May: Favorite Picture Books!

May is already quickly turning into June, it seems! My picks for "May: Favorite Picture Books" are books that are tried and true with kids of all ages. One factor that consistently comes into play when I am selecting children's books, is the quality of the illustrations. I love, love, love BEAUTIFUL hand-drawn illustrations in a book. They really help bring the words to life, as well as helping out struggling readers with some of the words through use of pictures and context clues.

That being said, here are my picks for this month's favorite picture books!

1. "A Story for Bear" by: Dennis Haseley

Available on Amazon here.

This has to be one of my all-time FAVORITE picture books. Not only are the illustrations beyond beautiful {created with acrylic paint and colored pencil}, but the message is just as beautiful. The book tells the story of a woman and a bear who are drawn together as friends over the love of a good story. 

I may or may not tear up while reading this one, but I absolutely love it.

Here's another illustration from the book: 

{Could you just die over the cuteness of this sweet guy?!}

2. "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by: Mo Willems

Available on Amazon here.

 The "Pigeon" series by Mo Willems absolutely cracks me up. No lie, I die laughing every time I read one, especially aloud. These books have limited amounts of text, which is why I find them so fascinating. Through simple illustrations and speech bubbles, the author is able to convey the feelings of the pigeon and other characters, all while incorporating the reader into the story.

Other books in this series include: "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late", "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!", "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy", along with a few other 'spin-off' versions. All are equally hilarious, but I love the original. 

3. "Roxaboxen" by: Alic McLerran

Available on Amazon here.

 This book is another tried and true all-time favorites. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful by the talented Barbara Cooney {illustrator of "Miss Rumphius", another great book}. 

The blurb on the back of the book really tells all you need to know about this amazing story:

"Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill - nothing but sand and rocks, some old wooden boxes, cactus and greasewood and thorny ocotillo - but it was really a sparkling world of jeweled homes, streets edged with the whitest stones, and two ice cream shops. And all children needed to go there were a long stick and a soaring imagination."

The vivid imagery and description of this book, coupled with the amazing illustrations, makes for a fantastic read-aloud for any age. The events in this book are based on true events from the author's mother's life. 

This is a great book to use for any writing lesson to show how students can describe a place in a way that makes the reader feel like they are actually there.

4. "Bedhead" by: Margie Palatini

 Available on Amazon here.

If you're looking for a book to help teach word choice, imagery, small moments, or just a book filled with humor, this is a fabulous choice. The language in this story is brilliant, and perfectly paints a picture of a kid having a terrible hair day. When students claim they have nothing to write about, pull this book out and show that even having a bad hair day can turn into a picture book! The smallest moments make for the best stories, filled with lots & lots of detail. 

This book can be used with all ages!

That concludes the list of a few of my favorite picture books this month. 

Stay tuned for June's list, coming up in just a few short weeks! :)

As always, if you have any favorites you think I would enjoy 

{especially with BEAUTIFUL illustrations} 

please leave titles in the comments below!

Happy Reading!

- Kristen

Make-Ahead Meal: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Although I try very hard to meal plan each week, and hit the store every Sunday morning to stock-up on the necessities, there are just some days where the last thing you want to do is make an elaborate meal. That's where my Crockpot and easy make-ahead meals come into play.

A family favorite at our house is this Cheesy Chicken Enchilada recipe from Campbell's. I have adapted it a little bit to better suit our taste. I generally prep this meal the day prior and throw it in the fridge, ready to heat up in the oven the next day for dinner, and provides leftovers for a day later in the week!

Photo from: The Lean Green Bean, since we gobbled ours up before one could be taken. ;)

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (I use 98% fat-free) 
1/2 cup sour cream (I use light)
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce 
2 teaspoons chili powder 
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I just boil 2 chicken breasts, then shred once cooked)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 
6 flour tortillas, warmed 
1 small tomato, chopped (about 1/2 cup) (I use 1/2 a can of Wegmans Petite Diced Tomatoes)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil 2 chicken breasts until cooked, then shred. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together soup, sour cream, picante sauce, chili powder, and diced tomatoes.
- In a separate bowl, mix together cooked chicken, cheese, and 1 cup of the soup mixture created beforehand.
- Divide the mixture among the tortillas, roll-up, and place seam-side down in a large baking dish.
- Pour the remaining soup mixture over the tortillas and cover dish with foil.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. I always add a little extra shredded cheese on top to melt the last couple of minutes.
- Enjoy! :)

I like to serve my Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with southwest rice, corn, and some salsa.

Happy Cooking! 

- Kristen

The Best {Mostly-Indestructible} Puppy Toys

For those of you who know me, you know I am 100% OB-SESSED with my puppy, Sophie. Even if you do not know me personally, I'm sure you've picked up on that little tidbit just by following along on here! ;) My husband and I do not have {human} babies quite yet so our little furry girl gets all of our pampering & spoiling.

Sophie is just over six months old and is an F1 Goldendoodle {Mom is 100% Golden Retriever, Dad is 100% Moyen Poodle}. We are from the Rochester, New York area and purchased our doodle at Golden Beauties Driven to Doodles, LLC, if you're interested in a lovie of your own. She is a bundle of love & sweetness, but is also a wild woman CONSTANTLY on a mission to chew, destroy, & just be super naughty, overall. :)

Sophie Mae, 6-months old.

We are on Round 2 of Puppy Kindergarten ... we're working on it. 

Slowly, but surely. 

If I had to estimate how much money my husband and I have spent on toys, bones, treats, etc to entertain the chewing monster, I don't think I could even put a price-tag on it. Lets just say ... it's A LOT. I can't count the number of times I have brought home toys for her and they have been destroyed within MINUTES. So. Frustrating.

So, I set out to find some of the BEST toys for puppies that wouldn't need to be replaced constantly and were safe for our girly to have at home by herself during the day. Sophie was crate-trained until she was about 4 months old, and is now free in the house all day while we are at work. She has never chewed on anything {furniture, clothing, etc} while we are away, but is the ultimate sock-stealer and shoe-bandit, so we just know to keep these things out of her reach. We keep her toys in a wicker basket in the living room, and she knows how to pick out what toys she wants to play with.

{Now if we could just teach her to put the toys BACK when she's done playing ...}

We have A LOT of chewing toys at our house. Like I said, girlfriend has quite the powerful jaw and can take down almost any toy in 5 minutes flat. We have found these toys to be pretty indestructible for her and haven't had to replace them yet. While Sophie had a ton of plush toys when she was a baby, she is too irresponsible to have any at this point. Stuffing is all over the house within minutes ... are you noticing a trend here?!

I do have to say, the cutest thing EVER is that Sophie has ONE plush toy {a little KONG Lamb} that she will tote around gently by its ear to lay with once in awhile. It is the only plush toy she has had since she was a baby and that she will not shred. 
We call it her 'baby' and it is absolutely adorable.

KONG Cozie Tupper the Lamb, Available on Amazon Here

Sophie truly only used "puppy" specific toys until she was about 12-weeks old. She is going to be around 80 lbs. as an adult, so she is a large breed, and could handle tougher toys earlier on. I was always afraid she was going to choke on some of the little puppy toys because of how small they were in comparison to her mouth. Just something to keep in mind when you are purchasing toys for your dog.
*Note: Sophie has all of her adult teeth at this point, check with your veterinarian about which toys are best for your puppy if they still have their baby teeth.

Sophie's Favorite Toys:

Nylabone Durable Dental Dinosaur Chew Toy, Available on Amazon Here
Sophie LOVES her dinosaur and has had it since we first brought her home at 9-weeks old. While a lot of his little nubs and bumps have gotten worn down around his head and the end of his tail, this toy has definitely stood the test of time in our home. I may end up replacing him once she grinds down a little more of his texture, but for now he is still just fine. I highly recommend this one! 

Petstages Durable Stick, Available at Petco Here

Sophie has had her stick toy for about a month now and it still interests her! It has held up pretty well, minus the fact that the ends are {obviously} a little more worn down and losing their texture. This toy has a 'natural wood-like' smell so Sophie really loves it. She is the ultimate "dog": loves sticks, puddles, mud, fetch, digging, oh, and tried chasing cars when she was really little, that was fun ...

KONG Toy, Available on Amazon Here
I'm sure every dog on the planet has a KONG toy, but Sophie actually took awhile to warm up to this thing. We had a puppy-size KONG for her when she was a baby, and had to upgrade to the adult size fairly quickly as the puppy one is pretty small & a choking-hazard {in my neurotic opinion}. I posed the question on Facebook: Best things to stuff the KONG with, and got a TON of responses. One that Sophie LOVES is part of a mashed banana with cottage cheese and peanut butter. Gross, I know, but she loves it. She can't just have loose treats in the KONG or she picks it up with her mouth and flings it across the room over & over until everything falls out.
Super lazy or brilliant? Unclear.

PetSafe Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone, Available at Petco Here
The Busy Buddy Bouncy Bone is great for Sophie because it keeps her interest and entertains her! Although she's a stinker and gets the little treat rings off within ten minutes, she does spend time chewing this bone even without the treat rings on it. I recommend this one especially for younger puppies without as strong of teeth, you will have a babysitter for approx. 30 minutes while they try to get these off!

KONG Tugger Knots {Moose}, Available on Amazon Here
Alright, I can't say I really 'recommend' this toy because we had to toss TWO of them within a week due to destruction, I do think it is a good option for a smaller puppy without as strong of teeth, or for an adult dog with smaller teeth that needs something to chew. The whole toy has rope throughout it so your puppy can feel like they are chewing a rope, while having a plush toy on top. See that huge puffy moose nose? Yeah, that was ripped off and shredded in maybe 2 minutes. Sigh.

Chuck-It Bumper Toy, Available at Petco Here
We have really like the Chuck-It Bumper toy so far. We've only owned it for about 3 weeks now, but it has been great for playing outside. My husband plays fetch with Sophie in the yard almost every night and this toy has held up pretty well for that. She has shredded parts of the rope, which she does with all ropes, but the bumper is mostly still in the shape it was when purchased. We also liked this because it can go in water, so she will be able to use it in her baby pool this summer.

Nylabone Romp'n Chomp Bone, Available at Petco Here

Another recent purchase is the Nylabone Romp'n Chomp bone. Sophie has really liked this bone and will even chew it without a treat inside. The treats are kind of pricey {$10 for 6pk. or something like that}, but it does provide entertainment for at least 25 minutes, when snapped in correctly. I did not snap it in all the way one day and she swallowed the thing in about 45 seconds, after flinging it out of the bone using her paw. Brat. 

Rockin Treat Ball, Available at Petco Here

Last on the list is this Rockin Treat Ball that I found at Petco. You can change the level of difficulty based on puppy's age {or smarts} to make it more challenging or easier for them to access the treats. I started Sophie off on a lower-level until she figured out how the ball worked and then increased the difficulty. She really likes this, but barks at us to get it for her whenever it rolls under the table or near a chair, etc. which can get annoying. Also, make sure you really snap the ball together or your puppy may detach the entire thing while you are at work, eat all of the treats, and nibble on the plastic insert. Not that that would happen at our house ... just sayin'. 

While Sophie has other toys too {ropes, balls, etc.}, these are just a few favorites that I see her choosing most often and that seem to have held up the best. 

If you have a destructive puppy {GOD BLESS YOU} and know of any other toys that have worked well for your pup, please leave ideas in the comments section! 

I would love to find some new ideas for when these toys finally bite the dust.

Stay tuned for future puppy-related posts!

Have fun with your fur-baby!

- Kristen