Vlog Review: Mouse Scouts: Camp Out by Sarah Dillard (Book 3)

Look out Macy Kate has earned another badge! Watch her review of Sarah Dillard's latest Mouse Scout! 

Book Summary:   

Badges are better when you earn them together! The Mouse Scouts are ready to earn a new badge . . . but can they make it in the wild without their fearless leader?

The Scouts are hitting the nature trail to earn their “Camp Out” badge. But not all of the troopers are gung-ho about sleeping beneath the stars. Violet can’t bear the thought of leaving her comfy bed behind, while everything about the great outdoors seems to make Junebug sneeze.

But when Miss Poppy goes missing, can the Scouts work together to track down their troop leader?

Brimming with lively black-and-white illustrations—including pages from the official Mouse Scout Handbook—these darling stories about the smallest Scouts with the biggest hearts are just right for fans of Ivy and Bean.

This series is one of Macy Kate's favorites. She enjoys the strong characters, good values, friendships and of course the fact that these are cute little mice. See her review of books 1 & 2 HERE.

Book Review: When You're Feeling Sick by Coy Bowles

Summary:
This laugh-out-loud picture book from Coy Bowles, guitarist for the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown Band, will have sick kids feeling better in no time!

Sneezing? Coughing? Taking a sick day? Don t worry, you ll be feeling better soon thanks to this hilarious picture book from Coy Bowles, guitarist of the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown Band. Full of encouraging and super-silly rhyming advice on how to face sick days with courage and a positive attitude, When You re Feeling Sick is just what the doctor ordered! Comes with a sheet of stickers to bring a smile to every sick kid s face.





Release Date: January 2017
Age Group: Children's
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Reviewed By: Nat & The Boys

Review:
This book couldn't have come at a more perfect time of the year, flu season! Sickness of varying viruses are hitting homes across the country with loads of Kleenex, Sprite and chicken noodle soup being the staple at dinnertime.

The Sickness Song

When You're Feeling Sick is a really cute rhyming text, picture book with bright and bold images. At times the actual text made me think of a good 'ol country boy reading this book to his sick kid with words & phrases like "cuz" and "oh man". Throughout the book it identifies the feelings and emotions we have when we just feel bad and makes light of it with silly faces and sick day protocols. Come to think of it, this might be ideal to read to husbands too... YOU WILL LIVE GUYS.

Something unique and cool about this book is the fact that Coy sings The Sickness Song and it can be downloaded for free. {Click on the Sick Bug to listen & download}

This is one that I recommend as a gift. It is the ideal book to give as a Get Well gesture accompanied by a can of chicken noodle soup & lots of hugs {and maybe a bottle of GermX}.

Teacher Note:

• ideal target audience: pre-K to Kindergarten age children
• easy introduction to sickness & signs/symptoms
• identify caregivers and their role in children's care (i.e. doctors, nurses)
• sick day protocol 
• ideal to incorporate music into learning environment
• I created a lesson plan and you can view it HERE and use it!

Side Note: When I am creating a lesson for a younger audience it is rare that I find a song to add-in. For instance, when I teach the food label I add a food label rap song, sounds super corny but it gets their attention. When Bobby Bones came out with The Planet Song I called my mom and told her I had the perfect song for learning the planets {My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas}. Teaching with music is awesome and can really set the mood. Sorry... my inner teacher came out.

2017 The Land of OZ

It looks like 2017 will be a really weird year. I feel like America has turned into the Land of OZ. Some people are in Lollipop Land and others have turned into Flying Monkeys.

ISRBR will remain Switzerland, a safe zone, refuge from the storm, Your happy place", La La Land.  Really whatever you need to coin it, that's here.

I really don't care if you hate Trump, I really don't care if you love Trump. The way to open peoples minds is through kindness. They will always remember how you made them feel and frankly, people have been stealing my joy. There is no room for hate here. Period. Remember what Fairy Godmother said,

Let's enjoy the next great adventure, always stay passionate & be the good you want to see in the world. #FIGHTTHEGOODFIGHT

Movie Review: Monster Trucks

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a monster truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town with a most unlikely friend.

I'll admit it right now, my expectations were low. It was one of those parent moments where you think "I'm taking one for the team today". The pickings were slim for a good family film and I just went for it.

I loaded my car with the mob and hit the theater recliners with a tornado of children. 

This film is so underrated and is one of the best family films! Let me explain.

Is it one of the best climactic experiences I'll have this year? Probably not.

Is it action-packed with big A-lister stars. Nope, although I still think Rob Lowe has it & Danny Glover is the grandpa you always wanted. *I know Danny, I called you a grandpa. You will always be young at heart.

What was it? It was fun, light, had big 'ol trucks & an alien named Creech.

It is a CLEAN movie that feeds the imagination that something really cool could happen. That maybe one of my boys might find the alien that they can hide from me and feed scraps to in their closet. I mean it worked with ET.

With all films, there was an agenda, environmental awareness and our need for oil at any cost. Personally, I liked it and agree with their take on Big Business. It was done in a fun way & Creech is so cute I want to throw him in my pond & keep him! The mob thought he was so ugly he was cute, wait maybe that was what I thought. Yea, that was me.


It had #thefeels for little girls that wasn't all sexy. I appreciate not having to watch a make-out scene with my 11 year old daughter. #awkward

And let's not forget the freaking Monster Trucks! The mob left talking about every monster truck they had ever seen and comparing what they were going to YouTube when we got home. I even heard "GraveDigger" mentioned.  
*I fear that they might take their dirt bikes apart. #dadprobs

It's just fun and right now we all just need good plain fun. No strings attached, just a fun family film that goes good with popcorn and candy.  

*The mob consists of 6 kids ranging from 5 to 11 years old. All are wild and at times may be mistaken for feral animals. They do clean up well and even bathe before church. I have considered making them wear signs that say "will work for popcorn" but that would require making sure the signs stayed intact. Too much work.

2017 Goals: #SoRatherRead

• Read more twisted fairy tales.

• Watch all Jane Austen Adaptations. Bring it BBC. 

• Read 35 books that are not classified as Children's Lit. or Middle Grade {#momprobs}  while providing 35 crock-pot dinners.

• FINALLY complete the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontze! This is one of my top 3 of all times and I've been waiting since 2005. I tried to forget you Oddy but I just couldn't! I plan to take a weekend and BINGE from the beginning to the end. #yass

• Read at least 5 Goosebumps to the boys followed by either a Goosebumps movie or a Haunting Hour. Decisions, decisions. 

• Halloween costume must be book inspired. I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to this effort. 

• Successfully complete the following TV series: 

• Downton Abby
• Gilmore Girls (I know, I'm late to the Party)
• The Vampire Diaries (can I get an #AMEN )
• Pretty Little Liars

• Choose 4 more {complete} TV series to be addicted too for binge purposes. Suggestions??

Major life goals still remain the same:  

1. RL Stine will tweet me
2. One of my children will be cast in a Goosebumps or Haunting Hour. They make great monsters Stine, really, they've been warped since birth.

 #TVD #GilmoreGirls #OddThomas @RLStine #PLL #soratherread #goals #2K17