Tuesday Tales – Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors

Tuesday Tales

They often tell you not to judge a book by its cover. Please toss that suggestion out the window for a minute and think about the possibilities when you check this out:

Quiet Bunny's Many Colors

Yes, this bright, color, and cute book by Lisa McCue was recently sent to me from Sterling Children’s Books to read and review with my family. It arrived the night before we left for Disney World, so I tucked it away to share once we got home. I noted to TechyDad that the cover made me think about the beautiful gardens that we would soon be seeing at the Epcot Flower and Garden Show.

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This week, I plan on sharing Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors with my boys. Of course, I could not wait, and had to read it the other day.

More about Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors:

From the Press Release:

Quiet Bunny loves the bright colors of spring: the yellow ducks, green frogs, and blue jays-everything but his own brown, wintry white fur. However, each attempt to change the color of his coat results in unintentionally humorous mishaps. Covering himself in yellow honey and dandelions makes the poor bunny sneeze. The thick red mud he coats himself in hardens under the warm sun, and Quiet Bunny can no longer hop. It takes the help of a wise old own for Quiet Bunny to realize that it’s the rainbow of colors – including his own – that make the world beautiful

Lisa McCue has illustrated more than 150 children’s books, and was chosen to rework the classic Corduroy titles and Margaret Wise Brown’s picture books. Her beautifulls detailed art has frequently been selected for exhibition by the Society of Illustrators. She began her professional career illustrating books even before graduating from the University of Massachusetts over twenty years ago. Lisa finds inspiration for her wonderful illustrations in everyday life, whether it’s the neighborhood pets or the view from her window which overlooks the Chesapeake Bay, where she enjoys creating charming characters and beautiful natural settings to enliven stories for children. Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is the second book she has both written and illustrated. Lisa currently lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband and two sons.

                         

Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors – Written and Illustrated by Lisa McCue  – Sterling Children’s Books– March 2011 – ISBN 978-1-4027-7209-2 – $14.95 (hardcover) – Ages 4-6

What I Thought:

As soon as you open the pages of Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors, you are welcomed into the wonderfully colorful world of Quiet Bunny. The hues on each page tell their own story and help the reader to become a part of the main characters environment. Highlighting a yellow, green, blue, and red on each page will allow children to think about other items in nature or their life that could have been included. Younger children will also like to practice the sounds that are made as Quiet Bunny goes on his quest to become more colorful.

Pages from Quiet Bunny's Many Colors

The life lesson told by McCue is huge. Older children will quickly understand the life lesson that Quiet Bunny learns along his way thanks to the wise owl. Accepting yourself, embracing the rainbow of others around you, and seeing the beauty in differences is a huge item for children to understand. This would make a nice addition to a character building curriculum, or lesson on building self esteem and self confidence in middle elementary aged children.

From the minute I looked at the inside of the book, I knew I recognized Lisa McCue’s illustrations. She was the brilliant artist behind the illustrations in Tuesday Tales – Little Chimp’s Big Day. Then I read about the inspiration of the Quiet Bunny books. Lisa McCue wrote them because of her own struggles with a speech impediment. Her original story Quiet Bunny is about the adorable bunny’s search for his own way to stand out in a forest filled with everyone else’s sounds. McCue worked with a Speech Language Pathologist to utilize the interactive story to help children with their early development sounds. I know these will be a great addition with my own little guy who receives Speech Therapy.

I would highly recommend this book to others and can not wait to read Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors with my children.

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Children’s Books in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.

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Tough Decisions Ahead

One of the tricky parts of blogging about life is deciding what to openly share and what to keep behind the scenes. It isn’t that I am keeping secrets. Most of the time, I am protecting my family. There are just certain aspects of life that are only for family members to know, not the entire blogosphere.

Keeping things to myself can be tough. Blogging really is therapeutic at times. Being able to vent and seek advice on items from others is huge. Social media in all forms is a part of who I am and will be in the future. Still, I sit here with a monster of a decision that TechyDad and I have to make. I want to vent, scream, shout, and ask for a shoulder to cry on, but I can’t. I must try to smile, hold on tight, and try to see the light at the end of the very blurry tunnel.

Just holding on - in a blurr

So please excuse me for a little while if I seem a little preoccupied. I need to keep my lips sealed, remember the amazing time last week, and keep my mind occupied with other items until we make our final decision.

TheAngelForever

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Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree

Almost ten years ago, TechyDad and I were married. At the time, my soon to be husband had never been to Walt Disney World.

It’s okay to gasp since I know I did.

When we were planning our honeymoon, we wanted to do something different. I am not a beach person. Over time, I convinced TechyDad that we should do a Walt Disney World honeymoon. We stayed the the Beach Club Resort, added on the Deluxe Dining Plan, made some advanced dining reservations (ADRs in Disney lingo), planned to see Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, and did several behind the scene tours. At our table, during our reception, we even had two special guests.

Our Wedding Table

Fast forward to the first event at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We were all invited to be guests at the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree. When we arrived, we were given Minnie Bride Ears or Mickey Top Hats. TechyDad and I almost bough similar ones on our honeymoon, but never did. Now, I had my own Mickey ears.

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When we walked toward Franck’s, near the Wedding Pavilion, we were greeted by Franck and Edna. Yes, these characters were brought to life (Father of the Bride and Incredibles anyone?!) and came over to as many people as they could to welcome us to the event.

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Franck and Edna explained that we should go make ourselves a candy box to take as our gift. Who are we to say no?! It was like Candy Land (which actually has a Disney version) was placed on a magical table before our eyes.

Disney's own Candy Land

After this, we went into Franck’s to see all of the amazing wedding cake and setting displays. The photos do not do the creations justice.

Magical Disney Weddings

Then it was time to head into the wedding Pavilion. On the way into the building, that I had always longed to see from the monorail, we were able to see the new Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Alfred Angelo Gowns that are inspired by the Disney Princesses.

Princess inspired wedding dresses

Once inside, we made sure to take some photos of us wearing our ears. Christina from Cutestkidever and I are sporting our ears together. Sitting with us were Debra from AFrugalFriend and Cathi from Planes, Trains & Taxi Cabs.

All wearing our ears

Soon it was time to sit back and learn about the new happenings with the Disney Parks. We would also be the first people to see the  Cinderella inspired dress, hear from Carley Roney from The Knot and The Bump, meet David Tutera from My Fair Wedding, and witness an amazing Disney style wedding.

It was just the beginning of a magical evening. Many more photos to come soon care of the amazing photographers at Disney who captured the beauty of the evening.

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family,  7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Our Adventure Begins at the Grand Floridian

Last Thursday morning, we got up before the sun came out, dropped our car off, and went to the airport. The boys and I were heading to Walt Disney World for the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Southwest had us boarding the plane and ready to take off within 15 minutes. We loved that the Albany airport seems to be testing a new front and back loading system. It was a very painless experience that more cities should try. Before we knew it, the sun was shining and we were up in the air.

The wing of our plane

NHL and I sat together, while JSL sat with TechyDad. It was a quick flight and soon we could feel the sun and warmth of Florida welcoming us. Thanks to the Magical Express, we were able to gather the boys and a few small bags to head right to the Grand Floridian. As we got off of the bus, we knew it was going to be an amazing adventure ahead of us. We pulled up just in time to see this:

Here comes the bride

Yes, that is a bride heading to her Disney fairytale wedding in the Cinderella coach. Ah, only at Disney World will you just bump into things like this. We continued into the lobby for check in. We did the online check-in for the first time and it was amazing. The Luck of the Irish for St. Patrick’s Day was with us since our room was ready at 11:30. Rather than go right there, we went to the hospitality area in the convention center to officially check into DisneySMMoms 2011!

The magic was just starting as we were handing our Park Hoppers, papers, agendas, and other goodies. Once we were finished there, we walked over to find our room. The grounds of the Grand Floridian are beyond gorgeous and the rooms amazing. These are just a few photos of our first glances at the place we would call home for three nights.  Views from the Grand Floridian

Since we had a few hours before the first event of the evening, we packed the boys up, put on sun lotion, and went to the Magic Kingdom. For the third time, we rented a double stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals – which was a lifesaver many times.

Ready to go!

When we were waiting for the monorail, someone recognized me. It was Kim Moldofsky from Hormone-Colored Days and Mom Impact.

Finally getting to meet Kim

After exiting the monorail, we went into the Magic Kingdom. It never gets old listening to your children gasp and chatter away when they see the Castle for the first time on a visit. Walking down Main Street USA

We were all hungry, so we stopped for lunch, then we did a few rides

Ride time

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the room. The boys relaxed for a bit, while I went to the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree. More coming very soon!

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family,  7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Saying Goodbye to Disney For Now

Magical family memories are what you dream of when traveling to Walt Disney World and it is a simple item to fulfill.

Meeting with Tigger and Pooh Bear

On this trip alone we have done many new and old favorites which include:

  • Bouncing with Tigger when getting a photo taken
  • Searching for the hidden Mickey’s that lurk in all different places
  • Eating with Belle, Aurora, Ariel, Alice, Cinderella at Akershus
  • Taking the entire family on Kali River Rapids together since the little guy was tall enough
  • Eating at Boma still soaked 3 hours after the previously mentioned ride
  •  Meeting the amazing people behind Cake Wrecks
  • Watching Captain EO and traveling back to 1986 with my boys
  • Traveling around the world and back to complete a passport
  • Trying Kim Possible
  • Catching a glimpse of the Main Street Electric Parade before heading back to the resort after 12 hours
  • Eating pizza at 9:30 and laughing that we are having dinner so late

The boys and I have had yet another fantastic experience, filled with memories that will last a life time.Of course, the hardest part of a vacation is packing up to head home and going back to reality. By the time you read this we will be home, in the cold temperatuers, possible facing more snow. Right now, I am still hear and heading off for our last magical day at Disney.

My question for you today:

What is the hardest part of going back home after a vacation, and how do you help to ease back into things? One other thing –> Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family,  7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An<br<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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Island<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
Life

Aloha #144

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