With childhood obesity becoming a national focus due to First Lady Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, many families are beginning to think about ways to help their children understand the many issues at play with health eating and staying in shape. One of our most powerful assets as parents is to use books aimed that not only educate our kids but due so in a fun and humorous way. For childhood obesity, Fat Tale, by librarian and puppeteer Karen Land, is one of the best.

What sets this book apart from many others on the market is that it is written for kids, it is simple, and it focuses not only on eating but on empowerment. This book has a happy ending and shows kids how easy it is to not only create a problem due to food but turn it around by being honest about the issues that created the weight gain. And, that working as a team with your family is the way to get to that happy ending.

The tale doesn’t use heavy handed tactics or guilt but simple, old-fashioned story telling. The premise is very simple: two kids meet a frog and realize the frog has a fondness for junk food. By helping this cute frog, Gorf, satisfy his habit, the kids, too, get hooked on the sugary treats. Soon, all three of the story’s protagonists find themselves overweight with a number of serious issues. Gorf can’t fit on his lily pad and dive. If he can’t dive, he won’t be able to hibernate for the winter, which is soon, and could die. The kids are finding the can’t fit into their clothes and have no energy at all to do anything athletic like they used to. They all turn to the grownups in their lives and forge a plan to shed the weight and not gain it back.

The ending was the best part of the story for me because there was no promise of a quick fix, just the realization that the path they were all on was not working. While very simplistic in many ways, the book accomplishes so many goals. It clearly shows what happens when you eat and not move. It clearly shows what happens to others if you encourage them to eat unhealthy. And, it shows by contrast what others are doing to help them be in more shape.

The book is billed for preschool through third grade but I’d push it a bit higher. While simplistic for a 4th or 5th grade for kids battling with obesity, sometimes simple is better and this book accomplishes that. Kids in school settings make more and more of their food choices independent of their parents as they progress through the grades. The earlier they learn to balance the pressures of the snacks and treats and eat an overall balanced diet, the healthier they will be. What kids need to learn is it is not the occasional treat that is the problem but the all the time treats. This book demonstrates this nicely by contrasting what the kids were doing with the grownup in their life, Jim, who only has the occasional treat.

Finally, one of the best attributes of the story is it is not preachy and actually puts the onus on the kids for a change. Regardless of who is offering the food, we have to recognize that the bottom line is the kids are the ones make the choices of what to eat and when and that they do have the control. Fat Tale helps show kids that without making them feel lousy about themselves.

All in all,  this book is a great addition to the landscape of nutrition books for kids and parents. This is a short tale with a huge morale, and very timely for the many kids right now who want to get to a healthier place but just don’t know how. This book can truly provide some inspiration to your family, if you are one of the many who are struggling with an overweight child but are just not sure how to begin a difficult conversation.

The book is also very affordable:

$8.20  at Author House   www.authorhouse.com
$12.99 at www.barnesandnoble.com or  www.amazon.com

My Final 2cents:  

Marketed as a game of “totally silly nonsensical fun” can make one wonder if that is really possible with kids of all ages and often stressed out adults. After playing this game with my family, as well as visiting friends and family over the holidays, I can tell you for a fact it is possible!

FlapDoodle is the latest in fun family games fromWiggity Bang Games. The best part of this game is it’s ability to bring families together for the shire purpose of fun. And, more than that, it allows kids, young and old, to let their hair down and just be silly.

The premise is simple: do what’s on the card and move the number of spaces indicated. There are cute characters, too, which the younger kids love. Some cards cause you to stumble and a few cause you to catch up quickly but overall you mostly move forward. And, all the cards have something interesting and fun to do – like sit on your hands until your next turn or lie down and pretend to be a sleeping dog…who is snoring! (until your next turn).

We found ourselves laughing by the middle of the first round and by the end of the game our kids were setting it up for another round. How often does that happen?

The game can be found at many locations including Amazon.com for under $20.00.

My Final 2cents:  

With gas prices soaring, no doubt we’ll all be a bit more home this summer than anticipated. This can be very unfamiliar territory for your girls and figuring what to do with down time not at all a comfortable situation. Thankfully, there’s a great book out to help your girls recapture their imaginations: The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz.

When we were girls, we didn’t need books like this. Our childhoods were filled with free time and time to explore the universe of the outside world and the world inside our minds. Today’s kids are so preprogrammed, figuring out what to do with those unscheduled times can be daunting. They very much need this book to reclaim what we had – and what they need.

There is a lot of data supporting the need for free plan and down time. The fact that we need books to help our kids capture their imaginations  is a testament to where our society has gone from and gone to. Where health is concerned, there is a lot to be said for a book that gives our girls the skills they need to just move their bodies – their entire bodies. We don’t want them to focus on just one part the way youth sports programs do today. We want them to run, jump, climb trees, play hopscotch and all the good things we did as kids. We want them to play jacks and hone those fine motor skills and the thrill of the next game. And, realize it is ok to lose this one and win the next.

There is a lot to be said for a book that gets our girls reading, creating, dreaming and imaging. My 10 year old daughter has honestly not been able to put this book down since it arrived – I can’t recall the last time any book has inspired her that way.

Andi Buchanan, co-author of The Daring Book For Girls, said it best by email when she told me:

“ Our basic philosophy about these things is that we want girls to know that the world is a big place and that they have a place in it; and our “daring girls credo” is probably worth quoting: Enjoy yourself, explore new things, and lead an interesting life.”

My advice for this summer is to avoid preplanning every minute for your girls. Instead, get them this book, pour yourself an ice tea, and just sit near by and watch what unfolds! And, during the school year, use the book to help them refuel their souls after focusing in those long school days….

My Final 2cents:  

Another wonderful book by Dav Pilkey! True to form, Captain Underpants taps into the minds of kids and provides good, solid fun.  The series combines silly characters with adventure and, of course, potty humor.  Perhaps the best feature of  any of the Captain Underpants books is their ability to get our kids reading! Granted, the story line is light. But that is just what early readers need to become competent readers; and, what older readers need to relax and just have fun – no different than beach reading for us.

I found the editorial reviews on Amazon.com right on the mark. Here are some highlights:

From Flunky Pizza Chunks:

“This hilarious book will crack Pilkey fans up with tiny toilets of truth, evil gerbils, and even Cher’s greatest hits.”

From School Library Journal, Sharon McNeil, LA County Office of Education:

“With its bathroom humor, madcap pranks, gross adventures, mini-comic strips, and flip-book pages, this rollicking laugh-out-loud cartoon story is certain to be a hit, especially with reluctant readers.”

My Final 2cents:

I love this series – everything about it! Perfect for young readers to have fun and to entice reluctant readers to read!

Many children are lucky – they live with at least one of their natural parents. But, what if a child can’t live with mom or dad? What if circumstances dictate that a child must be removed from the home to live with relatives, friends or a foster parent? If you are having trouble creating a mental image or even coming up with the words, you need to read “Finding The Right Spot” by Janice Levy. It fills just the right spots of this challenging topic in just the right way for kids and adults.

This book tells a heart-felt, simple story of a little girl separated by her mom and now living with a foster mother, a woman she calls “Aunt Dane”. While “Finding the Right Spot” deals with a foster situation due to drug abuse, it could easily apply to any child separted from parents for any reason because the emotional issues are the same.

“Finding the Right Spot” fills a void in the child health literature for children and adults. The benefits of the book for adults caring for children caring for children separated from their parents are enormous by helping the caregivers see and understand the experience of the child better. And, for the child, they’ll feel less alone knowing their experience is not too different from those of other kids separated from their parents. That peer connection is very powerful for kids.

For me, the best part of “Finding the Right Spot” is to show how the love of a patient caregiver can help a child heal when wounded by the frailty of parents facing insurmountable hurdles in their own lives. If there ever was a calling card for why we need more support for social services, “Finding the Right Spot” is it. It takes a special person to be a “Aunt Dane”. This books gives a voice to those people and the many children they care for, regardless of reason.

My Final 2cents:  

When my youngest daughter was 9 and solidly a tween, I noticed very quickly her interests changed overnight to included everything from fashion concerns to friendship angst, and even boys with noticeable hormones churning at every corner. Like most 4th graders, her teacher gave out the Scholastic Book order form each month. One particular month, my daughter asked for this Girl’s Club thing – sounded innocent enough. I figured we’d get the first round then cancel.

Here’s what Scholastic says about the club:

From fashion tips…to makeup suggestions…to expert advice on parents, dating and more, the GIRLS’ LIFE CLUB encourages young women to be smart, well-informed, down with latest trends and up on today’s growing-up issues.

Through timely and exciting articles in Girls Life Magazine and insightful books that keep relationships strong, the GIRLS’ ONLY CLUB can help your daughter gain the self-confidence she needs to make good friends…and good choices.

As you can tell, I didn’t have high expectations. I figured it would be a one shot deal – we’d get the introductory pack and call it a day. Well, to my surprise, this is a solid and very age-appropriate “club”.  The books and magazine have been insighful and age-appropriate.And, it has kept a very social child reading! The topics have also been great conversation starters around the dinner table on friends, girl stuff, school issues.Worth a few more months at least!

How can you get it? You can order it from Scholastic at school or At Home.

The downside: it is a monthly thing – that can get annoying and costly.

The upside: great information, age appropriate, family bonding. Easy to cancel should up decide to opt out after a month or more.

My Final 2cents:

– just keep in mind it is a subscription thing!

Do you ever wonder what to do with your kids of different ages? Lisa Hanson and Heather Kempskie, twin sisters, did. As their families grew from one child to two they wondered actively how they would be able to engage their older kids as well as their younger kids – at the same time!! Could it be done??

They started with a few activities and figured out how to modify those activities for the younger child and found it was, indeed, possible, to spend time with kids of different ages at the same time with the same activity. They shared their success with friends and family and over time their list of activities grew into a big enough collection to become this book.

The Siblings’ Busy Book contactions 200 activities for infants to school age.  The book is divided into how parents and kids think with the 11 chapters categorized into common themes such as “Rainy Day  Fun, Let’s Pretend, Music & Movement, Outdoor Adventures, Out & About, Learning & Exploring, Team Family, World Family, Arts & Crafts, In The Kitchen, Seasons & Holidays”.

Team Family includes activities to help your family stay connected with family tree making and meal time conversation starters. One of the best activities is “Questions in the Jar”. What’s cool about this activitity is the questions can be anything that creates conversation at the meal table but allows family members to learn something about each other. Parents may not realize their child’s favorite color, vacation spot or dream job unless they ask!

In World Family, one of the activities involves charity and talks about ways to help young kids learn about giving back. Other activities in this section involve just learning about the world – the world of nature as well as other cultures.

This is really a something for everyone book and will empower you to really get to you know your kids.  You may be wondering, are the authors “experts”? They are – they are parents! That’s the only expertise you need to spend time with your kids and create fun.

The book is not a “parenting” book and some people may find that a pitfall. We all know that sibling time isn’t always peachy and activities don’t always go as planned. So, you won’t find a troubleshooting guide in this book on issues like what to do when kids have had enough, or when you have had enough. You won’t find times on letting kids make a mess or reminders that if a child takes an activity in a new direction, that’s A-OK. I’m assuming the authors have faith that all of us can figure that parenting stuff out for ourselves! Plus, as I mentioned, this is an activity book, not a parenting book. If you need a book on dealing with your child’s behavior during an activity, you need a different book!

The Siblings’ Busy Book is a creative guide for how to spend time with your growing family. As a resourceful parent, you’ll have to figure the rest out yourself. That’s what the ride of parenting is all about…and, honestly, where the magic often beings when we spend time with our kids. This is a great addition to the current activity books on the market – and also the perfect size for a diaper bag, purse or even a bag for a family trip!!

My Final 2cents:  

Last Sunday I watched a review copy of CBS’s The Good Wife, which will premier on Tuesday September 22 at 10pm ET. I again watched the preview pilot with my husband and almost 15 year old daughter and we were complete riveted!

The show stars Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth and is based on the many very public scenes we’ve seen in recent times of politicians being caught with extra-marital affairs with their wives  being shown standing next to them as they give their resignation speeches. During those very public moments, the question on everyone’s mind is always “how does she does she do it…stand by him like that?” What we never is is the after math, the putting of her life back together. This show displays one woman’s story after her husband is accused of all sorts of indiscretions and sent to jail.

I don’t want to ruin the pilot for you but it’s worth watching. It’s clear from the pilot that this will be one complicated show. On the one hand, we’ll have a show about the true inner strength of a woman (Margulies) as she comes to terms with the after math of her politician husband’s (Noth) poor choices and time in prison. On the other, we’ll have a show about how complicated it is to be a woman at a certain phase of life re-entering the work place and trying to re-establish her identity as separate from her husband and children. Even in the pilot, we have glimpses of how being married to the guy everyone hates can be a blessing and curse. We also have a clear sign of her conflict of heart.

My husband, daughter and I didn’t speak during the entire pilot. We found it one of the more compelling shows we’ve seen in a long, long while. I can guarantee this will be one we add to TIVO and sit on the couch again to see what happens next.

One word of caution. This show has very mature content and is not for tweens or young teens. This is a TV-14 show for sure so keep that in mind if you have kids around while watching it.

Here’s the official preview so you can have a taste of the show.

Disclosure

I was sent this pilot by CBS facilitated by Role Mommy. I have no financial affiliation with CBS of the show and have not been paid anything by CBS or Role Mommy for this review.

My goal is to help you make the most of your TV time with your family and to help you find shows that are good for you and/or your kids. All shows I review, I review with that in mind and the only “gain” I get from my reviews is the knowledge that the information in my reviews may help you make a better informed decision about how to spend your family TV time.

I was sent a review copy of the CBS comedy Accidentally on Purpose starring Jenna Elfman, which will debut on September 21, on CBS at 8:30pm ET. So, last Sunday I sat down with my husband and almost 15 year old daughter and tossed it in the DVD.

The premise of the shows revolves around a 37 year old single woman (Elfman) who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger man. Instead of becoming a cad, the younger stud steps up to become supportive and she ends up inviting him to move in as “friends”.

I usually like comedies of women coming of age. They help women get a sense of themselves and sort out the often complex issues raised in the work place, the dating world and as mom. Given the cast, I had high hopes. I could tell early on, Accidentally On Purpose wouldn’t be one of those shows.

The cast has some strong and recognizable players but the banter felt forced and the scenes very cliché. Moreover, the show’s premise actually devalues the progress women have made to break down stereotypes of women in the work place as well as the over-sexualization of women that women have worked so hard to battle on so many levels in society. Any show these days that makes light of drunken revelry that results in an unwanted pregnancy I just can’t condone, not when we have an epidemic of teen pregnancies and Hollywood celebrities having babies out of wedlock. These are not the images of women we want our young girls and young women to aspire to and not the images of women we want our young men to think are the norm.

I asked my husband and teenage daughter if they wanted to give this show another shot and they gave a quick “no”. So,
Accidentally on Purpose struck out with my family. Given all the truly funny material on TV, your time will be better spent elsewhere…or just reading.

In case you’re interested, here’s the preview:

Disclosure:

I was sent this pilot by CBS facilitated by Role Mommy. I have no financial affiliation with CBS of the show and have not been paid anything by CBS or Role Mommy for this review.

My goal is to help you make the most of your TV time with your family and to help you find shows that are good for you and/or your kids. All shows I review, I review with that in mind and the only “gain” I get from my reviews is the knowledge that the information in my reviews may help you make a better informed decision about how to spend your family TV time.