Imom.com

This is a GREAT new find! At www.imom.com, there is a free section for "movies and music" that categorizes current music and movies so that parents can know exactly what the content is and whether it is appropriate for your family. Love it! (There are also free Easter printables on there right now.)

Free stuff

Somehow, I have two copies of "The Easter Story" so if anyone wants one...it's the perfect season to read it. Also, I have "70 Favorite Children's Songs" by Janice Kapp Perry on CD we don't use. If anyone wants these, let me know!

Toddler Playgroup Update

Hi Ladies,
Here's who I have interested in a toddler playgroup and when they're most available...

Alissa Packer   Tues/Thur. afternoon
Robin Towle   anytime during summer
Ammie Gillespie  Monday morning, Thursday
Kristen Canales   mornings
Renee Foster  Fridays
Melissa Clark  ?
Mary Smith   mornings (9:30)
me (Monica Pack)  Mon/Wed/Fri

Unfortunately, it looks like getting one day that works for everyone will be tough. Any ideas?

100 Greatest Books for Kids

Saw this interesting list for the 100 "Greatest Books for Kids," ranked by Scholastic Parent & Child magazine. Don't know if I'd agree with all of them but here they are...

(What are your kids' favorites? As we all know, they're the true critics.)

 

1. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

2. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

4. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jacks Keats

5. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

7. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

9. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

10. Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel

11. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

12. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

13. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

14. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

15. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

16. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

17. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

18. When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan

19. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

20. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

21. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

22. Corduroy by Don Freeman

23. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

24. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

25. The Giver by Lois Lowry

26. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

27. Black on White by Tana Hoban

28. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

29. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

30. My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco

31. The Mitten by Jan Brett

32. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

33. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

34. Swimmy by Leo Lionni

35. Freight Train by Donald Crews

36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

37. The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don & Audrey Wood

38. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

39. Zen Shorts by John J. Muth

40. Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton

41. Matilda by Roald Dahl

42. What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

43. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

44. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

45. The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta

46. Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

47. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

48. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

49. Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport

50. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

51. Sylvia Long's Mother Goose by Sylvia Long

52. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

53. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

54. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges

55. Smile! by Roberta Grobel Intrater

56. Living Sunlight by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

57. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

58. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull

59. Dear Juno by Soyung Pak

60. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes… by Annie Kubler

61. The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

62. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

63. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

64. My Truck Is Stuck! by Kevin Lewis

65. Birds by Kevin Henkes

66. The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

67. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

68. Counting Kisses: A Kiss & Read Book by Karen Katz

69. The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks by Joanna Cole

70. Blackout by John Rocco

71. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

72. Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

73. Tea With Milk by Allen Say

74. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

75. Holes by Louis Sachar

76. Peek-a Who? by Nina Laden

77. Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

78. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

79. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

80. What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page

81. Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

82. Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows

83. Yoko by Rosemary Wells

84. No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli

85. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

86. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

87. Rules by Cynthia Lord

88. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard

89. An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston

90. Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault

91. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

92. What Shall We Do With the Boo Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell

93. We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow

94. I Took the Moon for a Walk by Carolyn Curtis

95. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

96. Gossie by Olivier Dunrea

97. The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

98. First Words by Roger Priddy

99. Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

100. Animalia by Graeme Base

Love and Logic

Anyone who knows me knows I love using LOVE AND LOGIC. At our house, the techniques have totally worked--especially when it come to dealing with toddler tantrums and giving effective consequences for negative behavior without getting too stressed as a parent. If you struggle with this like I do, I'd definitely recommend it. (loveandlogic.com) Their classes usually cost, but they have free articles and videos you can find on their website.

In the meantime, here are a few good reads I like about how to help little kids clean up their toys (a current struggle).

http://www.themomcrowd.com/how-to-get-your-preschoolers-to-pick-up-their-toys

http://www.ldsliving.com/story/5750-the-gobble-bag

Childcare List

Here's a list of local young women who would be THRILLED to watch your kids if you need a sitter. Date nights, here we come!

Aubrey Rosvall               385-312-6275
Linzey Daugherty           801-513-0912
Jessica Larson                 208-316-6169
Bailee Willits                  801-889-6584
Britta Watts                     801-946-6286
Deborah Richardson        801-692-1442
Clara Richardson             801-692-1442
Addie Spencer                 801-822-3699
Anna Rhoton                   801-420-8355
Hanna Emery                  801-505-3190
Courtney Evans               801-673-0379
Tahlia Erickson               801-372-6486
Emily Jarman                  801-691-4256
Bryn Miller                     801-756-6654