Wacky Weather, Car Care, and Beautiful Books

I don't know what's happening in your neck of the woods weather wise, but here in Ohio it's been a roller coaster of wackiness. We started the week only to have April Fools surprise us with the temperature dropping to below below freezing and snow. Day two offered rain by the bucketfuls. Day three was so windy the rain dried up everything but a puddle where there is a dip in my front yard. Day four it snowed some more and the lone remaining puddle froze creating an ice rink just the right size for chipmunks had they been inclined to skate. Day five gave us a reprieve from snow, but boy was it cold. Day six arrived overcast and cold, but not as cold as the day before. And finally day seven we had bright sunshine which gave the illusion that the cold had subsided. Illusion I say because it was still colder than snot.

It was on day six of this crazy week that I took my car in for an oil change. I thought this would be a good idea as we are getting ready to travel to the Southern Kentucky Book Festival in a week and a half. Needless to say, that day didn't go as planned. I decided to wait at our local repair shop while they changed the oil, but as the hour drew to a close, the technician informed me that I needed my tires rotated and I needed new brakes. I felt like April Fools Day had returned when my bill shot from $40 to nearly $400. At least our trip will occur in a well maintained car this year.

So finding two beautiful books in my to review stack sort of perked up my cold, expensive week. The first book, Albert and Sarah Jane, tells the tale of best friends who love to cuddle by the fire in a warm, doggy, kitty, snuggle, lump. The only thing Albert loves more than snuggling with Sarah Jane is eating kibble. Unfortunately after gobbling up all of his, he can't control his temptation to nibble on Sarah Jane's as well. This leads to a squabble and Sarah Jane moves out. Albert misses Sarah Jane tremendously and begs her to come. How they manage to resolve their squabble is definitely something you and your littles will want to read and find out for yourselves.

The second book, Wakem the Rooster Up All Night, has the barnyard in a tizzy when Wakem the Rooster allows the compliments about his voice to go to his head. Wakem sings all day and into the night and ends up with a backward sleeping schedule. Awake at night and asleep during the day, Wakem causes the sheep to run away in an attempt to find a quiet place to sleep. Will Wakem find the sheep and will he be able to rectify the problem? Be sure to grab a copy of your own and find out!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.