Thank you all for participating in the Uncommon Goods Gift Certificate Giveaway on my blog. It is always fun to have the chance to giveaway something and if it is something I love, then all the better. Thank you to Uncommon Goods for this opportunity once again.

Uncommon Goods also sent me products in exchange for a honest review and here is my review for the same.

3 Blade Vegetable Peeler – This was a well thought out product. Compact, easy to use, handy when needed a quick salad, also fun to use. It was a little difficult to clean – it took me some time to get the hang of opening the case (still am); and it is sharp – especially the blades for julienne – having some kind of cover would have made this perfect. My kids were able to use this as well to help out in the kitchen. I would recommend it to friends and would also buy it as a gift.  Check out a video on how to use it here.
Pros: Compact, easy to use, great for quick meals (the need for which is often in our house – and more so now that summer is here and the kids are home – so julienned salads make eating healthy stuff  a breeze.
Cons: The compact size also sometimes makes it move/slip through my hands:) The sharp edges can do with a cover for safe storage. Opening the case – maybe a little easier.
Overall though, a product I recommend.

Lightweight Steel Building Kit – US Monuments – A cool concept and a fun project for those long summer days. According to my 10 year old, who is working on it by himself (though the recommended age is 14) – “It was a little difficult to get the pieces out of the sheet – took a little figuring out; but it is cool, and is pretty sturdy – sturdy enough where my little sis cannot damage it (and that is strong!); I want to do it all by myself; I just wish it was a little bigger.” I do not have photos of the model in progress as my son wants to finish it first so I will have it up on my blog sometime later (sooner, I am guessing). This set includes the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building, and the White House.

Ice Pop Mold – Set of 6 – Robot – What can I say about this that will describe this cool (literally and figuratively), fun product? It is wonderful! We have already tried out and enjoyed popsicles of various types – orange juice, sodas, ice cream, ice-cream with fruits and chocolate, fruits, ice-creams with coke, and more! All in the space of the past few days. My son seems to have figured out how to pop them out perfectly so we just hand it to him! I am planning to get the other shapes too for myself and for others as well.

Here is a collage – what we did at home using the two kitchen gadgets featured and reviewed here.

Book Reviews: 

A few weeks ago, Tal invited me to read the Cher series of books and review them. I
have read them all now. I love the rhymes and the illustrations in each book.  The rhymes just flow into each other and make
for fun reading – out loud, even more so. 
The brightly colored illustrations match the wacky stories each book
tells and the details put in tell their own story too. Each story will make
parents and kids nod their heads at familiar situations at home – like the
little ones refusing to go to bed in ‘Darling Cher doesn’t Care’, or getting
the little ones to clean their forever messy rooms in ‘Darling Cher, Pierre,
and Bear’. How a little one can be a terror or a total sweetheart is
portrayed in the same wacky rhymes with a nanny I would love to know in ‘Darling
Cher and Baby Pierre’.

 

Darling Cher and Baby Pierre – Baby Pierre drives away
nannies faster than you can say hello, but when the twenty-fourth (including
granny) nanny is also ready to head out the door, Cher and Baby Pierre realize
it is high time things change.  Read this
adorable story to find out more. I am not sure I would have spent too much time with the Baby Pierre or Cher (not always Darling) of this story!

Darling Cher, Pierre, and Bear – Messy rooms are a
problem that all parents are familiar with. Placing blame on someone else for
messes – also something we parents know. This story deals with messes and
cleanups with the same bright and wacky illustrations and flowing, fun rhymes
like the others in the series. I would have preferred a different solution for the problem in this book.

Disclaimer: Tal sent me the e-copies of these books as a gift with a request to review them. I really enjoyed reading these books and this is my honest opinion of the books.  

For my Monday kid’s books reviews, all the books reviewed here
today goes towards the weekly meme at Jen and Kellee’s – What are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA 

For What are you reading? @ Book Journey 
Completed reading:
All books reviewed in this post
Saturday is Dadurday by Robin Pulver reviewed here
– Library copy
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters by K.G.Campbell (review coming soon) – Library copy
Mishan’s Garden by James Vollbracht (review coming soon) – digital ARC
Books reviewed at Brazen Reads by me
Many more that I have to review

Currently reading:

I Got Schooled by M. Night Shyamalan – digital ARC
The Misadventures of Salem Hyde by Frank Cammuso – digital ARC
So many more…
Next on my list:
Many to choose from

Monday Musings: One more library – this one closer to home – opened last week! Yay!! We could not go for the grand opening as it was on the day DD had her dance recital. But we did visit a couple of days ago – though it is smaller than the other one we normally visit, we fell in love with it – what is not to love with a library, after all? So now, we can have double the fun – two libraries to visit within a mile from home (and there are a couple more at twice the distance!!) 

And even with these many libraries close by, this quote often rings true:

“There are 70 million books in American libraries, but the one I want to read is always out.”

– Tom Masson (1866-1934) 

 

Also Mingling at Monday Mingle.