Good Books: 8-9 year old girls

My daughter, Cailyn, has always enjoyed reading but over the summer she really found a passion for it and devoured book after book after book.  So I thought I'd share a few of her favorites. Books are ALWAYS a great present for Christmas.  :)

The great thing about this list is that they are all part of a series so there are many, many books to read!

1. The Princess Tales , by Gail Carson Levine

2. Bailey School Kids, by Debbie Dadey

3. Ruby Lu , by Lenore Look

4. Ivy and Bean , by Annie Barrows

5. Dork Diaries , by Rachel Renee Russell

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid , by Jeff Kinney

7. Janitors , by Tyler Whitesides

8. Dear Dumb Diary , by Jim Benton

Bonus Series (Read Alouds)

I've also been reading the Fablehaven series with her and we are on book 4.  I absolutely *adore* this series!  I'm not sure it would be one she could read on her own, but it is a fabulous read-aloud book and I am more than happy to read it with her. :)

When we're done with this series we will probably read Percy Jackson together, followed by Gregor the Overlander.  I love having a child that loves reading as much as I do!!!

-marie

Things We Love Thursdays: Rold Gold Peppermint Snowflakes

My friend introduced me to these delectable little treats. I picked them up from Costco, but I'm not sure where else you can get them. They are snowflake shaped pretzels dipped in peppermint white chocolate. They are soooo yummy! They satisfy my craving for a salty/sweet treat.

Do you have a favorite treat you can only get during the holidays?

-marie

Christmas Bucket List

It's no secret that I love doing fun things to celebrate the holidays.  I've seen a ton of cute advent calendar ideas on Pinterest, but THIS one stuck out to me.  I like the idea of doing activities during the month of December but without being tied down to doing one every single day and without being tied down to what specifically we'd do each day.  A bucket list gives us the flexibility I need but also provides us with lots of opportunities for FUN!

The kids and I came up with a list of things we want to do this Christmas season.  Most of them require little effort on my part and are low-budget.  I'm hoping this will be a fun family tradition.  I printed and laminated the list so we can cross things off as we go and can reuse it again next year.

You can download my version HERE or if you're computer savvy you can get a blank version and add in your own list. 

What are some of your favorite things to do as a family during the Christmas season?

-marie