Story Time

I have a confession. I don't like to read. I use to, but over the past several years I've lost interest. Every single time I walk into Barnes & Noble I get this excitement about reading. I'm always very determined to leave the store with a book, yet I usually just leave with a frappuccino. Oops! I hear people talking about the books they're reading, and they are so into them. Then comes the dreaded question. "What do you like to read Amanda?"

This is a hard question for me. The truth is, I do read, just not books for adults. I read tons of children's books to my students, but I'm sure my non-teacher friends aren't interested in the latest adventures of Frog and Toad. But, that's what I know. And the sad part is, I love to read children's books!

Maybe you are looking for books to read to the children in your life, so I'm going to share some my favorites.

Elmer (David McKee)
I love to read Elmer to my students! Elmer is a patchwork elephant....not the plain gray color like the rest of his friends. He starts to feel out of place, so he tries to turn himself gray to fit in. The book teaches children to be proud of what makes them unique.

Chrysanthemum (Kevin Henkes)
Chrysanthemum is another great book about being happy with yourself. The girl (mouse) in the story was raised to think that her name, Chrysanthemum, was absolutely perfect! She starts school and quickly finds out that her friends think that her name is too long, and anything but perfect.

Junie B. Jones (Barbara Park)
This series is absolutely hilarious to read for both children and adults. Junie B. Jones is a mischievous kindergartner/first grader who is constantly getting into something. The author writes the books in a way that makes them so fun to read aloud. The tone of the books is exactly like talking to a child. Junie B. tries to use big words, but they typically come out all wrong. My students will sit completely silent, listen, and crack up when I read these books.

Dr. Seuss Books
I love to read Dr. Seuss books to children! Even if they can't read the book, they can "read" several of the words just by picking up on the rhyming patterns. I've never met a kid who doesn't love Dr.Seuss!

A Weekend With Wendell (Kevin Henkes)
This book is great! Wendell goes to spend the weekend with his cousin, Sophie. He wants to be in charge of everything. They play house and Wendell is the mother, the father, and the five children. Sophie is the dog. Then they play hospital. Wendell is the doctor, the nurse, and the patient. I love this story because it reminds me of my childhood. My sister use to play school all of the time. She was the teacher and her stuffed animals were the students. I was usually the carpet, or the door. I couldn't even get on the substitute list! Sophie and I have a lot in common.

There are tons of other great books to read to children. What are your favorites? Leave me a comment so I can read them for myself.

Do You Have Any Coupons?

I love using the self checkout at Wal-Mart! I secretly like to pretend like I am an employee. I like how the computer always asks if I have any coupons, but sadly the answer is usually no. I don't. I am not a coupon clipper. I know people who save all kinds of money with coupons, but I just can't figure it out. I see the commercials advertising the Extreme Couponing show on TLC all the time. Those people are REALLY serious about coupons! They go to the grocery store and load up a cart for like $3! That's just ridiculous! While I don't think I will ever be that serious about it, I have come across some pretty cool websites that I'd like to share. Perhaps you've heard about these already and I'm behind, but maybe not.

Coupon Cabin

Coupon Cabin is a website that offers thousands of coupons and online coupon codes for popular retailers. You can sign up for the e-mail newsletter and have coupons sent straight to you, and even be alerted when coupons to your favorite stores are added! You can also hunt for coupons using the search bar on the homepage. http://www.couponcabin.com/

The Krazy Coupon Lady

This lady really is coupon crazy! This blog style website features lots of free or close to free products daily. For example, today there's info on $0.32 Folgers coffee, $0.49 French's mustard, and $0.99 Pedia Care. Not only are there tons of awesome deals, but she even helps people learn how to really start couponing. Just click on the tab called "Beginners." This website is full of great deals! http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

Free Stuff Times

This website features daily coupons and freebies. Most of the things are samples, but there are other things too. Be sure to check daily! http://www.freestufftimes.com/



There are lots of other great couponing sites. Check these out, see what kind of great deals you can find, and let me know how much you save. Do you know of other great sites? Leave those in a comment too. Maybe next time I go to Wal-Mart and the self-checkout asks "Do you have any coupons?" I will say absolutely!