The Books that Changed Your Little World?

So, I was on my way to the library a few weeks back, to look for some good kid books. While needing a little inspiration, I put a call out to my Facebook buddies: "Jackie is wondering what books changed your little lives when you were 6, 7 or 8?" These are the results of my wee, informal study.

· Danny, The Champion of the World, Roald Dahl.

· The BFG, Roald Dahl.

· And all things Roald Dahl. Check out his site. Cute!

· Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren.

· Encyclopedia Brown, Donald J. Sobol.

· The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis.

· Superfudge Series, Judy Blume.

· And all things Judy Blume

· The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien.

· A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine l'Engle.

· Ramona Quimby books, Beverly Cleary.

· Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

· Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery.

· Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, Mordecai Richler.

· The Little Engine that Could, Watty Piper.

· Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls.

· The Cay, Theodore Taylor.

· The Bunjee Venture, Stan McMurtry.

· Nancy Drew Series, Carolyn Keene.

· Bobbsey Twins Series, Laura Lee Hope.

All images: amazon.com

Feel free to add more in the comments!

I've recently discovered Common Sense Media which gives objective reviews of kids books and helps me decide what is appropriate for Spud's age [it's great for movie reviews too].

Kids' Clay Sphinx Project

I could not resist posting the fruits of Spud's 6 year Egyptian Themed Party. These adorable sphinxes are hot out of the oven from 4 Cats Art Studio. The kids worked so hard on them and have been excitedly awaiting their arrival.

And Spud's little guy has come in handy already. On a windy patio day, he made an excellent paper weight.

Orange-hued Lunch Today

The top layer has a variety of orangy-coloured foods and accessories today ... for no particular reason ...
· Cheddar cheese bits
· 2 Apple slices [peeled as Spud has recently acquired a hate on for skins of any type ... great!]
· 1/2 a Kiwi
· 3 Mini Carrots
· 1 Strawberry
· And an orange puppy stashing 3 chocolate rosebuds ... shhhhh.



The middle tier is half filled with Pirate Booty [leftover from our travel junk food stash]



In the bottom tier is wholewheat hot dog bun filled with Mortadella, cut in half.



Spud's Tiffin, all packed up and ready to go.



It's no accident that the healthiest stuff is on the top layer, in hopes that he goes there first at snack time. A mama can dream can't she?

Meatloaf Muffins

BREAKFAST ON THE GO
Making a dozen of these at time means we can toss them in the freezer for future "we don't have time to sit around and eat breakfast" mornings. An accompanying piece of fruit will round it off nicely.



2 lbs. Ground meat
1 C. Ketchup
3 Eggs
1.5 – 2 C. any combination of Onion, Carrot, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, chopped fine in the food processor
2 Garlic cloves, minced
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 t. Oregano, dried
1 t. Salt
1 t. Black pepper
1 C. Flour
Favourite cheese, cubed

Preheat an oven to 375° F. Combine above ingredients careful not to over mix. This cannnot be stressed enough: the more you mix, the more the fibres of the meat breakdown which results in dry, tough, boring meatloaf. Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups. Plop a cheese cube in the centre of each and apply a wee squirt of ketchup to each of the tops. Check them after 30-35 minutes to see if they are done.

Also, checkout Mama Goose's Cupcakes for Dinner. Let's just say, mash potatoes with a bit of food colouring, can make some pretty sweet "icing". I have yet to try this. Next on my list!

Happy Mother's Day

Spud designed a little scavenger hunt for me, with each little clue leading to the next one until I found the giant heart eating a happy face cookie. Pretty much sums up how my day is going so far. Hope yours is too.

Photo Friday #23

FROM THE GARDEN AT THE GETTY | TRAVELS WITH THE KID
We had but a few short hours to spend at the Getty and I savoured every minute. Truly. It's a simply stunning space. Spud enjoyed just sitting on the grass for a bit and taking it all in. The most fascinating part of the garden, for me, is the "trees" made of rebar with bougainvillea growing up the centre. Gorgeous. And Spud wished he was a fish for a moment so he could swim through the maze.











Hey, why not share your travel pics on Fridays too ... at Delicious Baby.

Anorak Magazine

Look what came in the mail! Anorak. And all the way from England. And boy are we smitten.

It has cute activities ...



Great wee stories ...



And super cool colouring pages!

Our Santa Monica Hotel

THE AMBROSE



OK, so I can't exactly tout this find as kid-friendly. It's not exactly. Perhaps kid-accepting with some small issues. First I will tell you why I love this place and then the kid related caveats.



First of all, it's very stylish and our research turned The Ambrose up as having the best value. The aesthetic is Asian meets California "Green" with a bit of whimsy thrown in.



What are these hearts on the end of these 3 red banners? I don't know. But I love them.

A yummy continental breakfast is included and is served in the lobby each morning. And my favourite part? This taxi!



For free [well, a tip for the driver], this taxi will take you to restaurants or sites in the area and pick you up again when you call. Saves headaches of parking down at the Pier or navigation problems in the big city. And in a stylish, old car too!

The downsides then? The room we had was quite small [although it had a very nice sized patio]. Especially once we put in the roll-away cot for Spud. Nothing we couldn't work around of course. And there was a very tall, thin, precarious mirror that surely would have been knocked over by Spud if he was any younger. It was easy enough to tuck out of the way though. And there were one or two other breakable items around that would have made me nervous with a toddler.

That's it. Otherwise, it was a perfect stay.

Half Day: Santa Monica Pier

SANTA MONICA PIER | TRAVELS WITH KID
Check their website to find out when and what is happening before going. There may be limited things open at certain times of the day or week. What follows is what we managed to fit in about 4 hours.



First we strolled to the end of the pier; we bought postcards, listened to buskers, saw a pelican up close.



The Aquarium
By donation for adults [around $5 per person] and children are free. This small and well run aquarium is hosted by enthusiastic and informative volunteer staff that really know how to engage the kids. And me! I learned more in this little place in one visit than I ever have at our very own rather large Aquarium at home.



Highlights
· The touch pool with volunteers pointing out interesting tidbits about the animals
· Feeding the star fish, fish heads and the sea urchin, kelp
· The wee octopus 'dancing' and changing colours
· The embryonic sharks almost ready to come out into the big world
· The sea hare! You really have to touch this guy.



We stopped at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company for lunch ... check out my post on kid-friendly eats in LA.


The Carousel
Simply beautiful, all wooden, carousel built in 1922. Spud went around and around.



In addition, there's a roller coaster, a solar powered ferris wheel, outdoor trapeze school, arcade, and all the other fun traps you would expect.

Photo Friday #22

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA | TRAVEL WITH KID
Spending a lot of time in the pool. Of course.




Exploring the incredible beaches in the area including the discovery of small, interesting caves.








Designing roller coasters in the sand.




Strolling and noting the incredible flora of the area.




Going on kid-directed photo shoots.




Enjoying our favourite lunch spot, Ruby's Autodiner
50s style Burger joint (with decent salad options). Food the way kids like it, a characaturist on hand that works for tips, and a cool keep-the-kid-busy-until-the-food-shows-up pack including 3D glasses.




And our favourite dinner spot, Avila's El Ranchito. It's worth it just for the guacamole.



Hey, why not share your travel pics on Fridays too ... at Delicious Baby.