Chicken Soup for the Soul: Finding Your Happiness (Giveaway)

I have always loved the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. They have a way of  making you see things from a different perspective and showing you the good side of things. Best of all, they’re written in short chapters so you can read as much or as little as you want. There’s no major time committment on your part.

I recently had the opportunity to check out a couple more of their titles and found them all to be exactly what I’ve come to expect from this series of books. Excellent stories that made me laugh, cry, and appreciate all that I have. I hope they do the same for you, too.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Finding Happiness will encourage readers to pursue their dreams, find their passion and seek joy in their life. Read inspirational stories about how real people used positive thinking, thankfullness, and good old-fashioned common sense to find their own paths to happiness, pursuing their passions, finding their purpose, and reclaiming joy in their lives.

With the new year upon us, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Finding Happiness is the perfect book to give me the inspiration to live my life in a way that makes me happy. Whether it be making time for yourself, doing something unexpected for the kids, or just finding something good in every single day . . . finding happiness is something we should all strive to do.

I truly believe that your attitude – good or bad – can affect the outcome of your day. Even when I’m having a rotten morning I try to put on a smile and go about my day as if everything couldn’t be better. You know what? After a while I find myself feeling so much better! Life is too short to let the little unimportant things ruin our happiness.

One of my favorite stories is The Happy Book. It’s about a woman who suffers from depression. It would be easy for her to just let it overtake her life but instead she started writing in a little notebook every night . . . one thing that made her happy during the day. It didn’t have to be anything big. It could be something like “I found a parking spot right in front when I was running late.” or “My husband came home early.” This forced her to seek out the positive rather than dwell on the negative. And when she’s having a particularly bad day she can look back on all the other happy moments in her life. What a great idea!

So as the new year keeps going along, why not look for things that make us happy, things that make life worthwhile? I promise you it will improve your attitude, your purpose, your life.

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The Changing Colors of Amos (Giveaway)

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commentor #13: Lisa!

It’s not very often that we find a children’s book that is not only educational but a work of art as well. In The Changing Colors of Amos by John Kinyon and illustrated by Kay Selvig Flanders, it was just as much fun looking at all the beautifully drawn pages as it was reading the story.

As children travel with Amos through the pages they discover that each day of the week brings a new color and place in the beauty of the outdoors. But there is more on each page as they look for the little leprechaun, and his friends. Can they find him? Who else do they find? And what color is it for that day? The brilliant original pastel drawings provide unique hues and textures for each page. Counting birds and butterflies—or even flowers and animals—increase the teaching opportunities throughout.

Kiana has recently started reading independently and she’s always looking for new books to explore. Once I opened this book I knew she would love it since she’s currently obsessed with all the colors of the rainbow. In this story, Amos is a leprechaun who turns a different color depending on what day of the week it is. However, on Sunday he’s able to select the color (or combination) he wants by dreaming of it the night before.

What I really liked about this book are all the wonderful chalk illustrations. The way the colors blend together and cover the entire page makes for a very beautiful scene. I also like the way each page’s installment is written in a poem fashion. For me, these types of books are the easiest to read because it allows you to get into a nice rhythm.

For Kiana, she loved how Amos was able to change colors on different days of the week. She even compared it to the way people change their clothes to look different on a daily basis, too. Of course, her favorite day was Sunday because Amos had dreamed about being a colorful rainbow. Kiana said that’s what she would choose, too.

Purchase your copy of The Changing Colors of Amos at Amazon.com for $11.66.

WIN IT!

How would you like to win a copy of The Changing Color of Amos for your family library? To enter:

• Just mention in comments before midnight, Dec 26th what color you would be on Sunday. That’s it!
• A random winner will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter.
• The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to An Island Life’s feed.
• Follow An Island Life on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway (once daily).
• Already like An Island Life on Facebook.
• Place our button in your sidebar.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.

This giveaway is open to US addresses. Good luck!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review and giveaway. All thoughts are my own. By entering this giveaway, you are acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree to our disclosure policy. One entry per household.”

Just Kids Gifts – Personalized Gifts (Giveaway)

Now that Kiana is beginning to read on her own, I’ve been trying to find books for her that are not too complicated yet entertaining enough to hold her attention. What better way to peak her interest than a story written just for her? Introducing a brand new company called Just Kids Gifts.

Just Kids Gifts specializes in personalized items like storybooks, CDs, and DVDs where your child is the star! Just provide names, photos, and other relevant details and you’ll receive a precious keepsake that your family will treasure for years to come.

We recently had the opportunity to review a couple of personalized books  – My Tea Party & The Train With No Name.

My Tea Party ($16.95)

Planning a party for friends requires hard work and aforethought. First she must decide who to invite and what to serve, then, what type of decorations are necessary. Setting up for the party, getting properly dressed and many other important things are valuable lessons learned here. Your child will find out what it takes to throw a perfectly special gathering and all the proper manners that goes with it.

Kiana is the star of this heartwarming story. When she first started reading the book you should have seen how big her eyes got when she came across her name. “That’s me!”, she yelled. She continued to read and was thrilled to see not only her name but her sisters’ names, her home town, and my name. As soon as she finished the book she started reading it again.

What I liked about this book is the larger font which made reading a lot easier for Kiana. We also liked the pretty illustrations that perfectly matched the storyline. However, the best part is that it taught Kiana all about table manners. There’s even a page at the end of the book that contains a list of proper table manners. We went through each one and made a note of the ones she’s good at and those she needs to work on.

My Tea Party is now one of Kiana’s favorite books!

The Train With No Name ($16.95)

The little track tester isn’t important enough to have either a name or an engineer…That is, until your child steps in and helps the little track tester to save the circus train. This educational book helps teach about compassion, helping others and most of all, they’ll learn that you don’t have to be big to be important!

I got this book as a Christmas gift for my nephew who lives in Nevada. He loves trains so I knew this would be the perfect choice for him. I was able to select 3 names to go along with his so I used his sister and 2 of my girls. The finished product turned out great and I can’t wait to give it to him!

What I really liked about this story is that it teaches kids to be sympathetic towards those who may not be having great day. Two Engine Express was not very nice to the no name Track Tester but “Evan” came to his rescue by helping to make him feel just as important as all the other trains. It was this friendship that helped save the day.

Just Kids Gifts makes the perfect holiday gifts for those special children in your lives. Check out their selection of personalized books, CDs and DVDs and see your children’s name in print! For more information, stop by their website or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

WIN IT!

How would you like to win a personalized book of your choice? To enter:

• Just stop by Just Kids Gifts before midnight, Nov 15th and view the books selection.
• Then come back and mention which one you’d like to win. That’s it!
• A random winner will be selected and notified via email shortly thereafter.
• The winner will then have 2 days to claim their prize.

To earn extra entries, you may do one or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra ticket but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

• Subscribe to An Island Life’s feed.
• Follow An Island Life on Twitter.
• Follow Just Kids Books on Twitter.
• Tweet this giveaway (once daily).
• Like An Island Life on Facebook.
• Like Just Kids Books on Facebook.
• Place our button in your sidebar.
• Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here.

This giveaway is open to US addresses. Good luck!

This post was written for Family Review Network & Just Kids Books who provided the information and item for review & giveaway. By entering this giveaway, you are acknowledging that you have read, understood, and agree to our disclosure policy. One entry per household.

Cooper and Me Review and Giveaway

I had the chance to review the children’s book Cooper and Me written by Monique & Alexa Peters and Illustrated by Alexa Peters.  This book is one of the best and most creative books we have read as a family.  Not only does it help children through its story but it was also co-written and illustrated by an 11 year old little girl.

Here is a little background info on Alexa:

Cooper and Me was illustrated by 11-year-old Alexa Peters and co-written with her mother, Monique Peters.  The idea was inspired by Alexa’s own experiences on her first day of school.  A talented young artist and writer, Alexa wanted to give back to others in a meaningful way through her art.  Starting at a very young age, Alexa created illustrated stories about her daily experiences, and from the pages of her sketchbooks came the idea for her first book, Cooper and Me. 

Cooper and Me is about a little girl who is faced with her very first day of school.  Like most children she is very scared and unsure about school.  Her family has told her she will have fun learning, playing and making new friends.  Still she is not sure about school because she spends most of her days with her dog Cooper who is her best friend and her parents tell her dogs can’t go to school.

The little girl believes that if she can take Cooper to school that everything will be ok.  Everyone needs to feel secure when doing something new.  Her family comes up with a plan to make her feel better.  I don’t want to give the story ending away but I will tell you it has a wonderful end.

My oldest two children are now homeschooled but my daughter can relate to the feelings of this little girl in the story.  She went to public school for two years.  I remember her first day and how she was nervous and a little scared.  When she got home she was so happy that she went and made new friends.  This book is a great for helping children learn to overcome fears.  So if you have a little one who is about to start school or even something else new like a new sport then I would recommend getting this book and reading it with them.

We enjoyed reading this book together as a family and even included a little doggie that we were dog sitting.

This book donates some of their proceeds to Happy Hearts Fund…

In addition to helping young children gain emotional resilience and confidence through their books, Alexa and mom Monique wanted to go beyond that to help less fortunate kids.  Their search for an organization to which they could donate a portion of the proceeds from the Cooper and Me book led to a charitable alliance with the Happy Hearts Fund, founded and run by Petra Nemcova, the supermodel who was directly affected by the tsunami in Thailand. Happy Hearts improves children’s lives through education and sustainable programs in areas devastated by natural disasters.

Some little extras can be found on the website for your children. A song can be found on the Cooper and Me website for you little one to listen to here. Some coloring pages, word puzzles and games can be found on the Cooper and Me Website here.

*Note I did receive a copy of this book for review purposes.  I was not paid for my review and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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