Category : Reviews
In January, I started sharing books I’ve read for two reasons. First, I would like a place to keep a list of all the books I have read and just haven’t found a good place for it yet. Second, I love hearing what other people are reading and I like to add to my list of books to read.
When you finish reading the list, leave me a comment with your favorite reads this month and get additional book recs from my January, February and March lists.
I got a lot of reading done this month but much of it was in the form of orientation, handbooks and such because I am preparing to go back to school when the summer session begins next week. I know that during the next few months my reading time will be limited as I figure out how much time this whole returning to school thing is going to take up!
Optical Delusions in Deadwood by Ann Charles – This is the second book in a trilogy about a Realtor who lives in Deadwood. It is just as amusing as the first book, was a fun beach type read and was free to download at the time!
The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare – Book two of the Infernal Devices series did not disappoint. This series is full of magic, vampires, warlocks, good versus evil, and London landmarks. It is a great series to give to the Harry Potter and Twilight fan in your life.
Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson – I picked this book to read and review for Family Friday on A Traveler’s Library. What happens when all of the guests leave Disney World and the gates close? This book helps the reader to imagine what might happen to the Disney characters after the parks close. The main characters are 13 years old but I think a 4th or 5th grader could appreciate this book. I wouldn’t give it to someone who scares easily because they might not want to go back to Disney for a long time. There are some creepy parts in the book (like when the It’s a Small World dolls come alive and one bites the leg of one of the main characters…eek!).
Leviathan by Scott Westerfield – This is a steampunk novel that takes place at the beginning of World War I. As is typical with steampunk, it is full of science fiction, bizarre speculation and what-ifs even though it takes place at the beginning of WWI. I loved Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series and devoured all four books in less than a week. Unfortunately, I didn’t love this book. When I finished, I couldn’t bring myself to read the second book in the series but I do have a book from another one of his series on my list to read next.
What is on your reading list right now?
The HTC Rhyme is a compact cell phone that has a fantastic camera on it. This camera is so great that if the company let me keep the phone, I would halt my search for the perfect point and shoot camera. A search which, by the way, has been perplexing me for months. While exploring the Disney Fantasy, I got to review this camera…I mean cell phone.
The camera has a number of settings that help you take beautiful pictures while on vacation or just out and about in your own town. You can adjust the ISO, white balance, resolution, and more. You can auto upload your pictures to Facebook or Flickr. There are scenes that you can choose from like portrait and landscape. There is an action burst setting that takes five pictures, one right after the other to help you capture those perfect sports pictures. There is an option for close-up and low light. There seems to be an option for just about everything. My favorite setting to try was the panoramic.
You can also choose from several effects that will change the look of your picture such as distortion, grayscale, sepia and more.
The pictures looked pretty great in the phone and it was nice to have a small camera to use when I didn’t want to carry around my DSLR but I wanted to see how the two stacked up against each other.
To do that, I took a number of pictures with both the HTC Rhyme and my DSLR (with a 28-80mm lens) while standing in the same spot. These are all straight out of the camera or phone with the automatic function. There was no post-processing (besides adjusting the image size). Can you tell which picture was taken with the cell phone and which was taken with the camera.
Taken with the HTC Rhyme
Taken with my camera
Taken with the HTC Rhyme
Taken with my camera
Taken with the HTC Rhyme
Taken with my camera
Taken with the HTC Rhyme
Taken with my camera
I should probably disclose that I am already an Android fan and for the past two years my phone has been a Droid. As for the phone features, I didn’t make any phone calls with it but I did set up the WiFi while on the ship. I was able to pull up a search page, check email and send out a tweet on it.
It sounds great doesn’t? The BIG downside?
The phone does not have a slide out keypad, which is something I depend on greatly.
It does however take a pretty decent self-portrait…or at least one that I like enough to share on my site. Don’t I look all relaxed from my working vacation?!
Stop by Delicious Baby to see other Photo Friday submissions! I am also participating in Friday Daydreaming over at R We There Yet.
*This post is sponsored by HTC. Thank you to HTC and TravelingMom.com for giving me the HTC Rhyme to try. I will be returning the phone to the company next week. Thank you to Disney and Traveling Mom for providing my cruise accommodations. I paid for travel there and back as well as other expenses. As always, opinions are mine and mine alone.
It is already April so that means it is time for my monthly roundup of books I have read. In January, I started sharing books I’ve read for two reasons. First, I would like a place to keep a list of all the books I have read and just haven’t found a good place for it yet. Second, I love hearing what other people are reading and I like to add to my list of books to read.
When you finish reading the list, leave me a comment with your favorite reads this month and get additional book recs from my January and February list.
This month was full of solo travel and I had a lot of downtime to read. Here is what I’ve read in March:
Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles – I downloaded the first and second book in this trilogy for free. The main character is a woman, Violet, trying her hand as a Realtor and manages to get herself wrapped up into a murder mystery. Even though there is murder and mayhem, there is a lot of comedy as well. I found myself laughing out loud several times as I read Violet’s thoughts.
Finger Lickin Fifteen by Janet Evanovich – I have read all of the numbered books by Janet Evanovich and this one was by far the funniest to me.
Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – Star Trek meets Cinderella is the only way that I can describe this book. It was totally not what I was expecting and it took me a few chapters to get in to it. I am now patiently waiting for Book Two to be released.
Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver – This is the second book in the Delirium trilogy. It seamlessly picked up where the first book ended. Like Cinder, I finished this book and was disappointed the next one wasn’t sitting on my bedside table. If you like Young Adult literature, you will enjoy this easy read. I also want to mention another book by Lauren Oliver that I read last year, Before I Fall. In Before I Fall, a girl gets to relive her last day several times. It is a tear jerker, but I think that it has a poignant message for teenagers.
What is on your reading list right now?
Posted in Reviews on March 29, 2012
While at the TravelingMom Disney retreat, we were given the HTC Rhyme to try out.
Is it a camera? Is it a phone? It is actually both and then some.
The HTC Rhyme has a great camera with all sorts of settings. I will give a full review of the phone later but first I want to share one of my favorite settings on the camera phone. The Panoramic setting was so much fun to play with that I might have a hard time giving up this phone (even if it comes without a slide out keypad).
The Panoramic setting is very easy to use on the HTC Rhyme. To take a picture, you click the shutter button. The camera snaps a picture and you then follow the directional arrows with the ring onscreen. You slowly pan the camera, keeping the ring on the dotted line. When you get to the next stop, the camera snaps a picture. You do this one more time and the camera will stitch together your picture.
It is so easy to use and the pictures turned out beautifully.
From Castaway Cay looking towards the Disney Fantasy
The Atrium during the Farewell Party
Castaway Cay
Animator’s Palate
Oceaneer Club
Stop by Delicious Baby to see other Photo Friday submissions! I am also participating in Friday Daydreaming over at R We There Yet.
Do you want to read more about my Disney Fantasy experience? Read about seven mistakes I made on my first Disney cruise. Wondering if it will be my first and last Disney cruise or if I am planning another trip? Stay tuned next week.
*Thank you to HTC and TravelingMom.com for giving me the HTC Rhyme to try. I will be returning the phone to the company in a few weeks. Thank you to Disney and Traveling Mom for providing my cruise accommodations. I paid for travel there and back as well as other expenses. As always, opinions are mine and mine alone.
At the end of January (well, just a few weeks ago, really), I announced that I was going to start posting a list of books that I read for each month. I am doing this for two reasons. First, I would like a place to keep a list of all the books I have read and just haven’t found a good place for it yet. Second, I love hearing what other people are reading and I like to add to my list of books to read.
Here is what I’ve read in February:
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson – I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo about a year ago. I will admit that it took me a long time to get through but I liked it. Immediately after I finished it, I picked up The Girl Who Played with Fire and got through the first few chapters before putting it down for something else. Fast forward to the release of the first movie. After watching the movie with two friends who read the trilogy, I promised myself that I would read them. I am glad I did. Though it took me awhile to get in to it, I really enjoyed The Girl Who Played with Fire and I am looking forward to the next movie.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson – This is actually my favorite out of all three of the books. I like the way everything you have learned about in the past two books comes together seamlessly. Be aware that all three books contain a lot of violence that is hard to stomach.
31 Days to Building a Better Blog by Darren Rowse – If you are just getting a blog started, this book is an excellent resource. If you have been blogging for years, some of the information will be repetitive but all of the information is useful. It was a good reminder for me to work on things that I have been slacking on lately.
Westward Expansion: An Interactive History Adventure by Allison Lassieur – Do you remember those choose your adventure books? The ones where you follow the directions at the botton of the page to determine what happens to your character? This book is reminiscent of that and is part of the You Choose series that concentrates on historical events. In Westward Expansion, you get to choose to be a Lakota warrior trying to preserve your way of life, a Civil War veteran looking for work, or a traveler on the Oregon Trail. My son and I read this together and have since added a Choose Your Own Adventure Ninja book to our reading pile. See my full review of this book at A Traveler’s Library later this week, on Friday.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss – My daughter and I read a book out loud together just about every day. I don’t share all of those here because the list would be long. Although, some months, we read the same book over and over and over! However, with the movie coming out I thought that I would mention we have read this book several times this month. I love reading The Lorax with my kids but I was disappointed that the movie didn’t have as much Dr. Seuss speak as other movies based on Dr. Seuss books. If you haven’t read it, this is one time where I recommend seeing the movie before you read the book. The movie was enjoyable and my kids liked it but the book is better!
Already a week into March and I have finished a YA book that I have been waiting to be released. I am currently reading The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht. I still need to read The Clockwork Prince (which I am waiting to borrow from a friend) and I am also planning on reading Quitter by Jon Acuff. I will share what I actually get through next month!
What do you have on your reading list for the month of March?
In preparation for the 1400 mile road trip that I took with my kids all by myself (and lived to tell about it!), the Easter Bunny brought several new travel items for the kids. One of those travel items was a package of Wikki Stix.
Let me start by saying that I was not going to purchase Wikki Stix when all of the blogs that I read started raving about them awhile back. Not because I didn’t think they were effective, I just didn’t see the point of spending the money on them when we had plenty of other things to keep the kids occupied. Boy, was I wrong!!!
While at a Traveling Mom retreat, we received a little mini Wikki Stix sample that I shoved in my purse and forgot about it. Well, fast forward a few weeks and picture us at a restaurant with poor service, waiting almost an hour for our food and at wit’s end as I furiously dug through my purse for something to do because, really, there is only so much Angry Birds an irritable mom can take. I found the Wikki Stix sample pack and ripped in to it! The kids LOVED them! By loved them, I mean they did not even put them down when the food came even though they were hungry.
As soon as I got home, I took a look at the Wikki Stix website and realized that they were very inexpensive. I decided to go with the Original Package that comes with 48 eight inch Wikki Stix (Neon for Little S and primary for Big S). They only cost $6.25 each plus shipping (and they arrived in less than 5 days!).
Out of all the travel gifts that I purchased, this was the fan favorite! They held up even after my 4yo took all 48 Wikki Stix and put them in a gigantic ball resembling 48 pieces of already chewed gum stuck together. I did have to help pull them apart, but after we pulled each stick off and stretched out they were good as new!
There are all sorts of different Wikki Stix products to choose from ranging from simple packs to activity packs and favors great for parties!
Disclosure: I…er…the Easter Bunny purchased the Wikki Stix and I am writing this review because my children adored them. They have been Two Kids and a Map tested and given the seal of approval!
Screams of children on water slides and splashing in pools and the roar of the International Drive traffic are just a few sounds you will hear when you wander around the Coco Key Hotel and Water Park in Orlando, Florida. The hotel and water park opened just a few months ago and we were very lucky to be guests of CoCo Key on our last trip to Orlando, Florida. Orlando’s hot, humid weather makes it the perfect home to water parks. And a water park in which you can stay the night? My kids thought that they had hit the jackpot!
The CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park are located in the heart of the touristy area of International Drive. I had actually never been to this part of International Drive before and was fascinated by how much it resembled the Panama City strip or Gatlinburg’s main tourist drag. Within walking distance of the hotel, you will find many restaurants and activities; however, there is plenty to do on the hotel grounds so you might not want to leave!
When we arrived and got checked in, I was disappointed to find that our room was located on the outside of the hotel near the main road. It turns out that this was a great location because we could have thrown a football at the Dunkin’ Donuts that we got our breakfast from and it was much quieter than being next to the pools and splash areas. The hotel room was large compared to other typical two double bed rooms we have stayed in and had plenty of room for my family of four. It was clean and brightly decorated. I believe I spied furniture from my favorite store! When we realized that our room only had hand towels in the bathroom (surely they can’t expect us to dry off after a shower with these?!), I called the front desk for towels and they were delivered about ½ an hour later.
We decided to skip the water play the first evening we arrived because everyone was exhausted from the drive. The kids popped out of bed bright and early the next day ready to hit the water. We were surprised to find the water park incredibly crowded later in the day. We visited over Labor Day weekend after my kids had already started school. I forgot that lots of people hadn’t started school yet! There was plenty to do and I never felt like my kids weren’t able to play, but it was a crowded Sunday afternoon at the park. We kept Little S in a life jacket the whole time and I was thrilled to see that after a few months of constant use by lots of children they were not showing any wear or tear. We started our day in the Minnow Lagoon and Slides which is under the canopy.
The kids spent an hour splashing around, shooting water cannons and sliding down the little slides. After they tired of that, we went to the area that I was dreading…the Parrot’s Perch.
As a slightly nutty mom, I openly admit that I think the worst of things and this was no exception. How would I find my child? Can they escape the area without me noticing? What if they slip and fall? I was happily surprised that none of this happened. Both kids spent almost an hour and a half going up and down the stairs, sliding down the slides and waiting for the bucket to dump its 400 gallons of water on them. To make this more fun for me, Daddy J and I stationed ourselves near the exit gate so we could see the kids at (almost) all times so we didn’t have to worry as much. It helped that parents are welcome to play too so Daddy J and I were able to walk up with the kids for the first few times. Little S and Big S both had strict instructions to wave at us every time they went down a slide and were ready to run back up to the top of Parrot’s Perch.
There are also three very large slides. Little S was too small to check them out and Big S didn’t want her to feel bad (which was sweet but I think he was secretly a little frightened!). We saw many tweens and teens getting off of the slide and heading straight back up again.
The water park is not just limited to guests. You can purchase day tickets or even have your birthday party at the water park.
Besides the water park, there is also a large pool that is open late into the night (one of the reasons I was glad our room was on the street side). We hung out there after dinner for awhile before going back to the hotel and collapsing from water logged exhaustion.
The hotel has a restaurant that offers kids eat free and there is a Pizza Hut Express. There is also an arcade available full of state-of-the-art interactive video games. The hotel has free wifi available but we could never get it working in the room. We were traveling with two laptops and neither one would pick up the wireless in the hotel room. Luckily this doesn’t happen often when we travel, but when it does it is incredibly annoying. We had to spend time working in the lobby because it was the only place our computers would pick up the wifi. The lobby is huge with plenty of comfortable seating. There is even a children’s play area with a TV turned to children’s shows.
The room prices are reasonable and for a fee of only 19 dollars more, you add the cost of water park admission for four. I think that we would stay at the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park again because of its proximity to the theme parks, the price, the clean hotel rooms, and the friendly staff.
Disclosure: We were guests of the CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park resort for two nights. Our water park admission was included. We paid for everything else including food and gas to get there.
Today we are linking up to Trekaroo’s Spotlight Thursday.
I have the most awesome giveaway for you guys! My friend Sarah has started a custom scrapbooking business called The Scrap Angel. She also has a Facebook Page for The Scrap Angel. You give her your pictures, tell her what you want and she will create the scrapbook just for you! A gorgeous, handmade scrapbook without all the hard work! But it doesn’t just have to be a massive book chronicling your child’s life. She also makes brag books, scrapbooks that honor a time or particular memory, and autograph books. When I saw the handmade autograph book she made for her neice to take to Disney, I told her that I had to have one to giveaway!
Here is an example of a book designed for a girl (perfect for any princess!):
And here is an example of an autograph book designed for a boy:
Aren’t they absolutely adorable?!?! Here are the details:
How to Enter
We will be giving away ONE Handmade Autograph Book (your choice of Boy or Girl) to ONE lucky winner! One name of your choice will be added to the cover of the book but the book will be completed by Scrap Angel with no other input. If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment in this post before 9:59pm CST on Tuesday, September 21 and tell me something about you and scrapbooking. Do you love it? Hate it? Have all the stuff but never print those travel photos? Don’t worry about being creative in your comment, the winner will be chosen by a random number generator. Please make sure that you fill out the required fields by putting your first name in the name field and your email address in the email address field. I do not share email addresses and you will not receive emails from Two Kids and a Map unless you win.
Winners
We will choose ONE winner randomly and announce the results here on Two Kids and a Map on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. Thank you so much to Sarah for your generous donation! Be sure to visit Sarah’s new blog and Facebook Fan Page!
Rules
One comment per person per giveaway post. Duplicate comments and anonymous comments will be discarded. Please make sure that the email address in your comment form is valid so that we can contact you (email addresses are never made public). Winners must claim their prize within three business days after the date of notification of such prize. We will disqualify any entries that we believe are generated by scripts and other automated technology. No substitutions including for cash are permitted, except that Two Kids and a Map reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater monetary value for any prize. Winners shall be responsible and liable for all federal, state and local taxes on the value of their prize. Relatives of Two Kids and a Map are not eligible to win.
Because this is a family site and we get a lot of spam comments, all comments on this site are moderated. If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry!
Posted in Reviews on August 3, 2010
When I was given the opportunity to review Kids Love Interstate 75 by George and Michelle Zavatsky, I was so excited to read it because we travel I-75 lots! We mostly travel the section of I-75 that goes through Florida (although we have traveled many parts of it throughout the years) but this summer on one of our road trips we traveled through a section of I-75 Tennessee. We loved having this book with us in the car. It came in handy several times (especially since we haven’t stepped into the SmartPhone world yet!).
The book travels along the interstate from Michigan to Florida. Each state has an Activities at a Glance section that lists the different museums, animals and farms, history, and much more. My favorite part of the book are the road maps that show the different exits and the various stops. The best part is that this is not just a list of activities and stops. For each activity, there is contact information, times, cost and a description.
When we traveled from Florida to Tennessee, we saw the Lost Sea Adventure advertised right around the time we were ready for a potty break but we weren’t sure what it was and if it was worth the stop. That is where Kids Love Interstate 75 came in handy! I quickly looked up the information and we decided that it was worth the drive off the interstate. We were also able to check the hours and knew that they had food and restrooms available. We referenced the book for several other stops along the way: the Mayfield Dairy and the Sweetwater Valley Farm.
In September, we are making two trips to South Florida. I can’t wait to throw this book in the car! I am already researching different pitstops! We have traveled this road so many different times and there are many activities listed in this book that we didn’t even know about or had seen advertised but weren’t sure if it was worth the stop. This book answers those questions!
The best part? I just saw on their website that the book is on sale right now! I can’t wait to get my hands on Kids Love Florida!
Disclosure: I received this review copy complimentary with no expectation. My reviews are based solely on my opinion with no outside influence.
For Travel Blogger Tuesday this week I am going to tell you about a great traveling with children resource!
I was so excited when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing the new Wanderlust and Lipstck book, Traveling with Kids. I had heard the buzz about the book and knew it was written by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy. I love reading Michelle Duffy’s blog, Wandermom, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the review copy.
This book covers just about anything and everything having to do with traveling with kids. It covers things like why you should travel with children, where you might go, health and safety, and so much more. The book covers practical things that everyone traveling with kids should know and think about. Whether you are wary about traveling with your children or your kids have had passports since the day after they were born, I am sure that there is something in this book for you!
I enjoyed reading the personal accounts and tips from people who had been there done that. They shared little anecdotes about their successes and failures while traveling with children.
The bottom line: This book is extremely useful and is a resource that I would likely go back to when planning a trip.
Disclaimer: I received this review copy complimentary with no expectation. As a matter of fact, they probably thought I had forgotten about it since I received the book awhile ago! My reviews are based solely on my opinion with no outside influence.
