I just scored a gift-giving home run with a friend of mine who recently became a father (to a beautiful baby girl - I can’t cuddle that kiddo enough, I swear). What could possibly be more exciting to him than the set of purple and brown onesies? Well, I lent him my review copy of Jenna McCarthy’s brand-spankin’-new book, “Cheers to the New Dad!” and his wife  just told me he finished it within a day of getting home from the hospital and LOVED it………..

Do you realized the magnitude of what I just wrote? A parenting book. For Dads. And the dad actually found it useful……and relevant………and READ IT! Not knocking men at all, but from my experience, most guys like to go in and just DO parenting and skip most of the nonstop-parenting-book-reading stuff that women find addicting when newly pregnant and then again when the baby actually arrives.

Whoops, forgot to mention the other half of the book that my friend is dying to start now that her husband is finished with his half - the book flips over and is……….voila……..”Cheers to the New Mom!”

How cool is that? 2 books in one!

This book would be perfect as a gift for new parents or to buy for yourself when you’re getting ready to head to the hospital………I think all parents would agree that we can use all the help we can get!

Check out my review of Jenna’s first book, “The Parent Trip” - another great parenting read!

I was really excited to see this book come up for a review opportunity on TMG. I had just been talking with my fiance about my urge and our family’s need to start being better stewards of our natural resources. Right now, we do pretty much nothing to leave the world in a better environmental state when we leave than when we got here. I have all kinds of excuses for us not being more responsible, but I won’t bore you with them here.

The full title of this book is Eco-Friendly Familes~ Guide your family to greener living with activities that engage and inspire…from toddlers to teens, by Helen Coronato. Final verdict? It’s a really helpful, engaging, interesting book… and it doesn’t make you feel like you are solely responsible for destroying the world.

Four great things about this book:

1. No pressure to become completely green overnight,
2. Not overwhelmed with statistics,
3. A Chapter Checklist at the end of each chapter that goes over what you just read in bullet-point form, and
4. 5-minute makeovers in each chapter.

1. No pressure to become completely green overnight. Coronato is very practical and doesn’t ask for (or want) you to throw out everything you have that isn’t green and start over. She advises slowly integrating green products and practices into your life.

2. Not overwhelemed with statistics. I like statistics as much as the next person, and Coronato uses them well; but, they reinforce her point without cramming stats down your throat, very useful.

3. Chapter Checklist. This checklist is great for both reading before you get into the chapter (especially so you can watch for the parts that really catch your eye), and for making sure you didn’t miss anything when you are done with the chapter.

4. 5-minute makeovers. These are great and practical tips that you can quickly put into place in your home. They include everything from putting a brick in your toilet tank so you use less water to having people take their shoes off at the door so you don’t have as much need for cleaning.

Coronato has done a really good job keeping the topic interesting as well as practical. The book includes recipes (for food and cleaning products), holiday gift ideas, definitions, and great explanations of really complicated concepts for both toddlers and teenagers. My favorite language for toddlers is telling them it’s important to turn off water while you brush your teeth so that there is always enough water for the trees and plants to drink.

If you’re at all interested in simple, common-sense tips for helping your family go green, you should get this book. You can slowly make changes in your lives that will make a difference and teach your children about the responsibility we all have to be good stewards of our resources.

Sherry Carr Deer is a Mommy to Nicholas who just turned 3, fiance to William, the widow of Mark, and a PR professional at a non-profit hospital. You can read more of her posts here.

Kelli is mom to Braxton, age 2, and partner to Mike. She is an instructor at the University of Oregon and a public relations consultant with her own firm. Thanks to growing up in a large family, she’s learned to manage chaos and still have fun. You can read her posts here.

I clearly remember my first baseball game. I was 9 and we lived in Blessing, Texas (poplulation: 800), and my dad took my best friend, Barbie (an actual girl, not a 11″ fashion doll) to see the Houston Astros play the St. Louis Cardinals at the Astrodome. It was 1984, Nolan Ryan was on the mound and Jose Cruz was in center field.

Spending an afternoon at the ballpark, whether it’s our local minor league team or heading north to Seattle to watch the Mariners play, is still a beloved tradtion in my family. I thought, for that reason, that reviewing Baseball Bits: The Best Stories, Facts, and Trivia from the Dugout to the Outfield would be fun. I always love a good story and, as an academic, I appreciate a good set of data. And my partner, Mike, is a baseball stat geek.

I must admit, the amount of information in the book is a tad overwhelming. Not many stories are more than a page, resutling in a smorgasbord of anecdote and fact snacks. The book is categorized, not chronologically, but thematically with chapters like: Ball Clubs, Bosses, Deals and Steals, Big Events and Color, Clout and Controversy. This works really well, especially if you’re a fan of a particular aspect of the game. And it makes it easy to browse the book without feeling like you’re missing some part of the story.

As I read through many of the “bits,” I’d often find myself yelling across the house, “Hon?! Did you know…?” To which he’d dutifully reply, “No! Really? That interesting!”

This book is a treasure trove for fans, afficianados and stat geeks. Author Dan Schlossberg is all of the above. A former Associated Press writer, he’s authored 33 (!) baseball books and more than 25,000 (!!) articles about baseball.

A few of my favorite “bits.”

• Nolan Ryan, who pitched a record seven no-hitters in the majors, was 12 when he pitched his first no-hitter - in Little League ball in Alvin, Texas*. Page 88, Batters and Pitchers
• Philadelphia zookeeper Jim Murray sent baseball scores to telegraph offices by carrier pigeon every half inning. Page 4, Origin, Innovation and Evolution
• Although he started with the St. Louis Cardinals, Harry Carry was with the Cubs in 1992 when he joined his son Skip and grandson Chip to become the first three-generation family to announce the same game**. Page 202, BallTalk
• The Boston Braves spent $10,000 to purchase Hank Aaron’s contract from the Indianapolis Clowns***, a Negro Leagues team, in June 1952. After less than two years in the Braves’ minor leagues, Aaron reached the majors to stay. Page 133, Deals and Steals

Win a Copy!

We have 5 copies of Baseball Bits: The Best Stories, Facts, and Trivia from the Dugout to the Outfield for our readers! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment here telling us who would benefit from the book if you win - are you a baseball fan yourself? Is it for your husband? Dad? Son? Wife? That’s it - easy as pie. Just leave a comment and make sure you use a valid email address.

The contest will close on Monday, August 4 - winners will be chosen by a random number generator and will be notified via email.

Also, don’t forget to check out the rest of our contests!

* this is a favorite because of the family legend of my dad vs. Nolan Ryan in the Little League All-Star game that same year. Nolan pitched, Dad hit a home run.

** Mike is a huge Cubs fan and Harry Carray was his favorite announcer of all time. He can even do a pretty spot-on impression.

*** The Clowns? Are you kidding me? That was the name of the team?!

(Disclosure: A copy of the book was provided free of charge for review.)

Diane Cordell is the mother of two adult, married children. In her position as a K-12 teacher/librarian, she interacts with students of all ages on a daily basis - good practice for future grandchildren! You can read more about Diane here. Diane also blogs at Journeys and can be found on Twitter as dmcordell. Click here to read more of Diane’s posts.

Read on to win a copy of this book - Baby Read-Aloud Basics!

Authors Caroline J. Blakemore and Barbara Weston Ramirez have written an engaging guide aimed at helping parents raise a lifelong reader.

Baby Read-Aloud Basics starts by explaining the benefits of reading to your child even before they are born to stimulate language development and help pave the way for success in school and in life.

In addition to tips on how to gain and hold a child’s attention, Blakemore & Ramirez include information on the stages of early childhood development and extensive, annotated lists of recommended books.

Chapter 10, “Fun Activities and Tips to Manage TV and Make a Language-Rich Home,” offers reasonable, practical advice about how to provide a balance between media and literature. There are ideas like creating a “reader’s nest” or designating a “read-aloud chair” and suggestions about how to set up a “language play area” for safe, creative playtime.

A copy of Baby Read-Aloud Basics, tucked into a basket of books, would make a wonderful shower gift. Include some childhood favorites of the prospective parents, and you’ll guarantee hours of interactive family fun for years to come.

Win a copy!

We have 5 copies of this book to give away - entering the contest is very simple!

Just leave a comment on this post telling the title of one of your favorite children’s books. Past winners eligible to enter and the contest ends on Monday, July 28th. U.S. entrants only (sorry!). The winners will be selected at random from the entrants.

Don’t forget to check out all of our other contests!

Disclosure: Diane received a free copy of the book to review.