07 June 2014

Shark Tale

This movie is great. It's very funny and gives a good message. Like Dreamworks other movie, 'Madagascar,' it becomes too mature for its target audience, therefore this is not really a film for small children. In fact, adults and teenagers will like this one the most. I think Will Smith is very funny as Oscar - his expressions were priceless!

Now why do people think this is some kind of rip off of Finding Nemo. Lets take a look at the similarities and differences:

Similarities:

*They both had vegetarian sharks.

*They both take place under the ocean.

Differences:

*Finding Nemo is more realistic and takes place on a reef with natural colours. Shark Tale tries a more artistic approach, making it more like a city with shops and apartments. The characters use phones, order pizzas etc.

*There are no humans in ST (apart from an anchor). Whilst with FN, humans were a main part of the story.

*ST is slightly more aimed at older children, teenagers and adults.

*The plots are totally different.

Comparing these two is like comparing apples and oranges. To be honest, I prefer Shark Tale over Finding Nemo. That's just my opinion. I think it is unfair to give Shark Tale a bad review just because it is something it was never intended to be.

The One & Only

The One & Only by Emily Giffin is the first book I've read that Emily has written. [This is also my first read for the Summer Reading Challenge 2014 from BookSparks PR. Yay!] Okay, so, yeah. I am having a bit of trouble forming my thoughts on this story. I cannot stop thinking about it and the different characters and just all the things in the book. Let's see. I'm going to try to form a review that makes sense, because mostly, my brain is just going "oh my goodness!" from this story. :)

For nearly three-fourths of the story, I kept feeling like I was on the fence. Just back and forth on my feelings about everything...about Shea, about her as a person and her choices. There were some moments where I really just found her unbelievable and silly and just wanted to shake her. There were other times that I really liked her and could understand where she was coming from. Shea has a lot of issues. It seems like all the relationships in her life - friends, boyfriends, family, just every one - is awkward and strange and has some moments where it just doesn't seem real. The one relationship that does seem real and uncomplicated in her life is her relationship with football.

The football aspects of this story were actually some of my favorite parts. As an Ohio girl who is a huge football fan, and a Dallas Cowboys fan, I really enjoyed those elements of the book. I liked football as the cornerstone that brought everything together. I think without it, the story would have been a lot harder for me to accept and enjoy. I actually found myself more caught up in the Walker games than anything else!

I spent a lot of this story feeling angsty (I don't think that's a word) and anxious and all caught up in so much craziness. I felt awkward a lot of the times that Shea did. I think if I was Shea, I would have lost it. But the story came around and, just like a win on the last second of a game, pulled it together for me. The tears came, and I felt satisfied with the ending of the story. I love when that happens...even though I was engrossed in the story and didn't want to put it down, I still didn't know if I was going to like it until I read the last couple of pages. In the end, and reflecting on the story since finishing it...I did enjoy it. There was a lot I liked about it and ultimately, the story kept me intrigued from start to finish. What more can you ask for?! The One & Only by Emily Giffin kept me thinking about the story even when I wasn't reading it. I think it's one that will stick with me for a while. I look forward to picking up another Emily Giffin book sometime.

Before we kiss



The day that I got this book I had to read it right then. I was supposed to be cleaning and organizing costumes and sewing stuff but I had to read this book. When I started reading this book, I could not put it down. I was just going to read a little and the next thing I knew I was done. I am a big fan of the Fools Gold Series that Susan Mallery writes. I really enjoyed this visit to Fools Gold and catching up with everyone there. The way Susan writes makes you feel like you are a part of this community and that the characters are your friends and neighbors.

I just love the story of Dellina and Sam. I have been looking forward to the story about Sam since he first came to town. I just loved meeting Sam’s parents. They were a hoot but I did feel sorry for Sam since they seem to have no boundaries most of the time. I was glad that Dellina is finally getting her happy ever after. As always the “boys” were a hoot and I am looking forward to Jack and Kenny’s story too.

It was so nice to see all the folks from Fools Gold again. I just love all the folks in Fools Gold. This book will make you laugh, cry and even read faster because of the suspense of some of the scenes. It is great how all the women in the town support each other thru their ups and down.

I am really looking forward to more stories from Fools Gold this year. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

Take my breath away

Poppy is a single mother raising her young son, Mason, and working on rebuilding resort cabins in the mountains of California. To Poppy, the cabins and resort are her family’s inheritance and a testament to their history. Because her brother and sisters believe this is a lost cause she is working on things alone.

Ryan is an entertainment personality who is not only wealthy but living with a sorrow in his life. Every year, he has a period of such intense pain that he has determined he wants to find a place to stay where he can remain completely isolated from his normal life. His success has not protected him from what he considers to be his failure.

When he and Poppy meet, there is immediate attraction and when a storm does huge damage to the resort the attraction becomes much more.

Both Poppy and Ryan are dealing with pain in their past. Each of them have difficulty dealing with issues. Both find it hard to communicate about inner most thoughts.

This book is a romance, but it is also about family relationships and learning to live life as it is, not as we would wish. It is also about learning to accept help and love from the people around us. There is a great deal of growth shown by both Poppy and Ryan as they see that life can hold joy as well as disappointment.

The plot is well developed. At first I had a hard time getting into the story, once I got a little more deeply in, I remained involved. The characters are created to be well rounded human beings. Each has flaws as well as attractive characteristics.
The secondary characters add a great deal to the story. I was especially enamored of, Mason, Poppy’s little boy. The family and friends who are introduced as the story progresses each bring a new layer to the story.
I can see why Ms Ridgway is such a popular author.

THE LITTLE PRINCESS




I was actually pleasantly surprised by this book. I'm not really even a kid person and I liked it. Which considering its a romance that revolves around a kid that's saying something.

When Tanner learns that he has a child, it doesn't come as a surprise per say. He'd already agreed with the mother that they were going to give the baby up for adoption. But when he goes to look at his newborn daughter he realizes that he can't give her up. So while the mother jet-sets to California, he becomes a single father. And doctor Kelly Hall goes from not liking this father to be to really admiring him. Enough that she offers to help him buy baby stuff and help out the first couple of weeks to get him adjusted to the infant. What she doesn't expect is to fall for him though, especially when she has so many things in her past that she has to overcome too.

Tanner is a great guy. He has flaws, but isn't afraid to jump headfirst into anything. And he's pretty awesome for wanting to raise his daughter by himself. So many guys wouldn't want to do that. Yes I know he's fictional, but he seems very real. Kelly was good too. She had some shadows in her past and had to work through them and find some self acceptance. And that's a good lesson right there and a good draw to a realistic character. The baby played a somewhat lesser role in this book, despite it being the main focus of the story.

Considering this book was all about a baby, it was more than just feedings and diapers and baby stuff. Which actually that was kind of weird because the baby played a small role next to the romance story. It was more Kelly and Tanner doing stuff and getting stuff ready for the baby as opposed to taking care of her. But it was still a good story. There are some long sex scenes in it, so if that's not your thing, you probably shouldn't read it. I liked how everything progressed and the book had a good pace to it.

The important role of book in our lives



The book is a valuable source of knowledge that consists of infinite benefits. It transports us into different worlds and cultures, as well as, it informs us about ancient civilizations and lore. In addition, it helps us to learn about new technologies and literature. It allows speaking languages fluently and to communicate spontaneously. Therefore, the book can be faithful friend and the nearest into us which can guide us to how to behave in our practical life.
Our practical life is also, in addition to books, based on experience. This latter is a crucial element that assists to overcome obstacles. Experience keeps our minds aware of the way to solve some problems, for example, if someone re-confront a problem, it would be easy for him/her to solve it. Experience also could indicate to us the suitable method of living in our life.
In conclusion, learning is a strong challenge that requires patience and efforts. Books and experiences are the best manners of learning because of their vast importance and great advantages.
Books can play a very important role in shaping our life because we can learn lots of things easily from books. Books provide a great solution in front of us to learn about anything and increase our knowledge level. Therefore, large numbers of people around the world read books because they find them very useful. Books are present in our world from many centuries in different forms and shapes of books are changing with time. Today, we can find books in pdf or audio formats as per the need of people. Though, all these books provide same help by increasing our knowledge levels. People can easily buy books from  :
The book is a valuable source of knowledge that consists of infinite benefits. It transports us into different worlds and cultures, as well as, it informs us about ancient civilizations and lore. In addition, it helps us to learn about new technologies and literature. It allows speaking languages fluently and to communicate spontaneously. Therefore, the book can be faithful friend and the nearest into us which can guide us to how to behave in our practical life.
Our practical life is also, in addition to books, based on experience. This latter is a crucial element that assists to overcome obstacles. Experience keeps our minds aware of the way to solve some problems, for example, if someone re-confront a problem, it would be easy for him/her to solve it. Experience also could indicate to us the suitable method of living in our life.
In conclusion, learning is a strong challenge that requires patience and efforts. Books and experiences are the best manners of learning because of their vast importance and great advantages.
Books can play a very important role in shaping our life because we can learn lots of things easily from books. Books provide a great solution in front of us to learn about anything and increase our knowledge level. Therefore, large numbers of people around the world read books because they find them very useful. Books are present in our world from many centuries in different forms and shapes of books are changing with time. Today, we can find books in pdf or audio formats as per the need of people. Though, all these books provide same help by increasing our knowledge levels.

Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity


I've had a few weeks to let this book sink in and I must say that I'm very impressed with what these authors have written. Basing a business approach on the Law of Attraction may seem a little new-agey to some hardened business people. But a great gift of the New Age thinkers is the betterment of our society and living with integrity.

Being a former business owner (and present-day self-help author), I can really appreciate the concept of attracting the best customers and the best employees. The recommended strategy of finding out what makes people tick, looking for room for improvement, finding out what others expect of you, and having more than one plan are clearly defined in the "Strategic Attraction Process."
These authors understand another gift of New Age thinking and that is the concept of manifesting results. That starts with ideas, thinking, attitudes, identities, standards and beliefs. This foundation is thoroughly covered in the "6 Standards of Strategic Synchonicity."
But my favorite part of the book is where they talk about the "21 Daily Tips." Here is a simple treasure chest of ideas for stimulating the attraction process. Some enlightened goodies include:
* Let your perfect customer know they are perfect
* Expect breakthroughs to look like breakdowns
* Share, share, and share yourself
* Break bread with a competitor
* Accept that you don't know
* Make irresistible improvements
I could go on and on about this book. It all boils down to approaching business from a higher place and enjoying the benefits of giving your passion to the value you produce.
Becoming an enlightened business person is a great way to live your passion! This book certainly helps in your quest.

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06 June 2014

Great interactive book & keepsake




What better way to involve your children in reading books than to have them fill out a book of short funny questions about themselves? I bought this for my niece when she was able to write her alphabet & check boxes. All her relatives had fun asking her questions & helping her fill it out. Her grandpa drove her around his small town to get signatures from a neighbor, a relative, a postman, a man over 6 feet tall, a man with a moustache, etc. I found out what her favorite friends, colors, foods & pets are. She answered how she acted when she got mad & how bad she felt afterwards (she added several exclamation points after checking that box). : ) She drew a picture of a bird & named it after her little sister.

It helps to give this book to a child when he or she will shortly be returning home because the book asks you to count windows, doors, forks, & faucets in the house. (It helps practice counting, too.) It's not really a rhyming book in the expected Dr. Seuss sense, but it has a nice mixture of questions, boxes to check, & pages to draw. As a hardbound book it makes a great keepsake. I'd unequivocally recommend it to anyone.

Encourages children to find out about themselves, while having fun writing and drawing their own biographies.  

I'm on DADDY'S Team !!!




What a good surprise this will be for dad he will love seeing his little boy support him. Great Shirts for Dad and the Kids - Coordinating father and Baby Girl Onesie. Choose Shirt or Onesie, Or both to make a great gift for the new dad who is thrilled to join Team Daddy. A great gift for Dad's birthday, Father's Day or holiday gift for Dad to show him Dad's Team is the best team! 
Our super comfy infant bodysuits are sure to be a hit wherever you take your little one. This exclusive Threadrock design is available on multiple color and size combinations; available colors and sizes are selectable. Bodysuits feature lap shoulder construction for over-the-head ease and three button snap closure for a diaper friendly fit.

Extra 15% Off Select Hitachi Tools for Father's Day



Powers Through Tough Jobs with Ease
The C15FB runs off of any standard 115-volt power supply and features a robust 15 Amp single-phase motor that spins the 15-inch blade at no-load speeds of up to 3,400 RPM.
To get the motor going, use the trigger switch that's located on the comfortably designed handle. A lock-off button provides safety by locking the trigger when the saw is not in operation. When the trigger switch is released, an electric brake will stop the blade rotation to help prevent accidental cuts.
Sturdy Base Provides Support for Long Pieces
When you're cutting long pieces, the included extension guides that extend out from the base will give you the stability you need. Also, gear-case center beam support will help increase cutting accuracy as overall tool life. Additionally, a stopper feature will allow for precise continuous cuts in lengths that you preset.
Easy Miter Cuts to the Left or Right
The C15FB has positive miter detents at 0, 15, 22.5, 30, 45, and 57 degrees to the left or right. The easy-to-read miter index lets you quickly find the correct angle for the job, and a side handle makes it easy to adjust the table angle.
A 4-3/4- x 7-9/32-inch depth of cut allows this saw to cut through trim and molding while standing vertically. This is useful for cutting crown molding without ever having to lift the workpiece off the table to get the proper angle.
User-Friendly Tool That's Built to Last
Hitachi designed the C15FB with easy access to the carbon brush, so it's easy to replace the brush and greatly prolong the life of the tool. The included dust-collector attachment helps to reduce the amount of airborne particles in the work area, and the debris deflection guard diverts debris from the workspace.
Compatible with Hitachi UU610 Universal Work Station (not included), the Hitachi C15FB Miter Saw measures 29-3/4 inches tall and weighs 55 pounds. It is backed by Hitachi's five-year limited warranty.
About Hitachi: A Tradition of Innovation
Hitachi Power Tools (Hitachi Koki USA, Ltd.) provides professional-grade power tools for a variety of applications, including woodwork, metalwork, concrete, drilling, cutting, and fastening. Hitachi is a leader in power tool research and development and has achieved many firsts in the power tool industry. Today, Hitachi continues the tradition of innovation and engineering with new features in addition to classic quality.

What's in the Box
C15FB Miter Saw, 15-inch combo saw blade, dust bag, vise assembly, extension guide, and wrench.

Great Father's Day Gift for Dads Who Like to Camp!




The Little Critters in the book are a cross between trolls, bears, and porcupines . . . and they certainly are humorous to consider. This book is perfect for the 2-5 year old set. As your child gets older, this book will also make a good beginning reader. The idea of going camping alone with Dad will be encouraged by the story (especially if you reassure your child that bears are unlikely to take her or his fish). While many people would assume this is about a father and son, there is no language to say so. Only the blue overalls give any hint of sex, so I think the book will work well for daughters.
The story involves a camping trip. Mom waves goodbye, and the father and child are off. The father lets the child participate in as many ways as possible, even though it doesn't always work out. For example, the spot the child picks out to camp on turns out to be occupied by a porcupine and a snake!
The high point of the trip is when the child catches a fish. Dad takes a picture, and the child starts to cook the fish. Then the bear comes and snatches the fish out of the frying pan! I know from our children that fishing seems to provide endless fascination at this age. We always taught our children to carefully release the fish. Eating them is good too.
The book ends with "We slept in our tent all night long -- just me and my dad." At these ages, children are not always eager to do things without Mom. But Mom needs a break sometimes, and many Dads love to do a little direct bonding which this book will encourage.
The illustrations are bright, lovingly detailed, and humorous in as many ways as possible. They are rendered in either gouache or water color. I couldn't quite tell which medium was used.
Of special note are a tiny cricket or grasshopper and a spider that humorously accompany the father and child. This illustrated story within a story is worth the price of the book alone. Small children will naturally gravitate towards these little creatures and want to point them out with their tiny fingers.
Make wonderful laughing connections with this book!
After your child is comfortable with it, I suggest that you plan a little camping trip to find out how your child likes the actual experience. Naturally, some fishing might be in order!

Daddy hugs



"Daddy Hugs" is one of the only baby-toddler books I've seen out there about Dads that doesn't focus on the stereotypical "macho-man" Daddy roles (like building a tree house or going camping/fishing). This is a great book for Daddies to read to their little ones that reinforces a more modern, nurturing Daddy. In the book, Karen Katz counts 10 different ways Dads can give their babies hugs (i.e.: kissing boo-boos, burping, getting ready for bed, first steps, playing hide-and-seek, dancing on Daddy's feet, etc.) The board book format makes this a great gift to give to new Dads, to incourage the ritual of reading to baby. Great way for new Dads who may even be a bit nervous about their new role to bond with their babies and see just how special that relationship can be.............