I love summer and all the wonderful benefits that come with it - paper plate dinners, relaxed schedules, and - thanks to days full of swimming suits and flip flops - significantly less laundry.  Of course, nothing kicks off a relaxing summer like a good read.  Whether I’m heading to the lake with the kids or simply lounging in the backyard - a great book is a summer staple for me.

So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m hoping you’ll pass along your favorite summer reads.  What book have you read lately that you couldn’t put down?  Is there a particular author that you can’t resist?  Is there a book you loved so much that you immediately passed it on to a friend?  I hope you’ll share a few of your favorites as well as a word or two about why you loved them.  I’m heading out on a 20-hour road trip soon so any suggestions for a fabulous, make-the-time-fly-by book would be greatly appreciated.

While we’re on the topic of summer reading, I thought I’d pass along a few of my favorite book sites, in case you’re in the market for a great read yourself:

GoodReads.com
This clever site is like a literary version of allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe site).  It’s a place for you and your friends to get together and rate, share, and review books.  It’s also a perfect spot to set up a virtual book club or join in on a discussion about your latest read.  Simple, easy to use, and totally free.  I highly recommend it.

SwapTree.com
Wondering what to do with the pile of paperbacks from last summer?  Don’t store them on a shelf, swap them!  SwapTree lets you trade in your old books, movies, games and CDs and use your credit to request new ones.  Whether you use it with the general public or just as a way to exchange books between friends and family, it’s a convenient (and free) way to rotate your collection.

Audible.com
Let’s face it, when you’ve got little kids, finding time to curl up with a good book can be tough.  However, it’s amazing how much ‘reading’ you can squeeze in when you’re listening instead of looking.  Trust me, mundane tasks like laundry and mopping are far less tedious when you’ve got a great audio book to keep you company.  You can listen to the audio books on your laptop or download them to any mp3/iPod device.  It’s not free, but in my opinion, their vast selection, ease of use, and impeccable sound quality make Audible well worth the price.

In addition to your favorite summer reads, if you’ve got other literary sites you love, I hope you’ll share them with the rest of us.  As always, to those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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Happy Easter everyone.  First off, let me say thank you for your insightful comments in regards to last week’s Talk To Me Tuesday post.  I was floored by the huge wealth of fabulous Mom-tested advice that came streaming in all week.  I’m going to have to have give away free stuff more often.  You guys are a fantastic resource and fully intend to take advantage of your brilliance. 

My 5 year-old daughter had the privilege of picking the winning comment number today.  She drew the number 26.  So congratulations to Lisa.  I’ll be sending you an email shortly.  Thanks again to everyone that participated.   I hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.  More great tips and simple solutions to come soon.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Well, it’s official…less than three weeks until the big day.  You’d think, since this is my fourth, that I’d have this whole baby thing down.  Yet, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last eight years of motherhood it’s that you can never have too much good advice when it comes to managing your ever-changing family.

So, for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post (sorry they’ve been a bit sporadic), I’m asking for your very best baby advice.  Whether it be survival suggestions for those first few sleepless months, tips and tricks for juggling busy schedules, or baby products that you can’t live without…I hope you’ll pass on all your bundle-of-joy wit and wisdom.

As a fun new twist for this Talk to Me Tuesday post I’ve got a great giveaway for you.  A few weeks ago I was searching Etsy.com for handmade baby supplies when I came across a sweet little shop aptly named The Pat-a-Cake Baby.  I was charmed by their trendy fabrics and ended up purchasing several of their perfectly packaged products.  One item I was particularly drawn to was their diaper diddie (TM).  It’s a clever little tool that tucks easily into your diaper bag and doubles as both a diaper/wipe holder and a comfy changing pad.  Unlike the boring vinyl versions you can find at the store, this diaper clutch is soft, thick and utterly adorable. 

Thanks to the generous donation of Jamie (the stay-at-home mom behind the Pat-a-Cake Baby Shop), I’ve got a fabulous diaper diddie (TM) to giveaway to one lucky reader.  You can see more photos and read the full product description by clicking this link.  Whether you’ve got a baby of your own or you simply want to have a charming gift on hand for your next baby shower, you won’t want to miss out on this great giveaway. 

To win, simply pass on your favorite baby tip in the comment area of this post before Saturday night (just one comment per person please).  On Sunday, I’ll draw a comment number at random and send an email to the winner.  The shipping is on me, so start thinking of your favorite baby tip now and join in the fun.  As always, to those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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Sorry this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post is a day late.  My internet was a bit patchy last night and I fell asleep waiting for the connection to stabilize.  Sorry guys, I’m pregnant…late-night energy bursts are a little hard to come by these days.

Generally, there are two crazy parts of my day.  The first is the 45 minutes before my kids head off to school.  The second is the 45 minutes before dinner hits the table.  Over the years, I’ve come up with lots of ways to simplify our morning routine but when it comes to the dinner-time crunch, I’m still searching.

I’ve read lots of suggestions on other blogs (Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday series is loaded with great menu ideas) and I’m noticing that tons of you use a crock pot to help simplify your weekday meals.  I must admit, I’ve had a crock pot for years now and I think I’ve only used it a dozen times.  It’s not that I don’t like the idea of crock pot cooking.  The concept of preparing dinner during the less-hectic hours of the day sounds fabulous.  My problem is that I seem to have trouble finding a great recipe.  In fact, I’d say about half of the crock pot meals I’ve made over the years turned out to be a mushy, meaty, mess. 

Now that the new baby is only eight weeks away, I’ve decided it’s time for me to dust off the crock pot and add a few stress-saving recipes to my weekly repertoire.  I suppose I could dig through my favorite cooking websites but I’m guessing I’ll get much better results if I turn to you guys instead.  I have a feeling that most of you probably have dozens of easy, family-tested crock pot recipes tucked up your domestic sleeves.  So for today’s Talk to Me Tuesday post, I’m hoping you’ll share a few of your favorites with me in the comments area. 

You’re welcome to either type out the recipe or simply link to the recipe on another site.  My only request is that in additon to the recipe you give a brief description of the dish and tell us why you love it.  As always, to those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I dread cleaning bathrooms.  I hate the germy gunk, the smelly chemicals, and the overall time commitment.  One area I particularly loathe is my shower.  For the last several years I’ve had a shower with sliding glass doors.  You know, those lovely glass doors that start out looking so bright and clear and slowly morph into cloudy, soap scum-covered eye sores?  Well, I hate cleaning them.  To begin with, it seems to take a lot of product to break through the soap scum.  On top of that, in order to get to the pesky scum you have to be willing to climb into the shower, close the doors, ruin whatever clothes you’re wearing, and inhale toxic fumes.  And to top it all off, no matter how hard you try, you can’t ever get to the pesky three inches of glass where the sliding doors overlap.

I’ve wrestled with my shower frustration for years now.  Then last week a simple solution to my years of shower hatred hit me right in the face…literally.  As I was scouring the scum-covered door, one of the glass panels popped out of its track and fell into the shower.  I thought about putting it back on and then realized that the door would be much easier to clean if I left it off the track.  Within ten minutes I had popped both panels off their track, cleaned both sides of the stubborn glass, and popped them back into place.  As a bonus, while the shower doors were off the track drying, I was able to step into the shower and scrub the walls and floor.  It was so much easier to get to all those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies now that the doors weren’t in the way.  At last, I’d found an easy and effective way to get my shower clean. 

Of course, immediately after figuring this out, I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.  I bet most of you figured it years ago.  In fact, I bet you guys have tons of great tips for a lack-luster house-cleaner like me.  So for today’s ‘Talk To Me Tuesday’ post, I’m asking for you for your favorite cleaning tips.  Are there cleaning products or tools that you can’t live without?  Have you found any tips or tricks that make your cleaning process easier or faster?  If so, I hope you’ll share it with the rest of us.  I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.  As always, for those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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Maybe I’m just a slacker parent, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with homework lately.  I’ve only got two in school and already the spelling words, reading minutes, and worksheets are starting to overwhelm me. 

Part of my problem is that my kids are so young that most, if not all, of their homework requires adult supervision.  For example, my third grade daughter is supposed to doing multiplication flash cards each night in addition to all her other work.  I think we’ve done it three times since school started because I’m having a hard time squeezing it in amidst all my other nightly duties and I refuse to push back kid bedtime.  In addition, when we do manage to squeeze the time in, she seems thoroughly bored by the whole flash card process.  Frankly, I can’t say that I blame her.  I’m kind of bored by the process too…which is probably another reason we do it so rarely.  See?  I told you I was a slacker Mom.

I’m hoping that a few of you experienced parents can help me out.  Have you found any great ways to inject a little fun into the homework process?  Additionally, have you come across any games, websites, or other alternatives that help your elementary-age kids manage homework on their own?  Any suggestions you could offer on this topic would be fabulous.  For those of you that comment, thanks - in advance - for passing it on.

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