Friday, August 13, 2010

Friday Faves: Three Sparkly Picks

Sparkly Pick #1: Twinkle, Twinkle!

Amazing Baby's Twinkle Twinkle! is one of Maisy's favorite books right now. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is one of several songs she loves listening to me sing. The song is made even better with the giant sparkly stars found in this book. 

The bold patterns and eye-catching stars spark Maisy's interest and have her leaning in to feel for herself. Maisy's favorite picture to pat is the smiling, round baby face on the last page of the book. A fun way to sing a familiar tune to your little one!





Sparkly Pick #2: Clorox Toilet Wand Kit
In my very first post I mention the guilt I feel for being a stay-at-home mom whose bathrooms do not sparkle at all times. I'm not going to go so far as to say this product was life-changing or that I now have the world's sparkliest bathrooms, but I will say that the Clorox Toilet Wand Kit makes me hate cleaning the bathrooms just a little bit less. 

The worst part of cleaning the bathrooms for me has always been cleaning the toilet with that same toilet brush I'd used over and over again. I'm sure there will be plenty of Green People who disagree with me out of principle, but I really appreciate being able to use the disposable wand head during one cleaning session and toss it out. Simple and convenient, even if it is a little silly, and it may indeed lead to more sparkly bathrooms in my future.


Sparkly Pick #3: SparkNotes.com
For a free student (and teacher) resource, SparkNotes.com really does shine. From "Anne of Green Gables" to "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," SparkNotes will hook you up with study guides that include everything from plot, characters, and themes to study questions and quizzes.

In addition to the study guides that you may already be familiar with, SparkNotes.com has practical advice for students, flashcards for ACT/SAT test prep, and No Fear Shakespeare. No Fear Shakespeare is cool in that it places classic Shakespearean works side-by-side with the Modern English translation. It's ideal for those who want to get the real Shakespeare experience but struggle with "getting it."

I'm not endorsing shortcuts here. I believe it's important to do the reading (most of the time). I just think that this website has an impressive array of imformation to help prepare you in advance and delve a bit deeper when you've finished. And it's so much more than brief summaries of a few classic books!

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