Review: Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau

After reading the summary and some other reviews of this novel, Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau, I was super excited to get this one to review!!

The Summary:

Lorna Crawford has a great boyfriend, longtime friends, and a well-paying job as a special-events coordinator at a premium ice-cream manufacturer. But, out of sorts and filled with self-doubt, the 33 year old realizes that what she really wants is to stay on the spiritual path she keeps diving off of. Lorna jump starts her efforts at a silent yoga retreat. But after returning from the mountain, she quickly loses her connection in the face of scheming coworkers, judgemental girlfriends, and especially, her overly critical mother. Lorna also wrestles over her future with her boyfriends, a hot guy who takes her to the hottest places, but who can't discern a meditation cushion from a toad stool. Reading spiritual books and visiting a channeler and energy healer move Lorna forward, but her confusion remains.

Lorna's seeking is put to the ultimate test when personal tragedy strikes. Will she come to truly understand that living spiritually has little to do with how you pretzel yourself on the yoga mat (although she gets plenty good at that), and everything to do with embracing the twists in every day life?

Review:

Downward Dog, Upward Fog by Meryl Davids Landau really dives into Lorna's spiritual journey. It really isn't all about just the poses on the yoga mat and learning how to breathe. Lorna, who supposedly has it all, is so stressed out and is really searching for some calm and perspective in her life. As she reads several spiritual books, we also get to learn some interesting spiritual concepts and quotes from new-age spiritual leaders that make total sense for daily life. Will she be able to apply these teachings in the face of all the distractions - especially her mother?!

I really enjoyed this novel. I thought it was interesting and out of the box. I also think it will give you a perspective on spirituality. Though this book may not be for everyone, if you are open to just reading a really good novel, then it just might open your eyes to something different. I'm definitely trying to look at things differently - even if I am not going full tilt and creating a meditation altar.

I want to thank Meryl Davids Landau for sending me a copy of her novel. I highly enjoyed it, and thanks for helping me put some things in perspective.

To read more about the novel, check out DownwardDogUpwardFog.com!!

Sharing the love, and some hugs

I came up with Hug story time because of a super cute and totally perfect for story time book came across my desk. I also found out that Hug a Bear day was coming up, so I thought we'd combine the two and have a fabulous story time.

Hug a Bear day also brought out the song writer in me (I say 'song writer' very loosely). This new song is to the tune of "Rock the Boat" by Hues Corporation.

Hug the bear, don't hug the bear, baby!
Hug the bear, don't hug him, he'll eat you!!

A couple of the moms appreciated it! Hahaha!! Anyway, back to story time...

Book: One More Hug for Madison by Caroline Church



Song: A Hug from You (To the tune of Mary had a Little Lamb. Taken from Preschool Education Music and Songs: Valentines Day)
It's nice to get a hug from you, hug from you, hug from you,
It's nice to get a hug from you,
So, let's give one right now!

Book: How to Hug by Maryann Macdonald


Rhyme: Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear (traditional, with my own interpretation)
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Turn Around
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch the Ground
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch your Nose
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Touch your Toes
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Dance on the Rug
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Give a Big Hug!

Book: How Do You Hug a Porcupine by Laurie Isop


Craft: Since this theme was based on Hug a Bear day, we made Bear CD magnets!


And, as usual, it's FMRNS!!! Two for the Road, a romance from 1967 with Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn was the feature for this week. This movie follows a married couple through the ups and downs in the journey of their marriage. They go through so much and they really need to decide what is important. It was very sentimental, and of course, listworthy!!

Wheelin' around!

Found some fun books that each had something to do with wheels or round things. Well, almost all of them... =)

I'm also changing up my Opening song. The Favorite Children's Songs CD that I had always been using was starting to get a little choppy, so I decided to see if I could find another fun version of If You're Happy and You Know It. I'll let you know what version I decide on!! But for now:

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.



Book: Wheels Go Round by W. Nikola-Lisa


Song: Wheels on the Bus

Book: Little Duck's Bicycle Ride by Dorothy Stott (Sorry - no picture!!)

Rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock

Book: You Are My Sunshine by Caroline Jayne Church


Interactive Playtime

It's been a while!!

I was just thinking today how it has been a LOOOOOOOOOONG time since I had a patron story. It's about time, right??

The scene: Preschool Story Time, at the end of the program while the kids are all working on their craft... I'm walking around, complimenting everyone on their fabulous art.

Real Librarian: Oh, wow - I love those ears!! Did you know that purple is my most favorite color?

Pre-school Artist: Purple is my most favorite color too!!! And my most favorite boy is Justin Bieber!!!

Looks like we have some Bieber Fever up in here!!! LOL

And the winner is...

Ugh, I am such a slacker. Please forgive my tardiness in announcing the winner of this FABULOUS giveaway!!!! I promise to not keep y'all in suspense for a minute longer... The winner of a copy of The Journey of the Noble Gnarble is...

ELLIE!!!

I've sent you an email requesting your snail mail address. I'll then forward your info on to the publisher, who will mail you your book! Congratulations!!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered!! And thanks to everyone for reading my blog!!!

A mixed-up storytime

This story time was a mix of body parts and animals - yeah, a little weird. And we even threw in some colors, too!!!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.


Book: Mommy, Carry Me Please by Jane Cabrera


Rhyme: This Little Piggy

Book: Look at the Baby by Kelly Johnson


Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Book: The Artist who Painted a Blue House by Eric Carle


Interactive Playtime

Fall into Monday

This week, we did Fall stories for the little ones!!! Can I just tell you how cute these little ones are?!?! I am loving my Toddlers!!!!!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.




Book: Mouse's First Fall by Lauren Thompson


Song: The Leaves on the Trees (to the tune of Wheels on the Bus - adapted from Jean Warren's Preschool Express Fall leaves & rhymes page)

The leaves on the trees are falling down, falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the trees are falling down, all through the town!

Let's rake the leaves into a mound, into a mound, into a mound.
Let's rake the leaves into a mound, all through the town!

The children in the town jump up and down, up and down, up and down.
The children in the town jump up and down, on the leaves on the ground!

Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri


Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty (because he had a great FALL! Haha, sorry, I couldn't resist)

Book: Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker



Interactive Playtime

Oooohhhhhh, spooky!!

This year for Hallopween I decided to focus on Spooky stories instead of Halloween. It was great getting all the kids to make spooky sounds!!!!

Opening Song: Shake My Sillies Out - Raffi

Book: Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane (there is a line about Halloween at the very end of this book, but that page can be avoided if you don't want to bring up the Halloween side of the spooky).



Song: If you're a ghost and you know it (to the tune of If You're Happy and you Know It) (Taken from Brooklyn Public Library's First Five Years Halloween Songs page)

If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!!!
If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!!!
If you're a ghost and you know it, and you really wanna show it!
If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!!!

Book: The Teeny-Tiny Woman by Paul Galdone


Rhyme: 5 Little Jack-o-Lanterns (taken from Jean Warren's Preschool Express Pumpkin Songs page) I also made it into a flannel board.

Five little jack-o-lanterns glowing by the door
Father took one and that left four.

Four little jack-o-lantersn, a sight to see
Mother took one and that left three.

Three little jack-o-lanterns lit through and through
Brother took one and that left two.

Two little jack-o-lanterns greeting everyone
Sister took one and that left one.

One little jack-o-lantern, with a great big grin
I picked him up and took him in.


Book: The Woods by Paul Hoppe

Craft: Night Scene (I just google imaged a picture of a scared cat and a flying bird, cut the other shapes, and there you have it!)

This week for FMRNS we watched something that neither of us had seen yet. Remember, this is where we watch a movie, and then decide if it is 'Listworthy' or not. If it is, we cheer and immediately add it to the list. If it is NOT, then we point at the screen, and say in our judgy-est voices "NOT LISTWORTHY!!!" It's actually a really fun tradition!! Anyway, this feature definitely belongs on the list!!! The Lincoln Lawyer from 2011 with Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, and Ryan Phillippe was phenominal!!! Lots of twists and turns!!!

A new season

It's Fall!!! YAY!! I have to admit, I used to really not like fall. Fall meant that winter was coming. Of course, it still does, but winter is different in the south!!! Anyway, enough about all that, and on to the story time!!!!

Opening Song: Shake My Sillies Out - Raffi

Book: Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall

Song: The Leaves on the Trees (to the tune of Wheels on the Bus - adapted from Jean Warren's Preschool Express Fall leaves & rhymes page)

The leaves on the trees are falling down, falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the trees are falling down, all through the town!

Let's rake the leaves into a mound, into a mound, into a mound.
Let's rake the leaves into a mound, all through the town!

The children in the town jump up and down, up and down, up and down.
The children in the town jump up and down, on the leaves on the ground!

Book: Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert


Rhyme: Count the Falling Leaves (also taken from Jean Warren's Preschool Express Fall Leaves songs & rhymes page)

One, two leaves fell down.
Three, four, they hit the ground.
Five, six, they fell so quick.
Seven, eight, they lay so straight.
Nine, ten, let's start again!

Book: Fall is Not Easy by Marty Kelley (this is my ultimate favorite Fall book. I read it EVERY year!!!)

Craft: Leaf Men (I just found a maple leaf pattern and some arms and legs, and hoooooray - our very own Leaf Men!!!)

This week's FMRNS is a very serious drama with some intense themes. American History X is from 1998 starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. If you haven't seen this one - you really should. It is quite intense, so be prepared!!!

Moving right along

Another theme that often makes the rounds is Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. There is an abundance of books that revolve around this theme, so you can make it new and different every time. Plus, I love things that go!! =)

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.



Book: The Bridge is Up by Babs Bell


Song: Wheels on the Bus

Book: Sputter, Sputter, Sput by Babs Bell


Song: Pete the Pilot (to the tune of Old McDonald) (taken from Perpetual Preschool - Transportation Songs)

Pete the Pilot has a plane, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
And on that plane there are some wings, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom
With a zoom, zoom here, and a zoom, zoom there
Here a zoom, there a zoom, everywhere a zoom, zoom!
Pete the Pilot has a plane, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom!

Additional Verses:
Dan the driver has a car, beep beep beep beep beep (car has a horn)
The Engineer has a train, choo choo choo choo choo (train has a whistle)

Book: The Bus for Us by Suzanne Bloom


Interactive Playtime

Losing my Monday

I think this story time was inspired by the fact that I lost my TV remote control. So that is the most annoying thing EVER. I mean, I looked EVERYWHERE, including all the folds of the couch. It took WEEKS, but the remote has finally been recovered. Thank you, thank you. Anyway, back to the business at hand - lost things!!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.



Book: Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox


Rhyme: Little Ladybug Lost Her Dots (found at Little Fingers that Play blog - Little Ladybug Song) I turned it into a flannel board rhyme.

Little Ladybug on the ground
Doesn't make a sound.
Looking for her ten black dots
She lost them on the ground.

One black dot
Two black dots
Three black dots
And four.

Five black dots
Six black dots
She's looking for some more.

Seven black dots
Eight black dots
Nine black dots
And ten.

The Ladybug who lost her dots has found them all again!!


Book: Where's Spot? by Eric Hill


Rhyme: Little Bo Peep

Book: Duck's Key, Where Can it Be? by Jez Alborough


Interactive Playtime

Messy Monday

I wanted to do a little something for the Toddlers today that they could relate to - so I figured getting MESSY was the perfect topic. I mean, who knows better than some toddlers how to make a mess?!?!

Opening Song: If You're Happy and You Know It from Favorite Children's Songs CD.



Book: Warthogs Paint: A Messy Color Book by Pamela Duncan Edwards


Game: Little Miss Muffet - I brought the kids up one by one to Ms. Real's rocking chair, and we all repeated the rhyme, and when we got to 'frightened Miss Muffet away" the kids got up and ran away screaming. It was HILARIOUS.


Book: Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley


Song: I'm a Little Teapot

Interactive Playtime

Alternative Book: Monster Mess! by Margery Cuyler (I was going to read this one, too, but those little ones were getting a little restless. Gotta be flexible, right?!)

Dinosaur Day!

I always love some good Dinosaur books!!! I sometimes have a problem with dino books, though, because I just can't say half of those dinosaur names!!! So, I tend to lean towards books that don't have a bunch of names of dinosaurs, and it works out best for everyone!

Opening Song - Shake My Sillies Out by Raffi

Book: Dino-Pets by Lynn Plourde


Song: Stomp, Stomp, Stomp Around (to the tune of Row, row, row your boat) (taken from Preschool Express by Jean Warren - Dinosaur Songs)

Stomp, stomp, stomp around
On your great big feet!!

Swish your tail,
Then turn around,
Now go take your seat!

Book: Dinosaur Train by John Gurney


Rhyme: 5 Crazy Dinosaurs (taken from Everything Preschool - Dinosaur Songs)
I also decided to make this in to a flannel board game - at the last minute... I'm sure I can find some better dino pictures for next time!)

5 crazy dinosaurs sweeping the floor
1 got swept away, and then there were four!

4 crazy dinosaurs chased by a bee,
1 got stung, and then there were three!

3 crazy dinosaurs playing with glue,
1 got stuck, and then there were two!

2 crazy dinosaurs out for a run,
1 fell down, and then there was 1!

1 crazy dinosaur acting like a hero,
He went out to save the others, and then there were zero!


Book: Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton


Book: Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea (I LOVE LOVE LOVE this series by Bob Shea!!! If you haven't seen them yet, they rock!!!)


Craft: Pipe Cleaner Dinosaurs (from Busy Bee Kids Crafts)


This week's FMRNS was a fabulous suspense movie. Wild Things is a drama from 1998 with Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards. I remember this one coming out, and I remember wanting to see it, but I guess I just never did!!! This one had some twists and turns in it that I definitely wasn't expecting!!!