Book Review: Diary of a Fat Housewife

Rosemary Green's Diary of a Fat Housewife: A True Story of Humor, Heart-Break, and Hope is a no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled, gut-wrenchingly honest look at life from the inside of a woman's struggle with weight. 

I first read this while pregnant with my second and very hormonal, and it had me both laughing and almost crying. While I personally haven't had to battle the overwhelming compulsions she talks about, I loved her honesty and her willingness to share her entire story (not just the successful parts). Written with sincerity, and at times very real, very raw emotion, this diary is a bit of a roller coaster.  If you're a mom who is struggling to lose weight and feels like you're alone in the struggle, go read the reviews on Amazon and then look this one up at your local library if you think it might be helpful.  

While I enjoyed this book, not everyone loves the diary style of this book, and there are some things that could be triggering for some people's struggles.

The Chemistry of Autumn Leaf Colours

‪It’s the first day of autumn, so let's explore the chemistry behind leaf colour changes!

Check out Compound Interest to learn about The Chemistry of Autumn Leaf Colours:
Chlorophyll, Carotenoids & Flavonoids, and Anthocyanins 

For your younger scientists, this quick three-minute episode from SciShow Kids might be a hit:
"Why Do Leaves Change Colors in the Fall?"

Then give this experiment from How Wee Learn a try: "Why Do Leaves Change Color?"
(email signup required for the free printable)

Aaarrr! Free Pirate-Themes Resources

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!  Originally a joke between two friends, International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parody holiday invented in 1995 by Americans John Baur (Ol 'Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy). They decided that everyone in the world should talk like a pirate on September 19th.  This "invented holiday" became public in 2002 when Baur and Summers sent a letter about it to American print humorist Dave Barry.

Here are some fun and free resources to help you celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day with your kiddos!

Pirates A-Z Unit Study

Unit Study: Sail Ho! Pirate Ships

What was life like on board ship 500 years ago?

Pirate Mini Activity Pack (email signup required)

Pirate Preschool Counting & Tracing Printable

A Pirate's Glossary of Terms, Pirate Namecalling, and Pirate Recipes

Famous Pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy

Free Pirate Coloring Pages

Pirate Printable Preschool Worksheet Set & Activities for Kids

Pirate Treasure Hunt Printables

Early Learning Pirate Worksheets

Pirate Pre-K Pack

Free Printable Pirate Play Dough Number Mats

Pirate Theme Early Learning Printables 

Pirate Themed Color & Write Pages

FREE Printables About Pirates

Book Review: Down by the Station

A great little rhyme laid out beautifully in a book where each turn of the page reveals something new through peek-a-boo holes in the pages. On the right is a picture of the station and on the left appear all the sounds of the various trains, buses, tractors etc. We had the board book version, but it also comes in paperback.

This was my three-year-old's favorite book for a long time.  She walked around the house "reading" this one to herself for days, saying "chug chug chug, off we go!

Book Review: Hush, Little Ones

This is possibly the perfect bedtime story. Soothing, rhythmic and repetitive, this book goes along softly saying goodnight to animals around the world. Also a great book for teaching some animal lessons, as each animal family is pictured in its natural habitat - nests, dens, burrows, fields. My two year old loved it, but I think it would be a keeper for several years of bedtime read-alouds.