptop bags. Their selection is so vast, there is something for everyone, whether you are a 20yr old college student, a 45yr old executive, or an anyage mompreneur.

Take a look at this laptop sleeve in my favorite color . . .

Of all the laptop backpacks, I like this one for my cousin who's in grad school . . .



Although Kolobags is known for its laptop bags, they also offer diaper bags, wallets, plus cases for your ipod, phone, and digital camera. For a limited time, you can receive free shipping on orders over $50.


Currently Kolobags is giving away two $20 GCs each month . . . one to a Facebook fan and one to a Twitter follower. So if you haven't already, make sure you become a Kolobags fan on Facebook and a Kolobags follower in Twitter.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites. Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so and under what username. Add to Technorati Favorites

4) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post and to Kolobags.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

5) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

6) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

7) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

8) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

9) Add my "Graco Twin Stroller" giveaway button to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)

Good luck in the drawing!