Maisy and the Missing Mice book tour!

Maisy and the Missing Mice
by Elizabeth Woodrum
ISBN: 978-1492922056
$ 5.85 (paperback)
$ 2.99 (kindle)

Maisy Sawyer is not your average fourth grade student. She is a detective with a special skill for solving mysteries. She loves black and white mystery movies, cherry lollipops, and her dog, Reesie. When a thief known as The Black Boot steals the school’s mascots and her lollipops, Maisy sets out to solve the case. Can she help return the mice to their home in the science lab? Will she ever see her beloved lollipops again? Find out in the first book in The Maisy Files series.

Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland

Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland 
by Alinka Rutkowska 
ISBN: 978-1493626946 
$9.63 (paperback) 


About the book: 

Embark on a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, breathtaking adventure with Maya and Filippo as they travel around the globe on board the “Fun Princess” — a cruise ship full of surprises. Discover their fascinating ports of call, find out what the local customs and traditions are, join the kids in activities at sea, and explore the remarkable world they create through the power of their positive outlook.

This time Maya and Filippo discover Auckland and meet different kinds of people depending on…read the book to find out! Spoiler alert: the kids ride a big hop-on, hop-off explorer bus, where strange things happen. They stop at the famous Sky Tower, where they do something very exciting.

My thoughts: 
Maya & Filippo are two kiddos who live on a cruise ship where they have unlimited chocolate everyday and even in their cereal for breakfast! When they wake up and find there isn't any chocolate to be found - because they ate it all - they start crying and complaining and then their mother encourages to visit Auckland and learn about the city. Along the way through the experiences they have that day they discover that when they are complaining others complain and when they have a bad attitude everything seems to go wrong. 

I personally wasn't really expecting to see a book about attitude (which is mostly what this book is about) and was expecting to read a book that told me about the beautiful city of Auckland and New Zealand. So, I was a bit disappointed about that. I would of liked to see a book that showed me more than the Sky Tower and the top level of the bus. But my two kiddos Sierra (4) and Connor (6) didn't seem to mind and we had a nice chat about how our attitude affects others and even how our day goes. We were able to tie it into when one of the kids has a hard morning before they head to school that sometimes it can make their day at school harder - nothing goes right, they get into trouble, etc and how important it is that we listen, are kind to others and that sometimes we can help others with what they are struggling with and it can help that persons day improve. 

There are other books in the Maya & Filippo series:

Maya & Filippo Play Chef at Sea

Maya & Filippo Look for Happiness in Tauranga

Maya & Filippo See Impossible Things in the Garden City

Maya & Filippo Learn about Careers in Dunedin

Maya & Filippo Talk about Business in Seattle

Maya & Filippo Look for Whales in Ketchikan

Maya & Filippo Visit a Glacier

Maya & Filippo See Things Differently in Skagway

Learn more about this series online at http://mayafilippo.com/ where you will also learn about Alinka Rutkowska (the author) and her experience as an author.

Disclaimer: I was offered a copy of the book to read and review on CCB in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to have a positive review & no $$$ exchanged hands. Thanks for reading CCB!

February - Heart activities

It's been a while since I did a blog review of another blog (or two) and I stumbled across one (or two) that I came across from a link on the http://livingmontessorinow.com website. I'm always looking for fun activities to do with the 2 kiddos I watch in the afternoon. They are old enough now that they like to be creative and make their own masterpieces and I love that! I love to do crafts & art and it's been so fun this fall & winter being creative with them.

I'm one of those people that doesn't mind messy activities in my tiny apartment & I try to find art & crafts that the kids aren't going to do at school. We have done everything from playdo - to playing baker with flour (yeah that was a mess!) Sierra (4) is in preschool and Connor (6) is in kindergarten. I've never had a problem getting Sierra to do fun activities like art - but Connor until this fall wasn't interested and would start a project only to lose interest after his hand was printed. This year both kids are asking me 5 minutes before their parents walk into the door.... "Can I do a project?" I hate telling them no - you're folks are almost here. In fact, I've texted their moms and asked to keep the kids later - or asked them to let me know when they are 5 minutes away so I can get them washed up and smocks off and so they don't have to stop on a dime and quit their projects. Such fun!

We have several holidays coming up - Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's & Father's Day and today I thought I'd share a few activities (some art/crafts & some learning activities) we are going to do... and where I found them:

Click here

(Sierra's going to LOVE this one - and I'm sure I'm going to hear 

"I LOVE my Mom!" over and over again from Connor)

and.... it might take us at least a week for this craft - I'm sure I'll have a lot of hands on too!

(Click Here)

(Invitation Crafting - tray with goodies for the kids to make their own FUN things)

Alternate: Pipe Cleaner Counting Activity


I really really like the idea of incorporating lessons on Kindness and Giving to Others
and I am going to look into this project closer - click here. Pinterest Board FULL of Ideas

Week One, Week Two, Week Three


Books to read: of course! lol

Do you have Valentine's Activities that you'd like to share? I'd LOVE to see what you are doing with your kiddos! Link Up below.....