From the Children's Desk @Books & Books -Aug!

http://www.booksandbooks.com/teens
http://www.booksandbooks.com/kids

 

NEW!: Birthday Parties at Books & Books

Does your child love books? It's never too early to instill a love of

reading in your children – and the easiest way to do that is to

combine it with FUN! Books & Books has brainstormed a way

for you to celebrate your child's birthday with a party -- surrounded

by books. The gift registry will fill your child's library for years

to come. Choose one of three packages that fit your needs

best – The Bookworm, The Bestseller, The Bibliophile – all include

a variation of stories, crafts, lunch, cake, decorations, and more!

Follow this link to our Birthday Party Page!

 

Bal Harbour Shops: New Date & Time for Stories

Beginning August 1st, our Bal Harbour Shops Story Time will now take place

every Saturday at 11:30am. (Our weekly story time in the Gables remains the same;

every Saturday at 10am). Bring your little ones for great stories and creative t

ake-home crafts. (Ages 3-7)

Bal Harbour Shops: New Date & Time for Stories

Beginning August 1st, our Bal Harbour Shops Story Time will now take place

every Saturday at 11:30am. (Our weekly story time in the Gables remains the same;

every Saturday at 10am). Bring your little ones for great stories and creative t

ake-home crafts. (Ages 3-7)

Harry Potter Hex-travaganza!

We’ve been having cauldrons full of fun on Harry Potter Sundays, and

so far, we’ve screened the first 4 movies. But now that You-Know-Who

has risen, the magic and excitement has only just begun. Wear your robes,

and bring your wands (and a pillow to sit on); you’re not going to want to miss this.

August 5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG)

August 12 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (1) (PG-13)

August 19 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2) (PG-13)

Teens Blog for Books & Books – By Invitation Only

Are you a young adult who loves to read? Do you have

a blog or other form of social media to promote your

love of reading? We need your help! This fall, we’re

really ramping up our YA events and would like to

invite you to help us get the word out. Join us

Friday, August 10th at 5pm for “insider” information

on all of our upcoming YA events. Join us to discuss

some of the various opportunities in which you can help us, and in

turn we’ll promote your own blogs, and give you access to meet

and interview some amazing authors.  We’ll be brainstorming

ideas, discussing bestselling authors, and munching on some

delicious snacks. Please RSVP to becky@booksandbooks.com

if you’re interested in attending.

 

Family Day on Aragon: Star Wars

second Saturday of every month.  Together with the

Coral Gables Art Cinema and the Coral Gables Museum

we invite you to participate in some great, free offerings

geared for the entire family to enjoy. Saturday,

August 11th at Books & Books, start with a 10am

story time for kids ages 3-7, then follow with a film at

11am at the Coral Gables Cinema and activities at the

Museum. Then, join us again at Books & Books for

STAR WARS ORIGAMI at 1:30pm, for ages 7 and up.

Come dressed up as your favorite character and have your photo taken for our FB page. 

PJ Library Story Time

It’s great to find someone who loves books as much as

we do. That’s why we proudly work with the PJ Library, who

encourages Jewish families to cuddle up at night with their

favorite stories.  Once a month, the PJ Library partners with

local Jewish schools to hold a special story time at our stores

to teach important values to Jewish families. Hands-on crafts follow.

Join us on Sunday, August 12th for stories and crafts

dealing with going back to school and making new friends

there. 10:30am in Coral Gables, together with Temple Judea. 12 noon at Bal Harbour Shops.

You're Invited: Syd Hoff's 100th Birthday Party & Exhibit

You may recognize the name Syd Hoff.  He is the creative

genius behind the childhood classics, Danny & the Dinosaur

and Sammy the Seal. But did you know that Syd used to call

Miami Beach home? In honor of his 2012 centennial,

local journalist Dina Weinstein has curated an exhibit of Hoff’s life work

at the Miami Beach Regional Library. This exhibit is not to be missed.

On Saturday, August 25th at 11am we’ll celebrate Syd Hoff in

true Books & Books’ fashion with a birthday party featuring

storytelling, treats, games, and much more.

Last Chance for Summer Reading

With the new school year fast-approaching, we know you have plenty

of last minute details on your mind. Don’t let your child’s summer

reading be one of them. Stop into one of our locations to pick up

your books. Forgot your list at home? No problem; we have many

local school reading lists, and if we don’t we’ll look it up for you.

Don’t feel like leaving your house? Again, no problem; visit our

website and order your books directly to your door: www.booksandbooks.com

Miami Daily Deals for August 7

Miami Daily Deals for August 7

The Mother's Promise

http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/the-mother-tick-s-promise 

 THE MOTHER’S PROMISE:

I, _________________, do solemnly swear to fulfill to the best of my sleep-depraved (yes, depraved) ability this covenant between me and my child(ren) 24/7, 365 days a year.
I will strive to create days that are filled with laughter, bonding, play, new experiences, learning, nutritious meals and snacks and on-schedule rest for all. I will make playdates with other mamas and babes, for they keep us all sane.

Yet if there be a day filled with crying, sibling rivalry, boredom, junk food and failed naps, I will accept this, and work for a better tomorrow. I will not consume an entire bag of M&Ms/chips/gummy bears to erase my pain, as that will merely expand my a$%. I will rely via text on the comfort of my friends, and get the kids out of doors immediately. And if there be rain and we cannot go outside, I will not feel persecuted by the universe. I will devise another plan, even if that plan consists only of a visit to Target.

I will endeavor to be frugal, in the hallowed halls of Target as well as in other stores. I will not be led into temptation by an $8 box of organic cookies at Whole Paycheck. I will employ the aid of the Internet, magazines and word-of-mouth for free or low cost things to do.

I will avoid the Land of No, turning instead to the land of positive requests. I will demonstrate the wisdom to empathize, not chastise, to tell, not yell, to supervise, not patronize and to breathe, not seethe. Thank you, Jesse Jackson.

I will schedule myself time to exercise so as to avoid bitchiness and the 4-months-pregnant belly that necessitates a new wardrobe. I will have the sense to schedule personal time for myself at regular intervals. And if this personal time come not soon enough, and I feel desperation creeping in, I will make a plan, enlist childcare, don exercise wear or cocktail wear and leave my residence.

In case of meltdowns, I will remain calm and firm. I will not get sucked into the tornado into which my child has morphed. I will give him/her time alone or hold him/her as the situation merits. I will keep him/her from breaking bones by stealthily placing a blanket or towel nearby as he thrashes like a junkie with the DTs.

I will, come Sunday, organize a list of dinners for the upcoming week so that I am not a stressed out mess every day at 5:00 p.m.

I will get as much sleep as possible. If I plan to rest, I will take this rest, AS SOON AS THE CHILDREN GO DOWN FOR THEIR NAP. I will not clean, write, make phone calls, answer e-mails, search the Web, or go astray on the pages of Facebook, only to find that my unpredictable napper has awoken earlier than estimated and stolen my sleep. I will set an alarm if need be, so that I can putter about or prep dinner(!) after some power zzz’s.

I will realize that potty training is a process and that, long though it may take, my children will not cast their first presidential election ballot in diapers.

I will enlist the power of the elephant-in-the-armoire, the TV, in moderation. And I will not be afraid to do so, for PBS is good.

I will endeavor to devote some energy to my relationship with my husband so that we might enjoy our co-existence as husband and wife, and not only mother and father.

I will remain educated and up–to-date on the latest scholarship and ideas in parenting. I will strive to be more June Cleaver than Roseanne. I will refuse to, however, beat myself up for the forgot to do’s, could not do under the circumstances and cannot do’s. I will remember that though I may fail, though I may yell, though my kids might watch over an hour of Caillou daily, I am still a good mother.

Bow. exit stage left.

Like Daughter, Like Mother?

by By Carolyn of "Mama on the fly" (www.mamapedia.com)

Being the mom of a girl is tough. I knew it was going to be. Boys are different than girls in so many ways. My oldest daughter, MK, seems to have developed opinions earlier than my sons did about—well—pretty much everything! From what she wears, to what I wear, she doesn’t hold back. God forbid I don a black t-shirt two days in a row…

“Mommy, you wore that yesterday. You should wear a rainbow shirt. Rainbows are pretty. Your shirt is ugly.”

She’s a born fashion critic, which is somewhat humbling, but not my greatest concern. My biggest worry lies with the future—specifically, early adolescence and the social pitfalls that can accompany those years. How do I equip my daughters to face hurtful situations with resilience?

My fears are born out of two places—my own painful moments as a child and my professional experiences. As a former elementary school principal and teacher, I’ve had a front row seat to the ugliness that can unfold between girls. I know the issues of cattiness and cliques can begin as early as the first grade and are usually in full swing by the end of the primary years, but my daughter’s only four. I thought I had a few more years. Turns out, I was wrong.

The other day, while attending a program at MK’s preschool, I witnessed an episode that provoked a visceral reaction in me. We were just arriving as two of MK’s classmates—girls—were posing for a picture together. Not realizing that she was interrupting, when MK ran over to say hello, one of the girls shoved her away.

“This picture is only for us. We’re best friends. You aren’t.”

While I was busy picking my jaw up off the floor, MK turned away from the girls towards a mirrored wall. I could see her reflection. Her sweet smile was gone, and her eyes welled up with tears.
She was hurt—I was crushed.

I’m not proud of my initial instincts in that moment. Not only did I feel helpless, but I was instantly catapulted back to my own hurtful girlhood experiences. Memories of a wickedly mean classmate crashed into me like a ton of bricks, causing my stomach to lurch into my throat. I was angry and my mind was racing.

How dare this child treat my girl like that! Why didn’t the mother taking the picture reprimand her? Who the heck do these people think they are? If they think I’m going to just stand here and allow someone to hurt my daughter, they’ve got another thing coming!

Wait—get a hold of yourself.

There I stood—crazy thoughts flying through my mind—when I realized my daughter had already shaken it off and moved on to another group of friends. Thank goodness I was able to suppress my mama-bear desire to unleash in a tirade of fury.

Reflecting upon that incident makes me realize how difficult it will be to watch my daughters navigate hurtful situations. One might think I’d have more of a ‘been there, done that’ kind of attitude. I’ve already gone through this with my two now-teenage sons, but the girls are different for me. I’ve noticed that I’m quicker to relate my daughter’s experiences with my own simply because we share the common link of being female.

So, I’m bracing myself. Getting my three daughters through the pitfalls of girlhood is going to be challenging. I know the hurts are inevitable, but hopefully they’ll give way to lessons about the importance of moving past bruised feelings to happier places. That’s what breeds resilience and resilience is an important life skill—one, apparently, I’m still learning.

What do you think is the best way to react when you see your daughter being hurt by a classmate?