Wordless Wednesday - Week in Pictures

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Top Ten Books To Movie Adaptations

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a rewind, so we get to choose any previous TTT topic. I am going to go with the Top Ten Books I would like made into a movie. 

1. A Great and Terrible Beauty - I don't even know how many times I've mentioned this book on this blog so far. I freaking love it. I am madly in love with every character and I think it would be an amazing movie, if done right. I used to want Dev Patel to play Kartik, but he is too old now. Still love you Dev, but you aren't a spring chicken anymore. I think that Jennifer Lawrence would be a good Gemma, but she would have to be a little more delicate. If she was younger, Mary Margaret from Once Upon a Time would make a great Gemma.

2. The Enchantress of Florence - I have been reading this book for months now. I love every single bit of it, but it is extremely complicated. It is like a story wrapped in a story wrapped in an enigma all rolled up with a conundrum. I would love a movie version, because then maybe by seeing it, the story would make more sense in my head. Listening to the audiobook seems to be helping, so a movie should make it work even more. 

3. Cleopatra's Daughter - Really, any of the Egyptian books by Michelle Moran would make amazing books. She describes everything so vividly, and her character are so rich, I think it would be really easy to take the characters from book to screen. I volunteer to play Selene. :) 

4. Me & Emma - Wow. This book. It is just... wow. It will blow your mind away. I think that a movie of this could be great. Everyone will be talking about the crazy ending. You'd have to find two really good child actresses for it. 

5. Love Twelve Miles Long - This is only a simply children's picture book, but it would make a great movie. It is the story of Frederick Douglas' mother and how she walked twelve miles every night after working in the fields just so that she could visit him where he lived. It would be moving and wonderful. 

6. Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series - These would be great! A little bit Sherlock Holmes, a little bit Jane Austen, a whole lot of fun and romance! These would be great chick flicks. Someone make this happen now.

7. The Stolen Child - This book haunts me. I dream about it at least twice a week. I think it is because I read the book, which is about changelings who take the place of children, when I was pregnant with my son. I don't know how well it would translate into a movie, or how they could represent the changeling as just a little bit different from the regular boy, but it could be good. 

8. The Girl Who Chased the Moon (or any other book by Sarah Addison Allen) - These books are like a good meal. They fill you up and you feel nice and warm and comfy afterwards. Then you drink it all down with a nice glass of sweet tea. I would love to see the South come alive the way that Allen does it. This book is the most magical of them, so I think it would appeal to a lot of people. 

9. The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy - This could be the next Twilight. Except, you know, good. These characters have actual personalities and there is actually a story there so I think it would make a good teenage angst-y movie. 

10. The Lace Reader - A book set in my birthplace of Salem MA will always intrigue me. They then go either one way or the other. They are either really good or really bad. I think this one would be really good. It is a regular literary fiction book with just a tiny tinge of magic in it. Everything is believable and realistic, and I think it would translate well into a movie.

So what about you? What book would you like to be seen into a movie? Let me know in a comment. 

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Monday Monday Monday

Remember that fantabulous to-do list I made myself last week? Guess how much of it I did. Out of thirty things to do, I did... 0 things. Well, I did kind of start CJ's fairy garden. And I did keep emptying boxes out of the dining room. And I did start planning CJ's birthday party. But nothing concrete really got done. Boo me. CJ and I did spend a lot of time coloring due to the rainy weather. But I've decided instead it is going to be month of June to-do list.

Source: karaspartyideas.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I also have to add a bunch of stuff to it. I have to plan CJ's birthday party and make a bunch of stuff for that. I've decided on a dinosaur theme, with the colors green, brown, and blue. I have to find a recipe for a dairy-free, gluten-free cake. (Dairy-free for CJ, gluten-free for his uncle.) I know what I'm basing the cake on, here's a pic. I already ordered some dinosaurs to decorate with. It should be tons of fun. I will definitely share when all is said and done.

I haven't done the menu plan for the whole month because you just never know what is going to happen around here. Such as our car dying and us being completely without a vehicle. Because that happened. But here is our plan for the week.

Menu Plan Monday
Monday - Burgers and baked potatoes
Tuesday - Hummus, tabouleh, and falafel
Wednesday - Crock pot roasted chicken
Thursday - Paula Deen Egg Sandwiches
Friday - Spaghetti with Chicken
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - ???

I made these yesterday. They were amaze-balls. Literally. No baking at all. CJ was busy hanging out with his uncle or he would have helped. You just roll up all the ingredients into balls and then roll them into coconut.

Coconut Peanut Butter Balls. I got the recipe here. Check it out.

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Signing Sunday - Baby Signing Apps

If you aren't able to take a signing class, but still want to learn some baby signs, there's a way. My Smart Hands, the company I work for, has a bunch of awesome new apps. They are currently only available for iPhone but they are working on Droid apps. Here's the links and description of each app.

Baby Sign Language Dictionary App ($4.99)
The app has over 300 signs, which is about 45 minutes of instruction. Here's a screencap of Laura, my awesome signing boss, teaching the sign for "careful". There is also a fun quiz at the end. You can also try out the app for free here.

Baby Sign Language Everyday Signs Flash Cards ($.99)
This is the same as the regular flashcards you can buy, but in an app. There are also videos attached of Laura's adorable daughter Fireese teaching the signs. There's another quiz at the end too. There are pictures and words, so even non-readers can use them. CJ is obsessed with these flashcards. This one only has about 20 signs on this app.

Baby Sign Language Alphabet Signs ($.99)
This app is the same as the ABC flashcards. Similar to the everyday app, there are videos of Fireese teaching each sign. There's also another quiz. The app comes with a free download of MSH alphabet song which you can watch here. It comes in an American and a Canadian edition, eh. Really the only difference is zee versus zed.

ASL Fingerspelling Game ($.99)
This is a great app for both kids an adults to practice their fingerspelling (after you learn the alphabet with the previous app of course.) There's a couple of different ways to play the game, and it is a lot of fun.

 So there you go. I recommend them all, they are all fun and we use them all the time. They're a good distraction at doctor's appointments or other times you need to distract a baby for a few minutes. I use them to refresh myself as well. Have fun!

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Super Dad Father's Day Giveaway Hop! #SuperDad

Welcome to Babies, Books, and Signs' stop on the Super Dad Father's Day Giveaway Hop! The blog hop is hosted by MamaNYC. There are over 40 bloggers all giving away awesome father-related gifts. The hop runs from June 2nd - 10th. I hope you stop by many people's posts, and enter to win some great prizes.

I wasn't lucky enough to have a super dad, but I have an amazing husband. He is my baby's super dad. CJ is a lucky boy.

Since I am a Barefoot Books ambassador, I will giving away your choice of one of three Barefoot Books father figure books. There are so many great books available. Here are the five you can choose from! 

Venture to the grocery store with this father-daughter duo on a very lively shopping trip. As their cart swings down the aisles, the pair create minor calamity left and right. The rhyming, bouncy text teaches an important lesson about accidents and responsibility, all with a healthy dose of humor.

Twist your way into this story that introduces both yoga and professions. The nine yoga poses show how the practice of yoga relates to everyday life, and encourages readers to stretch both their bodies and their minds. There are tips about practice and preparation, yoga life, and having the right attitude.

A lively collection of tales about the daughters of kings, merchants, warriors and peasants, and their relationships with their fathers, drawn from different traditions around the world. Discover how fathers learn to love wisely and well, and how daughters achieve independence. The anthology includes such folklore favorites as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Prince," as well as less familiar stories.

Hop in the yellow car and look out for all the other forms of transportation on the way home from Grandpa's. A beautiful, double-page spread at the end features all of the colors and modes of transportation from the story. 

Enhanced CD edition includes an animated video and audio singalong sung by Fred Penner.

This beautifully told story follows Billy from early spring to late summer as he helps his grandpa on his vegetable patch. They dig the hard ground, sow rows of seeds, and keep them watered and safe from slugs. When harvest time arrives they can pick all the vegetables and fruit they have grown. Children will be drawn in by the poetry of the language and the warm illustrations, while also catching the excitement of watching things grow!

To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. Good luck! 

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Moments I Am Most Proud Of - Listable Life

Listable Life - Moments that I am Proud of. 


I like to link up with Listable Life every once in a while. This was a post I planned on writing eventually, so now I got a little boot in the fanny to go and write it. Here are five moments in my life that I am proud of. In no particular order...

Surviving childbirth - I thought that being pregnant for 9 months was going to be the hard part. Not so. I was very lucky to have an amazingly easy pregnant. Don't hate me, but I never threw up once. I had plans for how my labor was going to go. I wanted it as simple and natural as possible. Well, that was not to be. Someday, when it isn't such a painful memory, I will share the full story of my son's birth. I will tell you that after 51 hours of labor, I had an emergency C-section. Because they waited too long after my water broke, I got several infections and ended up in the ICU. I was separated from my son for several days. But I survived. Are all my baby-making parts still intact? I suppose we will find out if I ever get pregnant again. But I'm alive, and so is my absolutely perfect baby boy. So it was completely worth it. (Not that I ever want heart failure ever again.)

PS. If anyone knows my battle buddy, Cox,
please let me know. I miss her terribly.

Graduating Boot Camp - I attended a military college, so you would think that I would be disciplined and in good shape before I got to basic training. Yea, not at all. They made it really easy to get away with doing the bare minimum of everything. It was almost a joke, how little  can we get away with today? So I sort of slid right through military school. I thought basic might be the same way. And in some ways it was very easy. There was a lot less yelling than there was at military school. But physically, I got my ass handed to me on a daily basis and then thanked my Drill Sergeants for the privilege. Basic training was hard. Don't let anyone tell you differently. If the physical demands don't kill you, dealing with unwashed barbarians on a daily basis will. Having every freedom taken from you and then feeling like you won the lottery just to get a tiny morsel of humanity back. Basic training really did break me down and then build me back up. Sometimes I wish my Drill Sergeant could come and be in charge of my life to keep me from becoming lazy again. So I'm extremely proud that I graduated and I didn't even have to kill one of my redneck battle buddies. "But Bigfoot isn't in the bible. That's how I know he doesn't exist." <- words actually spoken to me at basic training.

Leaving the United States - Not many people from my hometown ever leave the state, let alone the country. I vowed that I would not be like that. I wanted to see the world, explore whole new worlds. I knew that someday I would escape and be able to leave the country. Even before I joined the Army, I made that happen. I even got to go to the number one place I had wanted to visit since I was a child - Egypt. I'm very proud of myself for making that happen. I remember looking up at the sphinx and thinking to myself, wow, this little girl from the ghetto really is standing where so much history has happened. And then a little man tried to kidnap me on a donkey.

Marrying a good man - I never had many good male role models. I had a few, but not many. It seemed like most of the men in my hometown were not interested in doing much with their lives. I knew I was destined to leave, so sticking with some guy who was content to live in Lynn, Ma his whole life just wasn't going to work for me. I met Craig in college, but we didn't really know each other at all. Then I re-met him when I was stationed in Korea. And then I married him. :) It was almost exactly that quick. I thank God that I married a good, strong, hard-working man. We don't always see eye to eye, but he loves me and is good to me. He works very hard to take care of his family and I know he would do anything for us. Love that man. I'm proud of him, and I'm proud of myself for not marrying an alcoholic, drug-abusing, wife-beating kind of man. That is kind of rare in my family.

One of the greatest nights of my life. 

Being a positive person - There are many reasons that I could be a negative angry person today. But I'm not. I dealt with some horrible things, abuse, homelessness, neglect. I could have very easily become a victim of my upbringing and my environment. I won't lie, I wallowed in self-pity for a few years of my life. Then I got over it. Life was too short and filled with too many good things to allow myself to be a negative person. I saw those around me who responded to their lives with negativity. They never enjoyed the good things, even if there were few of them. I resolved not to be that type of person. I'm not perfect, and I get angry, and I have days where I just want to cry. So I allow myself to feel that emotion, and then I move on. I have a husband to love and a baby to take care of. I don't have time to focus on all the negative things happening in the world today. So I'm proud of myself for being able to do that.

So what are you most proud of? Leave a comment below, or write a blog post about it. Then click on the box to be taken to Moments that Define Life and link up. Pin It

A-Z Mini-Challenge #6 - Birthdays and Fathers' Days

How is everyone doing on the challenge? We are almost halfway through the year. It is summer, can you believe it? I can't. June is my absolute favorite month. It signals the start of fun and excitement and silliness. It is also my birthday month. Wahooooo! Happy birthday to me! 

June is also the month with Father's Day in it. I was originally going to have you read a book with a celebration in it, like a birthday or something. Since I had a mother's day challenge last month, it is only fair to have a Father's day challenge this month. 

So for this month's challenge, read a book with a father figure in it. 

Remember that linking up below once you complete the month's challenge enters you into a book giveaway at the end of the year!

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