Children's Book Review - Storee Wryter Gets a Dog

Storee Wryter Gets a Dog is a delightful book about, you guessed it! A girl who gets a dog! It's not your typical girl-meets-dog tale (no pun intended!). Most kids want a puppy, but have little idea about the responsibilities that come with pet ownership.


Carducci lays it out in detail as Storee, an 8-year-old girl who loves to read and write, and her family are approached by a neighbor who has a puppy in need of a home. Kyria, the neighbor, isn't your average 12-year-old, either. She's got a puppy with a purpose. Her dog is a therapy dog who visits nursing homes and classrooms to boost morale, and she wants the puppy to follow suit. Kyria's character is based on the real-life founder of Paws4People foundation, an organization that she began at age 12.

The family discusses the pros and cons of taking on another family member, including how the matriarch, Critique the cat, might respond. Finally, they take on the task and the reader learns about puppy school and what it takes for a dog to be of service. There's a sweet scene when Storee and her dog are ready for their first day at work in a school classroom where young readers spend time quietly reading to the dog, instead of a teacher or classmate. The dog makes a heartfelt impact on one particularly reluctant reader!

Listed for emerging readers in the age range of 4 to 8, the book is better suited for 6 to 10. My young readers ages 5 and 6 sometimes found the book to be too slow moving, and the tight spacing of the words and paragraphs overwhelmed them when they read to me. It got a thumbs down from the 5-year-old, but a big thumbs up from the 6-year-old, who plans to be an animal rescuer one day. She loved hearing the interactions between Storee and her animals.

There's a lot of detail that makes this book more appropriate for a family who is strongly considering doing the same as the Wryter family, bringing a dog into the home. If you have a child who thinks they are ready for a dog, this is a great book for you!

You can find this book on Amazon (click the pic above) or at www.youngvoicesfoundation.org. Carducci is the president of this noteworthy organization that encourages and supports young writers. I love their mission!

10 Things I Love about being a Mom

Today, I'm going to focus on 10 things I absolutely love about being a mother.
In no particular order....

1. Belly laughs.
2. Notes left by my 5-year-old that read, "I love you becus yor the best mommy ever."
3. When they read me a story!
4. The funny way first words come out and the surprise when they finally say them right.
5. Family group hugs.
6. Seeing the boy hug his injured, crying sister, asking, "Ok? Ok?" and gently stroking her hair.
7. Watching them Discover 
8. Teaching... colors, numbers, language, etc...
9. Soft, smushy cheeks and the kisses that go with them.
10. Finally understanding my own mother.

Photo Copyright held by me!
Feb 2007. Now she reads & writes.  

What do you most love about motherhood?

No More Babies

That's it. No more babies for me. Now, I have children. Little kids getting bigger each day. My youngest, the 2-year-old toddler has officially left his babyhood behind. When I call him "Baby" now, he corrects me, points to himself and says, "No. Me big boy," with big, just-learning-how-to-talk pauses between each sweet word.

But it's his cheeks that get me. Suddenly, though they are still soft and kissable, they have lost that baby-soft texture. That silky, soft perfect baby cheek feel that I love so much. As if overnight, the boy has a child cheek. My heart, and my own cheeks, ache a little at the loss.

Yet, I am happy. Of course, I am elated! My children are growing into fine young people. I have finished my years of taking care of babies and though I hold them dear, I am pleased to be through them. Sleep has improved and diapers are on their way out! More often the boy asks to go "pee pee" or "poop" on Dahdah (his name for the Dora toddler toilet seat). It makes me smile and laugh.

That's it. No more babies for me. It is both beautiful and bittersweet. And I am happy.

Finding Joy in Every Moment

I have no idea what to write about. I'm rather stuck. I rarely have a moment like this, so I've decided to link in to Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writer's Workshop. She gives 5 writing prompts, you choose one to write about and then you link up on Thursday.

It just so happens that prompt #5 is "What brings you joy, in good times and in bad?" inspired by Oprah. Of course!

This is a question dear to my heart as I want to live an affirmative life. It can be a great challenge, but it's one that I choose to accept every single day. Especially on the really bad days (like yesterday when I wake up to cat pee all over the floor and I discover my car is dead just when the girls are buckled up and we're late for school).

In these moments I'm making a concerted effort to bring up in my mind an image or memory that is or was exceptionally joyful. I hold it in my mind until I the feelings associated with it wash over me again and I'm in a place of joy. With a heart full of love and light, I can calmly and patiently get through to a better moment. And that's what life is... just moments. One can be rough and the next can be monumentally beautiful.

When I feel overwhelmed in a bad moment, I picture my boy and hear his delicious laugh. Or, if he's the cause of the bad moment (he's two-years-old), I picture my Grandmother. She turned 100 in October and is the most incredible woman I've ever known. She's always smiling, always positive. She's inspired thousands of people over the years as an art teacher and lover of life. She is beautiful, she glows, and she absolutely embodies joy.

These are the thoughts that bring a smile to my own lips and straight through to my heart. Memories of joyful moments, and the people who are a part of those moments, are what bring me joy in good times and bad.

Rafflecopter Launch Party = Serious Giveaways!

Rafflecopter is officially launching and to celebrate, they're giving away an  a 16GB Apple iPad2 and several Kindle Fires. To enter just follow the rules in the Rafflecopter widget below to tell them DGMommy at (aspiring) Domestic Goddess Mommy referred you.

You can receive additional entries by tweeting about this giveaway, following them on twitter, and giving them feedback and suggesting a name for their smiley-faced helicopter mascot. After the giveaway is over, they'll pick out their favorite suggestions for Facebook voting and if your name is chosen, you'll win a Kindle Fire. Good luck!