Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a Cutter - coming-of-age insights

Booktasters tweet: Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a cutter

I hate it when I can't seem to finish a book. I had to do it with Snowflake Obsidian: Memoir of a cutter. I struggled to read it, but I also can't pick a new book before I have finished with the one I am busy with. Booktasters says it is ok, I can let it go... Phew! (I am 62% into the book)

I thought that this book would give me great insights into the mind of a young adult, and help me understand the workings of a teenage brain. We have a tween in our midst. I love the writing in the book, but it did not seem to get to a point. I still gave the book 4/5 for the writing, and for the fact that I think young people and people struggling with the existential questions will get great insights from reading this.

A Mom's guide to travel the world with kids - Johannesburg included #Kindle

Around the World with Kids

This very practical guide has been compiled by local moms from  each of the 20 cities.

Guess who contributed to the South African part! This Mom, Karen du Toit!
I have actually forgotten about, but it finally saw the light of day! I was glad to see that the suggestions are still valid, and I have Maropeng included in the list!

The following cities are included: London, Frankfurt, Rome, Zurich, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Toronto, Mumbai, Delhi, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Wellington, Dubai and of course, Johannesburg!

- This is a  very practical travel guide full of doable recommendations and tips from moms living in the cities!
- It is a great way to introduce your kids to the cities
- It includes tourist favourites in the cities included!

Top 5 Apps for Busy Moms

I am always checking out new apps and got this guest post suggestion which I am happy to publish. Especially if it states  that it helps "busy moms.
(Although, I think it is an oxymoron! Do we get moms who are not busy?)

I have linked to the iTunes stores, but see most of these apps are avaliable on all devices.


The Top 5 Apps for Busy Moms

Our lives are much busier than they were even 20 years ago, and moms are busier than ever.
Many moms raise kids, work, and run their households, all while trying to live their own lives. Fortunately, cell phones are helpful for anyone with a life on the go. They help people stay connected, and with apps, help people complete their day to day tasks.

Thousands of cell phone apps exist that help people accomplish their goals, and here are the top 5 apps for busy moms like yourself.

The Weather Channel

It is pertinent for a busy mother to be prepared for anything. Every single mom should have the Weather Channel app - this is the perfect app to open up first thing in the morning. It allows you to display the current temperature, as well as the short- and long-term weather forecast. The app also allows you to get the weather forecast from wherever you are. Any busy mom who runs around all day needs to know the weather forecast in order to plan their (hopefully dry) day.

Cozi

This is a wonderful app for anyone who has a lot on their plate, but especially mothers. It's so useful that you may even end up grabbing for this app more often than you need the phone itself! It's great for making to-do lists, setting reminders, shopping lists & also the family calendar - this one is key too, because notice that it's for the family. This is different from most calendars, which are only meant for one person and their appointments.
 
Grocery iQ

This app is GREAT for mothers, especially because it's basically available on every platform you can imagine. It allows you to scan prices of products when shopping so that you can get clued in on what you're getting for your money. Is that cereal a bargain, or simply a crafty way of making it look like you're getting a steal? Find out with this app!
 

Whole Foods Market Recipes

Whole Foods Market Recipes is a terrific app for anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy diet. The best thing about this app is the ability to sort based upon dietary preference. The user can sort for gluten free recipes, high fiber recipes and many other types. Kids are picky too, so luckily this app can make everyone happy, especially a busy mom cooking for many.

Kindle

The Kindle app is a great app for the busy mom. A lot of times moms do not have time to enjoy themselves. With the Kindle app, a mom can read her favorite books while waiting to pick up her kids or in those few precious minutes of alone time. The Kindle app is also great to read recipes, pdf files or magazines. Anyone on the go should look into the Kindle app, and perhaps the best thing about is that if you skip buying hard-copies of books, you have more room for storage and less to clean!

Thousands and thousands of applications exist for all phone platforms. There are also apps for all types of users and preferences. Nobody knows the importance of time management more than a single mom.

These apps will not only save a single mom time, they will also save her money!


Jessie Hughes writes about parenting, working from home and more. Her favourite piece is on the Top 10 iPhone Apps for Teachers.


Do you have any apps that you cannot live without?

Reasons why I consumed a vampire book in a weekend

I struggle to read through a book, and sometimes it takes me months to finish one. I still need to finish the final Dragon Tattoo book in The Millennium Series... (I am going to!!)

But it is getting better with actually sitting down and reading! The Toddler can keep herself occupied for a while now, and when she sleeps, she is down for the night!

I have noticed that my reading has changed with the e-Reader. You search through the free ebooks, and get one which sounds a bit interesting...

And only after a few chapters you realize that it is a book about vampires, and now you have to see how it ends!

Especially since the heroine is a librarian who loves special collections of old manuscripts, and wears combat boots with pencil skirts. And dye her hair black, and works for a vampire!

Now it is only the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Book 1...
And the rest are not free!
Very slick, Amazon!

Have you also noticed a change in your reading material since having an e-Reader?

My top 10 things to do during the holidays

It's the holidays! Finally!

Why did it feel like forever to get here?
Wednesday is my last day the office!

Tanya Kovarsky is hosting a camera give-away over at Dear Max, and we have to make a list of the top 10 things to do during the festive season. (*Thumbs* - I am feeling lucky!)

This is my list of the top 10 hings to do during the holiday season:
(Not in the order of importance)

- Sleep 

- Read through my stacks of books, and my new Kindle…

- Rest Doing nothing!

- Spending quality time with my daughter going off to university

- Spending quality time with my toddler

- Dates with Hubby

- Camping

- Hiking

- Coffee catch-ups with friends

- De-cluttering (a little bit of work for me as well!)



What do you have on your list  for the holidays?

Enjoy!