May We Never Forget

In remembrance of those whose lives were lost and in gratitude for all those who responded and volunteered, we pause our blogging for the day. May God bless you all and may God bless America.

Photo credit: ShareFaith

Mailbox Monday - Sep 10

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

The cooler weather we have had the past few days has inspired me to post a fall mailbox photo. Thanks to Clipartix for the image.

Life is burbling along lately. The kids are in school. The in-laws' house is sold. I'm in the middle of planting the second season garden (probably a bit late), and this week will bring some new listings for me. I haven't been doing a ton of reading, but two new books made their way into my mailbox.

What was in your mailbox this week?

The Miniaturist Premiers Tonight on PBS Masterpiece

Photo Credit PBS.org

While checking out the fall lineup, I discovered that THE MINIATURIST, adapted from Jessie Burton's internationally best-selling novel of the same name, premiers this Sunday, September 9 at 9/8c.  Here is the description from the PBS Masterpiece website:

"In 1686, 18-year-old Nella Oortman (Anya Taylor-Joy, Split, The Witch) arrives in Amsterdam to meet her wealthy merchant husband Johannes Brandt (Alex Hassell, Genius: Picasso), but is instead met by his sister Marin (Romola Garai, Churchill’s Secret, The Hour). When Johannes appears, he presents her with a wedding gift: a cabinet that is a miniature replica of their home, to be furnished by an elusive Miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror what is happening within the house in unexpected ways and seem to be predicting and unraveling the future with unsettling precision.

As Nella begins to uncover its secrets and those of the Brandt household she realizes the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the Miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall?"

I haven't read the book, but this sounds fascinating and I'll be recording it to watch later. Did you read the book? Will you be tuning in?

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Movie to Premier September 17 on PBS

Are your kids fans of DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD? Then be sure to catch the first-ever DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD Movie, premiering on September 17 on PBS KIDS. THE DANIEL TIGER MOVIE: WON’T YOU BE OUR NEIGHBOR? features a family that has just moved to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, leaving it up to Daniel and his community to welcome the newcomers with open arms.

THE DANIEL TIGER MOVIE: WON’T YOU BE OUR NEIGHBOR? will repeat throughout the week of September 17 (check your local listings) on PBS KIDS and the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel and live stream. It will also be available for free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. Additionally, two new episodes from DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD will debut throughout the week of September 17. The movie and episodes will explore themes such as making new friends and navigating unfamiliar social situations.

Jodi's First Day at School/Daniel Plays at Jodi's House
Premieres September 18

“Jodi’s First Day at School” - Jodi is nervous on her first day at a new school, so Teacher Harriet explains to Jodi that she can find something or someone she knows to help herself feel better. She spots Daniel Tiger, who is someone she knows! Daniel takes on the duties of “First Day Friend” to help Jodi feel comfortable at her new school.

“Daniel Plays at Jodi’s House” - Daniel goes to Jodi’s house after school. At first, Daniel feels a little nervous because he’s never played at Jodi’s house after school before. Then Daniel finds things he knows—like blueberries—to make himself feel better at Jodi’s house.

A New Friend at School/A New Friend at the Playground
Premieres September 20

“A New Friend at School” - Daniel can’t wait to race the crafty car he made at school with Prince Wednesday! But Prince Wednesday is busy playing with Jodi now. Is Prince Wednesday still Daniel’s friend? Of course he is.

“A New Friend at the Playground” - Daniel and Miss Elaina are playing together at the park. When their new friend Jodi shows up to play, Daniel worries that Miss Elaina likes Jodi more than him, but then Daniel is reminded that they’re all still friends.

This new movie and these shows are destined to help kids face the challenges of adjusting to new environments, like coping with a big move or starting at a new school.*


* No compensation was provided for this post. 

Coming September 11: The Personality Brokers by Merve Emre

An unprecedented history of a personality test devised in the 1940s by a mother and daughter, both homemakers, that has achieved cult-like status and is used in today's most distinguished boardrooms, classrooms, and beyond.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most popular personality test in the world. It has been harnessed by Fortune 100 companies, universities, hospitals, churches, and the military. Its language--of extraversion vs. introversion, thinking vs. feeling--has inspired online dating platforms and BuzzFeed quizzes alike. And yet despite the test's widespread adoption, experts in the field of psychometric testing, a $500 million industry, struggle to account for its success--no less to validate its results. How did the Myers-Briggs test insinuate itself into our jobs, our relationships, our Internet, our lives?

First conceived in the 1920s by the mother-daughter team of Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, a pair of aspiring novelists and devoted homemakers, the Myers-Briggs was designed to bring the gospel of Carl Jung to the masses. But it would take on a life of its own, reaching from the smoke-filled boardrooms of mid-century New York to Berkeley, California, where it was honed against some of the twentieth century's greatest creative minds. It would travel across the world to London, Zurich, Cape Town, Melbourne, and Tokyo; to elementary schools, nunneries, wellness retreats, and the closed-door corporate training sessions of today.

Drawing from original reporting and never-before-published documents, The Personality Brokers examines nothing less than the definition of the self--our attempts to grasp, categorize, and quantify our personalities. Surprising and absorbing, the book, like the test at its heart, considers the timeless question: What makes you you?

Pre-order here!

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (September 11, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385541902
ISBN-13: 978-0385541909

I've taken this test and I'm fascinated with personalities and why people act the way they do. I just added this to my Goodreads Want to Read list. What do you think of this one?

Product Review: Mrs. Wordsmith The Social Journey

Mrs. Wordsmith--a UK-based education company--has launched The Social Journey in the United States. This monthly subscription program for children ages 3 thru 6 is said to focus on "developing social and emotional intelligence...Young children develop deeper social, emotional and academic skills with the right vocabulary."

So many kids I know love getting packages in the mail. Isn't it great to know that this package will help them learn important skills to better prepare them for school, foster creativity and a love of reading, and teach them how to manage their feelings.

My package arrived in a colorful blue box with an animated character on the front that would encourage a youngster to tear it right open and get started. Inside, I discovered a storybook, an activity book, word cards, a sturdy stand and instructions.

As you can see, the storybook, activity book and word card include matching artwork that allows your child to recognize all the month's words and concepts through repetition. The artwork and storylines are so funny, parents and kids can enjoy a chuckle or two to make learning easier for everyone. These pictures can't do the artwork justice. Vibrant colors and zany character antics and facial expressions ensure your child will be picking up the books numerous days out of the month.

The storybook gets you started, but then you have days and days worth of activities to increase word use and comprehension. Coloring, drawing, writing practice and more can be found within these sheets that are easy to tear out. It is suggested you place the activity book on the included stand so your child can try out the activities whenever they feel like it.

The word cards help when you are on the go or if you're looking to spend some extra time playing word games. The first card gives you some ideas, but you can probably think up some of your own too.

The Social Journey is available online for $22.49 a month (cancel anytime) or you can save $30 by making one payment of $239.40. Shipping within the United States is free.

I wish The Social Journey was available when my girls were this age. A program that makes learning fun, fosters creativity and a love of reading, and helps children manage their feelings is destined to have a great impact on generations of children.


I received a free Mrs. Wordsmith The Social Journey package thanks to Allison+Partners. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - Sep 5

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

Welcome to September! I hope you had a nice Labor Day weekend. We took the girls into NYC as a belated birthday gift for the Lil' Diva (I should probably stop calling her that since she turned 17 last month).

We walked to Central Park on Sunday since Monday was going to be a scorcher. There was a little fair going on with amusement rides for the little ones. They posed in front of that and did some walking on the rocks. Sunday night we ate at John's Pizzeria and did some shopping in Times Square. Monday was filled with breakfast at a local cafe and more shopping (gosh, I swear that's all the girls like to do). The ride home was pretty easy, but we saw a ton of traffic driving back into New York Monday afternoon.

The kids in Central Park

Climbing rocks in Central Park

Times Square - Sep 2

Window shopping at Macy's--Found these cute piggies I would like to have in my house

We are happy that dance starts this coming weekend. The Lil' Princess might have soccer practice before dance. She will definitely be beat by the time she's done. 

It's a full work week for me. I keep hoping to take some time off to clean the house, but it never happens. I guess going to NYC instead of staying home to clean doesn't make me sound too worthy of sympathy. :) 

Hope you have a great week.