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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That’s when I remembered an idea I read about in Family Fun Magazine.  One clever Mom suggested using Priority Mail boxes to store kid art projects.  I use Priority Mail to ship all my MeckMom Etsy Store orders, so luckily I had a pack of these flat rate boxes sitting in the garage.  I pulled out three boxes and labeled them with each child’s name, teacher, grade, and the year.  Next, I started sifting through their stash and pulled out my favorite pieces.  Then, I let the kids choose a few of their favorites.  After that, I went through their family inbox (that’s where I temorarily store stuff I want to keep) and added a few more items to their box (like school pictures, awards, mother’s day cards, etc.). 

My plan from this point is to take a video of each child going through and describing the treasures in their box.  Once that’s done, we’ll pack everything up, seal the box, and move them to the big, plastic  container in the garage. 

It’s not a permanent solution - eventually I hope to make DVDs of each kid’s photos, art, and videos.  It’s just a great way to keep everything organized (and off my floor) until I have time to take on the bigger project.  The flat rate boxes are available for free at your local post office or online at usps.com.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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My greeting card box is a simple accordion style file box with built-in dividers.  I bought it to coordinate with my other office stuff at Staples for around $18, but you could use a cheaper plastic version or a three-ring binder stocked with sheet protectors as well.  Essentially, I divided the box into the basic card categories (thank you, holiday, birthday, etc.) and labeled the dividers with return address-size labels.  To help keep things tidy, I store the cards in the open slots and stash all the envelopes in the back.

Whenever I’m kid-free and get a chance to visit Hallmark or the greeting card aisle of Target, I try to stock up on a random collection of cards to replenish my supply.  That way when special events such as birthdays and baby showers pop up on my calendar I’ve always got a few great cards to choose from. 

I’m not much of a ’saver’ (I like to keep digital copies), but if you have a hard time parting with hand-written notes from friends and family you could also use this system to keep your treasured cards safe and organized.  Just make sure your file box or binder is made of acid-free materials like this plastic version from Amazon.com.

This little quick fix is cheap, easy, and completely convenient - three of my favorite organizing adjectives.  :)  Just thought I’d pass it on.    

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It’s kind of amazing how quickly the kitchen floor can go from clean to crumb-covered. Even if the mess is isolated to a certain spot (like that pesky area under the stools) - the kitchen gets so much foot traffic that the initial mess seems to spread within minutes. My solution? Catch the mess early with a Butler’s Broom - or better yet, make your kids do it. I bought this handy little tool in the cleaning supplies section of Wal Mart for around $10. Its short size makes it very kid-friendly and allows it to tuck away neatly on my pantry door. It’s perfect for sweeping up small messes and reaching into tight corners. As a bonus, the handle-mounted dustpan saves you from bending down and it’s large enough to hold even the bigger kitchen clean-ups. I’ve used mine several times a day for the past two years and - although it’s starting to signs of wear - still works like a charm.

My Grabber was another Wal Mart find that I can’t live without. On any given day, I probably pick up dozens of random items off my floors, tables, sofas (and pretty much any other horizontal surface). I guess it might have something to do with the 4 people in our family that are less than 40 inches tall. You long time readers might remember the stash boxes I created to help deal with this pick-up-after-yourselves problem. Although the stash boxes and our weekly stash box challenge help a ton, I still hate bending over a zillion times a day to pick up what remains. That’s where this handy tool comes in. Designed to help people with disabilities extend their reach, the Grabber is perfect for Moms looking to streamline their clean-ups.  It’s narrow and lightweight which makes it incredibly convenient for grabbing kid shoes, papers, matchbox cars, couch cushions and pretty much everything else that wanders out of place each day. Best of all, the long handle virtually eliminates the need to bend over and provides extended reach for when your son decides to stash his rotten apple core behind the way-too-heavy-to-move-by-yourself armoire.

I loved having my Grabber during pregnancy - especially during that last trimester when I couldn’t bend over to tie my own shoes, let alone pick up Polly Pockets. If you’ve got a baby shower to attend in the near future, I highly recommend skipping the sea of traditional pastel baby presents and picking up a Grabber instead. Trust me, yours will be the first thank you card she’ll write! You can find the Grabber at various sites online or in the “as seen on TV” section of your local Wal Mart for around $10. Just thought I’d pass it on.

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Now that I’m back on my feet, I hope to be back on track with my weekly blogging as well.  Just to warn you - little Will seems to have a knack for getting hungry as soon as my laptop hits my lap - so my posts may be a bit sporadic for a few weeks.  If you haven’t already, you may want to subscribe to my new posts via Feedblitz.  It’s a free service that will deliver all new posts directly to your inbox.  I’ve got lots of great posts on the docket for the next few weeks and I’d hate for you to miss them.  You can find the Feedblitz subscription link on the right.

Thanks for your patience and your well wishes, everyone.  I’ll be in touch! 

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