Xlibris, the print-on-demand self-publishing services provider, announced today the release of Oscar’s Big Miracle. Authored by Patricia Patterson, this vibrantly illustrated picture book will bring unforgettable fun and valuable lessons to the little ones.
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Don’t you ever wish that you have enough space inside your toddler’s room, where you can have fun and just relax with them? I know what your thinking, “oh, it’s not possible”, “we’ll just use a different room”or maybe.. “we’d rather go to the mall” Let me stop you there. Do you know that you add confidence to your child’s life if you give time hanging around his room? Yes! You’ve read it right. If you think that your stepping on with their privacy, (we’re not talking about your highschool son or college daughter. We’re talking about your toddlers or your  preschool kids.) well you’re not. Your child needs to see that you’re part of their own world. Visiting their room is part of it. You give them confidence when you tell them that they did a good job in fixing their room, or two thumbs up for packing away their toys, or maybe by just allowing them to tour you in their imaginary museum. Kids are kids, let’s not pressure them to act like adults, let them have fun and enjoy every minute of their childhood.

price: $210

This convertible bed for your toddler gives so much fun and excitement for them. They are very attractive and durable. In fact you can teach your little ones how to fold it and use it as a way to commend them for doing it the proper way.

There’s a lot of things that you can do with it. You can use it while watching TV with your kids and unfold it when it’s time for their bedtime. Did I mention that it saves you a lot of space? Yes it does and it perfectly fits your tots.

I attached a link for a short video to give you an idea how to use this adorable convertible bed available in this site www.zacandzoe.com

video: Convertible bed for your toddler

Great recommended reads from around our network?

Baby care, haves and have nots

Future kids stuff

Playing is one way of nurturing your relationship with your kids,  so choosing the toys that is appropriate for them is very important.  As a parent, you should know the toys that will  offer fun and knowledge to your little ones.

The following are just few questions to know if it’s the right toy to buy for your kids:

• Is it appropriate for his/her age?
• Is it educational?
• Is it safe for your child to play with it?

Spending money for the right toy will save you a lot of energy.  Toy guns are a big no-no for your little boys because it only promotes violence. Always keep in mind that what your child plays, it reflects what his surrounding is, or what kind of people is he with, or maybe what lifestyle he has. Choosing the right toys will help you and your child understand each other.

price: $39.95

This hopscotch carpet  makes them go crazy with numbers. Children ages 4 and up will enjoy jumping and counting with this colorful carpet. This is made of soil resistant nylon material that can be played outside of your house. Your child will learn the numbers from 1-10, and the primary and secondary colors with no pressure at all. What’s more fun about this is that adults can even play with it, they’ll have a fun bonding time with their kids.

This product has been a great motivation especially for preschool students. Lakeshore has been producing varieties of materials that will help the little ones to learn new things with excitement. You can visit them at  www.lakeshorelearning.com

Great recommended read from around our network:

Geeky and Fabulous Toys for Tots

Eco-friendly Toys

Spending Time

InventHelp, America’s leading inventor service company, announces that one of its clients, an inventor from Suwanee, Ga., has designed a plush elephant that would hold a journal to encourage children in reading and writing. This invention is patented and a prototype available.

The “Thinker” would provide an entertaining way to promote reading and writing, and could help to improve children’s literary abilities. It would be suitable for use as a toy or decoration, and could offer amusement and comfort to children as well as being an educational tool.

The invention would resemble a soft, plush elephant with a stomach pouch to hold the journal. The elephant’s color and accessories could be coordinated to appeal to both boys and girls. The journal would contain 90 pages for writing, doodling or drawing. Each journal page would feature a picture-frame-type box in which the child could draw a picture, and the opposite page would feature lines so that a child could write about the picture.

According to the inventor, The Thinker could also be used by diabetic children. The journal could be produced in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes, as well as in a scented version or a version with the child’s name stitched into it.

Press

The Sony Reader

I hang with writers, editors, and even a few publishers, and I hear it over and over. The market for traditional books is dwindling, and the market for alternatively published books is growing.

For writers, this sometimes means seeking publishing sources like self-publishing, if they are dead set on holding that book in their hands.  And we readers don’t care that much who published a book or how, as long as we can curl up with it at the end of a long day or sneak in a few pages over our lunch break. 

Kids are no different from adults that way.  I know a lot of kids who like to read, boys and girls, and I think the flap about kids not reading is no more true now than it ever was–in all times and places, some people are readers and some aren’t.  The difference in kids now and kids in any other cultural era is that kids now are much more electronically savvy.  They do not require a CD in order to have music, and they might not require a book in order to have text. 

In addition, kids just have so many devices in their hands already.  If they already have a cell phone in which they can read a book, it’s not that big a leap to an iphone or even a Kindle.  There are dozens of ebook libraries out there for kids to borrow books from, and many places from which you can buy them, or even get them free. 

We’re only partically wired at my house, and we all love to hold a book in our hand.  But it was recently brought home to us that having a familiarity with ebooks might not be such a bad thing.  My daughter went on a week-long mission trip with a group of teens, and brought a bag stuffed with a dozen books she couldn’t bear to leave home.  She got through them all, too.  But how much easier would it have been in terms of space and the things she had to haul around if she’d just had a phone or a PS2 with her favorite books downloaded right in?  It certainly would have been one less heavy bag to carry!

I don’t think traditional books will ever go away, but I think that like with so many things, we have to keep our eyes and minds open to new things.  And as parents, we have a responsibility to do that, so that we still have some oversight over what goes into our kids’ minds.