New Creative and Engaging Toy

I have a VERY active and curious 4 year old son.  {It's very hard to keep his attention for more than 5 minutes.}  A few things can engage him--legos, for example.

We have a new favorite toy.  He can't get enough of them, and I love creating with them, too!

It's called Plus-Plus.  We have the minis.  They look like little plastic puzzle pieces, but the versatility is amazing.  It's made in Denmark.  There are various color packs.  They can be purchased in boxes of 100, 300, 600, or 1200.

When I say HOURS of fun, I'm not exaggerating a bit.  The possibilities are limitless.  You can see some amazing designs on the website, but just let kids enjoy.  You can find them online, but I would recommend that you let your independent local toy store know about them.  We bought them here in Lakeside at Fine Print Bookstore.  {They have a wonderful book selection and lots of great quality unique toys.}

If you're looking for a no batteries required toy for a child, I highly recommend Plus-Plus.  It's definitely our favorite toy find of the summer.

A Brave Book

Up:  A Mother And Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure by Patricia Ellis Herr

This is my favorite book I've read so far this summer.  It was unexpected because I just grabbed it off the shelf at the library that had some new books. I had never even heard of it.   I didn't expect that I would be grabbed by it.

Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say about it:

"...a charming, uplifting account...a keen feminist fable for brave girls." 

-- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 

Here's a quick overview.  A mother takes her energetic young daughters hiking--up really big mountains.  The girls love it.  Other adults are skeptical and negative.  The mother has loads of courage on many different fronts--as a woman, as a mom, as a hiker, and more.  The girls learn so much about courage and confidence and determination and more.

As I think about it, I'm most blown away by the courage and strength of the mother and author.  She made courageous choices about parenting and life so many times.  I hold up her example, not just for her daughters but for brave hearts everywhere.

It's just a gentle quiet book.  It's well written.  I'm still feeling inspired by it a few weeks later.  

If you want to read more about the book or their adventures, Patricia blogs HERE.

What have you read recently that has inspired you?

Recommendations Expand and Storytelling

In the new year I've decided to expand my Friday book recommendations into a mutlimedia recommendation day. Part of this is because I'm extra busy with school, with little time for extra reading, but also because I keep finding AMAZING podcasts, blogs, websites, and videos.

So in the past couple of months I've been really impacted by the stories other people have told me. I grew up in the house of an amazing storyteller--I just thought this was a bit of a freakish gift my mom and a few other people had.

I lived for a year in a bush village of Alaska, and for the Yup'ik culture storytelling and doing were the 2 main ways people were taught. (I did not "get this" at all when I lived there.)

There is some crazy (might I say mystical?) way that a story gets inside of us to a really sacred place, and it says, "Listen!" "That's you." and other profound life altering truths.

So today I'm please to recommend The Moth Radio Hour. It's an hour of storytelling that airs weekly on many NPR stations. If you click here, you can listen to archived stories. It's one of the places that I've been learning that other people's stories and my own can be so transformational.