It's Either Her or Me Review and Giveaway

Back in November I wrote a post titled Relationship A and shared some insight on the relationship I have with my mother in law.

In the post I concluded that I needed to take a step back and allow my husband, her son, to take a hold of the reins.

Since then our relationship has been less strained, maybe a little more open but definitely less complicated.


In her latest book, Ellie Slott Fisher addresses the dynamic of Mom and daughter in law along with the dynamic of other relationships, such as sons, sisters, wives, girlfriends, husbands, and brothers.

It's Either Her Or Me: 

A guide to help a Mom and Her Daughter-in-Law Get Along 

I read this book mainly from a perspective of a daughter in law but since I have two sons of my own...the chapters on being a mother to boys also caught my attention. Before I knew it I was imagining the future and them asking me where their girlfriends should sleep during "sleep overs" should they bring their girlfriends home for the weekend.  I was reeling.  I can't even imagine it happening.

At the end of each chapter there are keepsakes to state the key points of the chapter.  I found myself reading them more then once and really thinking about them.

Here are a few that really stuck with me

- A Mother in law may be difficult to love, but in some way, no matter how small, the man you love reflects her.
- A mother wants someone who will make her son happy.  A girlfriend/wife just wants her to recognize that she does.
- Sons and boyfriends should never avoid the melee, especially since they're at the center of it.
- If necessary, a man has to consider the concerns of both women, and act as a mediator.
- Grandparents do not assume the role of parent-unless expressly asked to do so by their son and his wife
- A woman you view as a difficult mother in law may very well be viewed by your children as a
loving Grandma.  And that is something for which to be truly grateful. 

Don't think this book is for just the mom or the girlfriends/wives...There's a whole chapter about the son/husband and what his role in all of this is.  He needs to be involved and he needs to have open communication with both women.

So, it's okay to tell him to get his head out of the sand.  (Ahem, be nice)

Based on research and interviews Ellie covers a range of relationships and this book is definitely not just a guide on how to survive a relationship you may feel is doomed.  There's some great tips in there and a different perspective which is a wonderful thing to gain when you're feeling you're at your wits end.

This book offers practical situations that you can apply to any relationship and Ellie does it all with a sense of humor.  It was an enjoyable read, a valuable tool and I'll probably be pulling it back down from the bookcase over the next 18 years.

Are you in a strained relationship?
Do you and your in-laws get along?
Are you a man who needs to regain control over the two most important women in your life? (lol)

You should get yourself a copy of this book. 

Lucky lucky you!!  I have a copy to give away for free.

Mandatory Entry - that means you MUST answer this question in a comment in order to be entered.

If you won this book would you keep it for yourself or give it away?  Why?

Extra entries can be achieved by doing any or all of the following:

Be or become a follower of Kerri's Klutter (If you already follow just say "already follow".  New followers say "I now follow".)

Subscribe to Ellie's blog  (Leave a comment so I can verify)

Become a fan of Ellie on Facebook (Leave a comment so I can verify)

If you're not the lucky winner copies of the book can be purchased on Amazon.com for the sale price of $11.25. 

Ellie has also written: Mom, There's A Man In the Kitchen And He's Wearing Your Robe: The Single Mother's Guide to Dating Well without Parenting Poorly 

AND

Dating for Dads: The Single Father's Guide to Dating Well without Parenting Poorly.

Giveaway will end on Sunday April 18th at 8:00 pm EST and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday April 19th



Disclaimer: I received this book free to review from Random House through Business 2 Blogger. The winner of the giveaway will be mailed their copy directly from Random House. No monetary compensation received.

You've Been Sentenced! Review and Giveaway

I was so excited to have the opportunity to review these games from 

 McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds.

You've Been Sentenced!

Simply put: 
It's a word game.  
It's a party game  
(3 or more players...and in my opinion, more the merrier).   
It's really, really fun.
Add alcohol and you'll be shushing your guests to quiet their laughter and threatening bodily harm should they wake your sleeping children.

On Tuesday night I had my sister and brother-in-law over for 

GAME NIGHT to play and review the game.

 

I personally loved every thing about this games packaging.  The game comes with 5 decks of cards (that's 540 cards) which are a unique pentagon shape, just like the box.  It has a 4 page rule book that is very clear and understandable.  It also offers several variations to game play which I thought was awesome. I also stated several times how cool it was that there are score sheets included(and you can print out more at the games website).  This has become a rarity in board games now a days. It also comes with a pencil and a sand timer.

 

When playing a round, each player takes 10 cards from the word pool.  On each of the cards are 5 words.  You must choose one word from each card and try to form a grammatically correct sensible sentence using your other cards.  You must use at least two of your cards and if you are lucky enough to use all 10 you may receive a 10 point bonus.

Once every one has selected their sentence the players begin to read theirs aloud(trying hard not to spit out Chicken Wing Dip in the process).

  

They are able to "defend" their sentence to the jury (the remaining players).

Each player with an accepted sentence scores points for their cards.
 

Sentences that the jury votes out get a big fat zero points.

(I am ashamed to admit I was the first one to get my sentence voted out...ashamed!)

Along with the main game I also received 5 Add-on decks.

Reader’s Digest National Word Power Challenge, Gourmet Cuisine, Pop Culture, Sci-fi/Fantasy, and Sports Highlights.

We were able to play with the Pop Culture (still trying to figure out what Grok is?) and Gourmet Cuisine.  
These decks opened up even more possible sentences, making the results endless and hilarious.

At the beginning of the night our sentences were guarded as we played safely, trying to be careful, feeling the game out.  Half way through game night (and a few drinks) the sentences were becoming bold and some quite astonishing.  By the end of the night the sentences grew shorter and very entertaining. 

Here are a few of the best sentences from the night:
(click on the images to view them larger)

 










My personal favorite was:


Martha Stewart ordered guns and Iraq got scared.


You've Been Sentenced has received positive feedback from teachers and students.  This game teaches sentence structure, parts of speech, grammar and oral presentation.  
Most importantly (I think), it teaches creativity.  Not that I'm in a rush for my boys to grow up but it'll be fun playing this game with them in the future.  The game is recommended for ages 8 and up.

 Twisted Fish

 

Twisted Fish is a more challenging version of Go Fish.  I played it with my husband, my 13 year old niece and 14 year old nephew. We had such a blast.  The illustrations on the cards are funny and kept us laughing through out the entire game while the zinger wild cards kept us on our toes.  Twisted Fish is easy enough for younger children to play alone but it also a fun family game for all ages.

Wheel of Chore-ture

A fridge magnet WITH attitude.

A very cute and light hearted way to remind yourself and others that

"there are chores to be done!".  A quick spin of the wheel and your next chore is selected for you.  Just be careful--you could become overly ambitious and spin the wheel repeatedly like I did.  I kept getting Feed The Pets.  Eventually, I realized it must be the Wheel's way of saying, Take A Break.  

Hey...you don't have to tell me that twice!!

McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds    has generously offered an entire set of games that I reviewed to one lucky reader!   

This includes the You’ve Been Sentenced game, all the Add-on packs, the Twisted Fish game and the Wheel of Chore-ture. 

A $78.00 value!

Here are the ways you can enter.

First and foremost a mandatory entry 

(must be completed before other entries are excepted)

Simply leave me a comment telling me:

What games and/or activities do you and your family like to play/do for fun?

EXTRA ENTRIES:

Once you have left a comment answering that question you can get extra entries by doing any or ALL of the below.

Please leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do. 

Be a follower or become a follower 

(even if you are a current follower please leave a comment saying "I follow" or if you're new "new follower")

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook - re-post this Giveaway on your wall page.  

(Leave a comment saying "Re-posted giveaway on Facebook)

Refer a friend.  Please make sure they mention YOU sent them in their comment. (2 entries)

Include a link to this giveaway in a blog post. Leave a comment telling me where to find it (3 entries)

Giveaway ends April 11th at 11:59 EST winner will be selected by random.org and results will be posted on Monday April 12th.

Good Luck!

This review was made possible by Business2Blogger.  

Free product was received from McNeill Designs for the purpose of this review.  No monetary compensation was received.  

The opinions expressed in this review are my own and may differ from yours.

"Three Cups" Book Review and Giveaway

Money.  

How did you teach your young children about money?  

Jacek, our oldest, just turned 4.  While we have a savings account for him and two "piggy" banks in his room we have not yet sat him down to teach him about money. 

Have you thought about what you'll say when you have the talk?  

Have you thought about how you want to teach your young children about money?

My husband and I plan to set up allowances for our two sons.  Before doing that though we need to have an idea of what we want to instill in our sons, when it comes to money.  My husband and I come from different "ideas" on money, how much to save, spend, donate, etc. so we'll definitely need to create a united front before we begin to teach our sons.

I was selected and graciously accepted the opportunity to review the book:

Three Cups is based on a true story and it removes all the complications related to teaching the value of money.  

What's left, is simple. 

With it's focus on teaching children the value of money starting at a very young age the book is easy to read, fun to look at and simple to understand.  The lessons that are taken away are so positive.  It teaches the ease of saving, the value in spending, and the generosity of giving.  

It makes all three sound fun...like an adventure.

It does all this in exactly 21 pages.

When Jacek turns 5 we will begin giving him an allowance.  We will also read him this book and follow it's simple idea. 

Teaching children about the value of money is so important, especially now with the hard economic times we're all facing. 

I was lucky enough to receive a copy from 3cupsbook for myself for the purpose of this review.

I also have TWO copies to GIVE AWAY!  

(That means there will be 2 winners!)

Would you like to get your very own copy of Three Cups? 

Here's how you can enter the Three Cups Giveaway (each entry must be a separate comment): 

1.  Be a follower of Kerri's Klutter. Existing and New.  Leave me a comment telling me you are.

2.  Grab my blog button and leave me a link to where you have it on your blog. (2 entries)

3. Blog about this contest with a link back to Kerri's Klutter.  Comment and leave the link to the direct blog post. 

(3 entries)

4. Refer a friend to become a follower of Kerri's Klutter.  When they become a follower simply have them put your name in their comment.  (They will receive 2 entries and so will you)

This giveaway will end on March 24th at 11:59 EST.  Two winners will be selected by Random.org and announced on Thursday March 25th.

Please be sure that I have a means of contacting you should you win.

Good Luck!!

*This review and giveaway was made possible by Business2Blogger.  Business2Blogger is a wonderful site that makes it easier for the connection between businesses and bloggers to be achieved.
I signed up with them not to long ago and am already working on two reviews.  Thank you Business2Blogger!

*No monetary compensation was received.  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.  You may have a different opinion after reading this book.