CINDY GETS HER SOAPBOX from JAN 4, 2009

This is the premiere of Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox!

Guests, singer/songwriter, Graham Nash.

and, economist, Richard Cook.

Give this "blast from the past" a listen!

Revealing the Entice book Cover

I am so excited to have been asked by Sourcebooks Fire to take part in this unvealing for Jessica Shrivington second book Entice.

I am super excited because I got to take part in the first one,  Embrace. I read the book and loved it so I can't wait for this to come out very soon.

So lets reveal the cover.

I am so excited that the incredible cover of ENTICE by Jessica Shirvington is here and beyond thrilled to catch a glimpse at what lies ahead for Violet:

“Two tutors and three students from the Grigori training center in New York were arriving in two days and I couldn’t be happier.  I was going to be able to learn from the experts and have people my own age to train with, something I really needed.  I was sure with their help I would be able to get over whatever it was that had been holding me back. 

Griffin had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the two senior Grigori –the intelligence, resources and backup they could provide was much needed.  The Scripture that can decipher the identity of all Grigori, even those who have not yet embraced and are therefore defenseless, was at stake. 

I would not stand by and watch it fall into the hands of exiles.  If they found they key to destroying all Grigori and gained the upper hand, the slaughter would not stop until all the humans knelt before them, worshipping them as gods.”

OK, I have chills now.  Plus, new characters!!  I can’t wait to meet the crew from New York.

Here’s the scoop!

Seventeen-year-old Violet Eden’s is back! With a destiny is to protect humans from the vengeance of exiled angels it becomes clear that it won’t be easy as even her partner, Lincoln, is hiding something.  And now she has to learn to live with her feelings for him while they work together to stay alive and stop the exiles from discovering the key to destroy all Grigori.  It isn’t easy. Especially when the electricity between her and  Phoenix ignites and she discovers his hold over her has become more dangerous than ever.  Violet's power will be pushed to the extreme with a race halfway across the world to find the one artifact that could tilt the balance of power between Angels and Exiles.  And the ultimate betrayal will be exposed.

Check out Jessica’s brand new video blog post where she sits down with a cup of coffee and invites us into her home.  From her favorite chair to her love of befriending characters in a series, Jessica chats with us about her perfect setting for a good read! 

(Doesn't that just look so comfy? I love the X's  & O's on the wall.)
Exciting News!!  Jessica Shirvington will be traveling to the U.S for a two-week national book tour for ENTICE starting September 18.  Keep an eye on www.embracetheseries.com for more details.

If you have read the first one and can't wait for this I have a sneak peek for you. I have been given a special opportunity that will allow you my readers to read the first two chapters. Isn't that exciting?

Entice Sneak Peek Click on This

My Little Angel ♥

Abby turned four months this week and too see how much she has progressed just amazed me. I took pictures of her almost everyday mostly with my camera phone (ohhh....what would I do without my camera phone....lol). I'm certainly not good at taking pictures with my chuncky DSLR camera and am still learning about angles, lightning and stuff. So a camera phone + Instagram is a quick fix to my problem. These were taken when she was 15th weeks. The headband was a gift from a friend and I adorned it with a crocheted flower by Maya Road. 

What's new @ 18th weeks:
- woke up at least three times every night (she used to wake up only once or twice)
- loves to suck her fingers
- she's learning to grab her leg and moved it towards her face.....soon they will reach for her mouth for sure
- she's very active and very loud too
- she gets distracted easily while nursing....often turned her head away and stretched out her body like a small turtle.....lol
- she's starting to recognized us and become much more aware of strangers......her face will turn serious as if she's studying them
- she always look down or at the side when sitting upright

Love this baby to bits! Hubby is coming home soon.....he misses his baby girl so much. Can't wait to see how Abby communicates with her papa :)


xoxo

Loose Button/Luxe Box May Edition

Its that time in the month again when I get to unbox my Loose Button/Luxe Box. For some reason I am finding the time frame between the boxes long. Not sure why that is.

I try to avoid looking at the spoiler's because I always want to be surprised when I open them. So I was super excited when I got my notification saying that the box was shipped and on it ways thankfully Canada Post said that my delivery date was today and it actually came today.

I was hoping it would come this week since I won't be home next week.

When the mailman rang the bell I automatically noticed that bigger box and was super excited because this only means one thing and that is we are getting two boxes this month. *Insert dance of joy here*

As you can see I was right, its two boxes. The top box is the standard monthly Luxe Box and the pearly white one is the special box containing something that is Bath & Body related. Oh I wonder what it could be.

I wasn't sure what to open first so I went with what was on top. I noticed that this months box was super light and honestly that is never a good sign in my opinion.

Sliding the box open I noticed that the May Edition card is still the same and it contains a list of the products in this months box. Along with a postcard from P&G (thank you post card?) and a card with a $20 discount off your purchase at http://pantybypost.com/ .

Panty By Post  is basically a monthly subscription service that you pay for to get a pair of panties each month for a fee of  $18 and up per month. It depends on what you choose. So I guess depending on what you choose you could get a free pair in the first month.

I love that they make this box feel as though it was picked for you.

Once the sticker was lifted and the tissue paper opened this is what I saw. Hmm, interesting.

What did you think of your box?

So the first thing I took out was the Paco Rabanne XS L'Exces for him and her. This is a brand new fragrance. The scent is a woody scent for him and for her its a floral woody oriental.  I have to say its a nice smell and I could possibly see me using it when I want something a little different.

Now I have to say I have some issues with this and the first thing is that they said that the one for him was a bonus item. I think had they put in a large sample I would have said okay yea but the sample was only labelled as 1.2ml and when you take them out of the packaging you can clearly see that this is not a 1.2ml sample. Both bottles were half filled and I know this for a fact because I compared it with my other 1.2 ml samples and they were full.

Full size for him is 50ml for $74 - sample size is 0.6ml (since its only half full) $0.88
Full size for her is 50ml for $78 - sample size is 0.6ml (since its only half full) $0.94

Next was Orlane Absolute skin recovery repairing night cream.  This is suppose to  erase the signs of aging and fatigue. I wish this would have been a bigger size too because honestly I will be lucky if I can get two uses out of this and honestly you need to try it out more before actually buying the product. I have to say with a price tag of $225 for 50ml I won't be buying this anytime soon. Plus the tube isn't filled its about half filled.

Full size is 50ml for $225 and the sample size was roughly 1.75ml  $7.88

This is something that is new to me its the Kerastase Masque Chroma Riche. I liked the smell of it and I could see me using this and there is enough of a sample that I could use this for a while. Plus its meant for my hair time color treated.

Full size is 200ml for $57 and the sample is 30ml for $8.55

One that I am excited about is the Essie nail polish. This is a great summer shade.

Its sort of like a minty green.

It came in the shade Navigate Her. How fitting for my trip next week eh? This is a full size product at 15ml and it sells for $8 + depending on where you buy it. I have seen Essie polishes selling for as much as $10.

So lets add up the box so far shall we:
Essie Nail Polish $8
Kerastase $8.55
Orlane $7.88
Black Xs (both) $1.82

Total: $26.25 + $20 off the pantie by post if I was to use it and honestly not sure.

Yea the box paid for itself but feeling wise, I'm not sure. I mean there is great samples but really why send a sample of perfume if they are half filled and if you want someone to try you skin care products you really need to send more of a sample. I feel as though some of these sample beauty boxes are going back on what they promise to send. I am sorry but these aren't 4-5 deluxe sample sizes.

Please before you complain, I paid for this monthly service and I just think that they should send what they promised.

Now for the bonus box.

Olay Regenerist Wrinkle revolution complex I looked this up online at walmartOlay is that its filled to the max and I will get several uses out of it. One nice thing is that you may have noticed I have gotten quite a few in the last little while so I can actually find out if its something I like and would use.

I went looking online for the Venus and Olay razor and all I could find is one that has this but with a shower hook for $14.99 and when I look at mine I don't have the shower hook so even at that price this is a pretty good item. I love trying new things and this is new so I am looking forward to using this.

So the bonus items $ 19.66

Overall the box did pay for itself. What did you think of your box? Do you agree or disagree with me on my comments? 

(Review) Summer Fit Learning Third to Fourth Grade

I am super excited to have been asked to be a part of the blog tour for another Summer Fit Learning book. We took part in this last year and Michael, my son loved it. So thanks to Media Guest for contacting me about this.

About the book:

Summer Fit Learning’s series of educational bridge workbooks aims to prepare children mentally, physically and socially. Fitness is key to the process.

Research shows that students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than at the end of the school year, and are more likely to gain weight while on break. Many exercise experts believe children today are too sedentary, which is contributing to the excess weight in one-third of children in the United States. This has created a groundswell of interest in implementing a whole body approach to education in general while specifically getting kids more active during the summer.

The SUMMER FIT workbook series aims to create fun learning experiences to help children retain and carry over knowledge from the previous school year. Additionally, by presenting a “whole body” approach with lessons and activities that focus on the body and the brain, Summer Fit helps parents and children capitalize on the mental and social benefits of physical exercise. “Summer should be a time for children to step away from their computers and televisions and exercise their brains and bodies naturally,” says series creator George Starks. “Kids should reconnect with themselves, their families and their friends on a personal level. They should be outside playing, but also brushing up on academic skills from the previous year, or those that they may find more challenging than others. They should also read and apply other classroom skills in enjoyable and entertaining ways.”

As I mentioned above we reviewed for Summer Fit Learning last year. We recieved Second to Third grade. Michael had so much fun doing that book last year because over the course of the summer he was refreshed on what he learned in grade two and he was able to get a sneak peak at would he could learn in grade three.

I didn't tell him until I got this in the mail and he was excited because he had so much fun doing the work last year. He thought at first that it was the same book but quickly noticed that it wasn't the same one and he is already asking when he can start doing this.

This activity book is fantastic for kids because not only does it include academics but also physical acitivites which is key in the summer when we sometimes tend to get a little lazy and have no real structure in our days. One thing I love about it is that it  teaches values.

The activity book is divided up into three sections (mind, body and values) in the daily activities. Which is nice because you can spend roughly 15 - 30 minutes a day letting your child do the work. For me in the summer its nice to have a little recap and prepare yourself for when school starts in the fall.

I know as a parent and thankfully that is due to the fact that I am a stay at home mom, Michael is very involved with library activities and thats because we have a fantastic summer reading program so this motivates Michael to want to read and one of the great things about this book is that there is a reading list which Michael always checks out to see what he would like to read.

One thing about the book is that they make it fun with games etc so it doesn't feel like school work. Another benefit of this book is the website http://summerfitlearning.com/ which provides additional content and since I am Canadian I am able to get additional content.

If you are on facebook be sure to like their page http://www.facebook.com/summerfitlearning where you can get updates, promotions, activities, and fun facts.

Other books that are available are: Kindergarten to First, First to Second, Second to Third, Third to Fourth, and Fourth to Fifth.

Do you have any BEA related posts to share?

I'm not sure if its just me, but for some reason this time around there doesn't seem to be alot of BEA related posts compared to other years. I have also noticed that several bloggers are saying the same thing.

So, what I thought about was making this post and if any bloggers have any BEA posts for this year or past years that you would like to share I would invite you to leave your link.

Thanks for leaving a link if you do and please leave me a comment if you think that this is helpful.

See you at BEA

An Afternoon with Sarah Mlynowski

Today was the day I got to meet a local author (although she currently lives in NYC with her husband, adorable little girl and a baby on the way, would you still consider that a local author? ), Sarah Mlynowski.

If you remember I recently posted that I would be attending this signing & reading. I was super excited to go and was counting the days because before hand I was going to be meeting up with Lucy (that is a post to come).

When we got to Chapters they were still sort of setting up so we walked around and I managed to buy the Manhattan Magic series of Sarah's. I had her other books.

It was a small turn out but nice just the same. Sarah spoke about her newest book Whatever After. She read a section of the book and it sounds super cute. I think this will be a hit with the younger kids. So far this series is only four books with a new one coming out every 6 months.

After she read Whatever After, Sarah took questions from the audience and she answered all kinds of questions from all her books. She mainly talked about her young adult books and I guess you could call the others middle grade books. She spoke briefly on her adult titles.

One thing I loved about the discussion was when she was talking about what was behind Whatever After. When she was little her mom would tell her stories about "Once a upon a time...." and she said that her mother would write it out and she would illustrate it and she actually had two of them with her and they are too cute. She has tons of stuff like that in her apartment in NY and she said whenever she needs inspiration she opens a box.

I have to admit Michael is a big fan of making books and I have kept them all because you never know and honestly after hearing Sarah speak about it now I know I have to keep Michael's.

So as we were sitting waiting for the event to start I had to take this picture of all her books. I was happy to see that Chapter had so many of her books and I was super excited to find out that I was the first person who had the Magic in Manhattan book signed. Its a bind up of the first two books Bras & Broomsticks and  Frogs & French Kisses.

I love the book marks that Sarah was giving out and I actually owned Gimme a Call and Whatever After so I brought them to get signed and ended up buying Magic in Manhattan, Spells & Sleeping Bags and Parties & Potions. Sarah graciously signed a label for me because I have her book Ten things but I think I packed it away so when I unbox it I will put it in.

These are the signed books. I love that she signed one of the books about having fun in Manhattan.

I have included both pics of Sarah and myself cause I like them both. She was gracious enough to pose for numerous pictures with us.

I was also happy to see Laura who is another blogger from Montreal. She came with her two kids who I think enjoyed the event.

I want to thank Sarah for coming to Montreal, especially Pointe Claire (which is so much easier to get to for me considering all that is going on in the city with construction and student protests) and thanks to Scholastic books for arranging this. Also I want to thank Nikole for letting us know Sarah would be coming.
 

Reflections on FreeDUMB by Cindy Sheehan

FreeDUMB

Cindy Sheehan

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”
Jim Morrison

“We perpetuate war by exalting its sacrifices...the least the rest of us can do is resist honoring the institution (Warfare State)”  James Garner in the Americanization of Emily

Memorial Day is a double-gut wrencher for my family and me. Our son, brother (posthumous Uncle) and friend, Casey (who was killed in the illegal and disastrous war on Iraq), was born 33 years ago about one hour and one minute past Memorial Day on May 29^th.

As I have written and said many times before, for most people Memorial weekend is a weekend of parades, cookouts and sleeping in. Our family used to have a big party for Casey’s birthday every year on Memorial weekend—never even suspecting that it would turn out to be such a sad weekend because for those of us who have had loved ones murdered by the Empire, it’s vastly different. No matter how many flags “patriots” display this weekend they can never know the pain.

After Casey’s funeral and the ceremony at the local cemetery, the limousines brought our family back to the church hall where several restaurants and many community members had set a lavish spread and for the first time since my life was shattered, I was starving. However, even though I was on the verge of collapse, I was forced to go into a room with some local veterans to receive my Gold Star from an older woman who had her only two sons killed in Vietnam. I was in shock and received this demented medal as fast as I could, without much reflection, so I could eat sit down and eat.

Not long after that, I received an application to join the Gold Star Mothers of America ®. For some reason, I never returned the application and later, as my understanding of why my son was killed grew, my relief that I never joined the mostly pro-war organization grew and I was involved in founding an opposite organization, Gold Star Families for Peace, at the end of 2004.

In fact, I am a question in the FAQ’s of the Gold Star Mothers of America group:

Is Cindy Sheehan part of your group?

Cindy Sheehan is currently in the news. She and her organization have no connection whatever with American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. We are a 501 C(3) organization and, as such, do not engage in political activities. We do support our troops. After all, they are our children.

Of course, this answer assumes that people who work for peace don’t support the troops. How ironic this meme is when even CiaNN is noticing that 18 veterans commit suicide each and every day—over 6500 per year—more per year than have been killed by the “enemy” in over ten years of the US’s War of Terror. Does “supporting the troops” mean sending them to wars based on lies for profit, then discarding them when they return? Apparently to many reactionaries, this is the case.

This morning, a friend sent me an article about a documentary being made about the organization Gold Star Mothers of America ®, and the subject line was: You (meaning me) won’t be in it. Reading the article, I found that one of the goals of the filmmakers is to “raise awareness about what it means to be a Gold Star Mother and open Americans’ eyes — especially young people — to the sacrifice that has kept them free.”

So, in actuality, the goal of the movie is to promote the Warfare State propaganda that the US military is used to keep us “free” here in the states. I really wish that I could delude myself into believing that I am freer because my son died, but even if I believed that I don’t even know what it means. Even if this ephemeral freedom existed, what kind of “freedom” has to be purchased by another’s death? Patriotic mumbo jumbo jargon is no replacement for a son.

The Gold Star mother who gave me my star over eight years ago, now, has deluded herself for five decades that her sons died in Vietnam for her freedom, but how much energy does that take every day to avoid the truth? It must be nearly as exhausting as confronting the truth, but she doesn’t have to spend any time in jail or camping out in such places as Crawford, Texas—hiding ones head in the sand can be accomplished from the comfort of your own home. 

I, too, want the eyes of young people to be opened, but to the fact that they kill and die for the crimes and lies of the ruling class and their sacrifices cause pain to themselves and so many others for the profit of a few. I want their eyes to be opened before they enlist to the horrors of war and the images of babies being born with deformities and illnesses because of depleted uranium and other toxins the US military spreads around the world with the cancer of imperialism.

I want young people to envision a future of peace and justice that isn’t wrought off of the deaths of millions of innocent people and the destruction of entire countries.

Besides, I can personally vouch for the truth that since my son died, my civil liberties and human rights have been eroded to the point of ridiculousness.

Peaceful protests are relegated to miles away from the people or events that are being opposed—I am sexually and emotionally molested every time I fly—I have been arrested many times for exercising my “freedom” to peaceably assemble or my “freedom” to speech—I have been followed and spied upon—I am being persecuted by the same US Attorney’s office that protects the Bush regime—and President Obama has given himself the right to imprison me (and you) without due process, or even murder me (and you) if he deems it necessary. Exactly what “freedoms” did my son sacrifice his young and valuable life for? We have freedom here in the US all right—the freedom to take our establishment medals and shut the f@*k up if you don’t support the Warfare State. Here in the US of A, we also can be “free” to be as DUMB as we want—just keeping watching that TV box.

People who support and defend the US Warfare State claim to know that my son is “rolling in his grave” because of my activism, but I knew him better than anyone on this planet and I was relieved and validated when I found out that Casey refused and then was forced to go on the mission that ended up killing him. I am so proud of him and the vets who throw their “Man Scout Badges” back at the Warfare State.

As the prophet, Jim Morrison, implied, we are afraid of true freedom and the responsibility that it brings. It’s so much easier to give our power away to the Warfare State and watch our world be eviscerated for its voracious appetite.

However, the best way to honor Casey and the millions who have died, or been slaughtered by the US Warfare State, is to reject the propaganda and work for true and lasting peace and the overthrow of that Warfare State by any non-violent means necessary. Only then will we be truly free.

Going to BEA 2012 (Tips)

Its hard to believe its that time of the year again for Book Expo America. Its happening again in New York City at the Jacob Javitis Center. Running from June 5 to 7th. I am not quite sure yet how many days I will be attending BEA although looking at the schedule with author signings I could be there all three days.

Are you going to BEA this year? Please leave me a comment so I know if you are going or not.

Is this your first time or have you been before? For me this will be my second time going. I went in 2010 and it was a blast. Although I wish I had known then what I know now because it would have been so helpful.

If your a first time goer I thought I would share some info with you and by no means am I an expert its just stuff that I have seen or has happened to me. Please share any tips you have or may want to know.

1) Comfortable shoes. This is going to be repeated over and over but trust me you will do a lot of walking around NYC and Javitis. I had shoes that I thought were comfy but my first day in NYC I ended up getting blisters which meant I had to rush out and buy sneakers. Funny enough it seemed like I could not get my size anywhere.

2) Pack lightly. This is something I did right I packed enough for the week only and one or two extra tops just in case I went out. I admit I have a bad habit of over packing because really you never know what is going to happen, right?

3) Business cards. You will be handing out cards to all kinds of publishers and reps plus a few bloggers perhaps. This year I got new cards made up because of the new look I got last year.

4) Shuttle buses. Every year shuttle bus are provided to BEA attendees. Take advantage of them if you can. Just check where the nearest one is from your hotel. I took them in the morning and they were pretty quick but leaving at the end of the day is another story because you will be in rush hour. Also you should know that there is no shuttle buses running during the day so basically its the morning and afternoon.

5) Getting into BEA. I heard this has been a problem the first year I went. You don't have to push, shove or cut to get in the show floor. Be patient and wait. Some people have been there way before you. I didn't see anything because I was attending an author breakfast when the doors opened but I did hear alot of people complaining about this.

6) Snacks and water. Just a heads up eating at Javitis is expensive. You honestly could buy three water bottles for the price you will pay inside plus lunch was super expensive inside as well. I bought a bottle with me and just refilled it and I made sure I had some snacks to tie me over. If your hotel provides breakfast you can grab an apple or banana. I am guilty of doing that. Plan ahead. I heard that there was a food cart outside selling hotdogs so that could be a cheaper alternative to eating inside.

7) Another alternative to shipping. Suitcases aren't allowed on the floor but you can check it in for a small daily fee (under $5 a day). The section is downstairs. (As you walk in from getting off the shuttle buses) There is always someone there to watch over the suitcases. I didn't have a problem with leaving my books in the suitcase. It helped when my arms were getting sore. The only thing that confused me at first was because I shared a suitcase with my roommate and was confused by the books at first and wondering if I had the right suitcase.

8) Shipping. There is shipping on site to ship your books home (which I think I will be doing this time but it all depends on my budget) or you can walk to the nearest post office and use them. The only thing with shipping is I heard that some people take it upon themselves to raid other peoples boxes. I know this for a fact because it happened to a blog I follow. So anything that is of value keep it with you. I just think for people to do that is just wrong. Its basically stealing in my eyes. So if you want your books to be save and sound I suggest the suitcase on wheels. Just remember there is no suitcases etc on the show room floor.

9) Be polite and professional. I know this is easier said then done but really what you do will reflect on you and all book bloggers. It takes just two seconds to say "Excuse Me" "Sorry" Thank You" you will be surprised at how far those words can go and mean to someone. Just remember your actions are going to be reflected on us as bloggers. Always say thank you to some who hands you a book or swag.

10) Common sense and courtesy. If you are standing in line please don't be saving spots for ten of your friends, other people behind you have been waiting just as long as you or cutting into the line for that same reason. Personally I don't mind one or two but when you text or call them to say the line is moving and the next thing you know 10 additional people are ahead of you. (This has happened to me quite a few times my first year there.) Also if you see one person talking to another (in a line) and one person moves to talk don't get all in there face and yell them out for line jumping that isn't cool especially when they say they have no interest in the book. (I witnessed that and sadly I know the blogger that did that) and once I got home I ended up unfollowing that blog.

11) The displays, booths or other peoples boxes in shipping. This one might get me into trouble but just because your at BEA that doesn't entitle you to just take something from a display or box (either a fellow attendees or in a booth or conference room)without permission. Always ask someone before you take something from a booth. Those boxes are sealed for a reason. As for the shipping area I really think that is wrong for you to go into someone's box and take what ever you want. Its not your box, that person you are stealing from probably went through alot of trouble to get those books. How would it feel if someone did that to you? Pretty crumby right?

12)Keep the flow of traffic going. Don't stop in the middle of the isle to chit chat with friends and start pulling out your books to show what you got. Move to the side if you want to do that. I don't know how many people I bumped into because of that. The isle's aren't that big and you have to remember that there is alot of people walking around with bags full of books.

13) Getting around NYC. The best way to see the city is really to walk but if you can't I have to suggest the subway. Its not as scary as it sounds although I wish the people who worked inside the booths were a little more friendlier and approachable. The subway system can be a little complicated so you should know where you are going. This was the most I ever walked around a city and I enjoyed it. Except when I got lost and no one seemed to know where anything was.

14) Sight seeing. Don't go to NYC just for BEA get out and do some sight seeing. There is so much to see and do. This year I am hoping to get more sight seeing down and as its looking I know Monday and Friday will be those days for me possibly more.

So if your going have fun and remember going to BEA is a privilege, not a right. Don't walk in there with entitlement thinking that you deserve to do whatever you want just because you are a book blogger.

kylie and luke

 

 

(Meme) The Mailbox Post (May21st to 26th)

Can you believe its time for another IMM post? Where is the time going? Its hard to believe that its almost the end of May. Well actually this is the last weekend of May  and its a long weekend for my Us friends. Happy Memorial Day to you.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday is originally hosted by Marcia from A girl and her books and The Printed Page. In the summer of 2010 Marcia decided she needed a change in hosting and didn't want to rely on one blogger alone to do it because its a lot of work so she decided to put Mailbox Monday on tour and so far with great success it has made monthly stops at more then a dozen blogs and this year is booked until the end. I will actually be hosting Mailbox Monday in April.

The host for May is Martha from Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf a blogger that I have been following for the longest time now. Be sure to check her out.

The host for June will be Sassy Brit who blogs over at Alternative Read's .

Quite a few bloggers have started there own mailbox features and one of them is Tynga's Reviews. She is a local blogger and a super sweet person. If you haven't checked out Tynga's blog you really should. (Before you leave a comment about me supporting this please be sure to read official launch )

Here is what I bought and got for review this past week.

This was the second to last scholastic order for this school year so I wanted to take advantage of some sales they had and I ordered:
-Usborne 100 science experiments (thought this would be perfect to do on those rainy summer days)
- Wish & Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen (this was packaged together for $9.99)
- Cloaked in  REd by Vivian Vande Velde
- Phineas and FErb Thrill o Rama
- Big Nate Boredom buster by Lincoln Peirce
- Big Nate Goes for Broke #4 by Lincoln Peirce
- Pokemon Challenge by Tracey West
- Pokemon Black & White three book set with Stickers Sandile in Trouble/Ash's Triple Threat/ Emolga Makes Mischief

And then we went to this little indie bookstore and Michael bought 100 paper airplaces to fly and we nabbed some bookmarks.

Also not pictured as I forgot about them until I was picking up the books to write this post. I went to Costco last week and picked up: Cassandra Clare's City of Lost Souls for $14 hardcover compared to the full price. While I was there I also had to pick up Fifty Shades,book 2 and 3 because of http://parajunkee.com/ read a long. I have been reading her read a long daily posts and when I saw the first book at the book sale I went to,  I had to pick it up and pretty much devoured it within a day and a half and I needed to finish the series and they had them for $9.99 so I thought it was a pretty good deal considering that they are regular $18 in a bookstore. Is anyone else reading them?

Here are the books I got for review:

- Don't Laugh at Giraffe (super cute story that I can't wait to read when I go back to the library in the fall)
- Dark Side of Valor by Alicia Singleton (I am on a blog tour for this)
- One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon just showed up for review from S&S UK (thank you S&S UK)

Then from Thomas Allen & Son I got a lovely package and it contained finished copies of Pilgrims Don't wear Pink and Mister Death's Blue Eyed Girls. Thanks so much Thomas Allen for this surprise package.
Freebies: (not pictured)
- I am part of the Metro & Moi program and I got a $36 gift certificate for the past three months of shopping there. I love getting these because its an added bonus when I grocery shop along with the bonus point coupons.

I hope you had a good week and happy reading. See you next week.