addie slaughter: the girl who met geronimo review

imagine my surprise when i took tessa to the library the other day, and she told me, quite out of the blue, that she preferred stories about real people.  we headed over to the non-fiction section and found some books on rosa parks, sacajawea and barack obama.

her newly-discovered interest made me realize that, for our own library, i have sadly neglected including biographical books, despite my own interest in biographies when i was in elementary school.  i remember when i started reading a series in my school's library and i was amazed that i could read a book about a real person that read just like any of my favorite fictional stories.

with that in mind, i was happy to receive a copy of addie slaughter: the girl who met geronimo ($15.95).  i have recently read a couple books about the "wild west" that described the lawlessness that was so prevalent in those times and the attempts to bring justice to the western territories.  up until this time, i have been fairly ignorant of what life was like during that time period in that part of the country.  i want the girls to be able to learn about that time period as well. 

obviously this is a less romanticized look at pioneering than the little house series of books.  addie slaughter describes her experiences with rattlesnakes, smallpox, and blizzards as well as attacks by native americans and run-ins with outlaws.  addie travels with her mother (until she dies en route) and her father, the famous texas ranger, john horton slaughter.  in the course of her travels, she also has the opportunity to meet the famous warrior, geronimo.

the descriptions in this book are a little too intense still for tessa (she's very tender-hearted and doesn't like to hear about mothers dying).  this book is very age-appropriate for zoe, however, and i think it is a great supplement to the study of the united states that she just completed this year.  i want her to enjoy the stories of laura ingalls wilder as much as i did, but i also hope for her to hear more stories about the dangers, excitement and hard times that were a part of life as pioneers in the time before the west was completely settled.

the book does a good job of historical accuracy; author Susan Krueger, ed.d. uses stories told to adeline greene parks by her mother, addie slaughter.  i think the book would be a great addition to a home school curriculum, as well as a good supplement for kids in public or private schools.

this is a mamabuzz review.  i received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

how to move from blogger to wordpress - a comprehensive guide review and giveaway

a few months ago, bill and i talked about the direction that this blogging thing has been taking for me, and he recommended that i think about getting my own domain to give myself more credibility and flexibility. i know that at every blogging seminar i have ever gone to (okay, so not that many, but still), the advice has been the same. you need to have your own domain name.

unfortunately, my knowledge of how to transfer all my posts and followers and everything else is severely limited. you might even say, non-existent. as a result, like everything else in my life, i have procrastinated.

then i heard about this great e-book, how to move from blogger to wordpress: a comprehensive guide so you don't miss a step ($35). "aha!" i thought, "this is exactly what i need to figure out how to make this move without 'miss[ing] a step!'" if i signed up to do the review, then i would have the accountability i needed not to procrastinate and to have enough courage to actually make the move.

you may have noticed that you are still reading this post in blogger. i have read the book, but there are still a few things i'm trying to figure out. like, i need to buy a domain name first, but then i also have to find a server. are those two separate costs? once i have bought my domain name and then i switch to the other server, then do i have to keep paying for the domain name?

what i appreciate about the book is that sharon hujik really does talk you through everything, step-by-step-by-step. at every step of the way, she gives you the time commitment that you can expect to dedicate to the process. this is where my problem lies (not with the book but within myself): i just don't have the time to dedicate to this whole long process. i hope to do it some day, and i will definitely follow this book's every word as i do so. at this point, i can barely find the time to blog, let alone go through a process to change over to a new server and domain name.

overall, i think this book is extremely well organized. she offers a definition for every word that might be foreign to those of us who are not computer gurus (although sometimes the definitions themselves were a little overwhelming--here's a tip: do not start with the glossary! you will want to quit before you've started!). i also appreciated that once i had the book, sharon was quick to contact me letting me know that i could ask her any questions if i needed help. when i can finally sit down to work this out, i'm sure i will have plenty of questions for her. i'm glad to know i have a real, live person as a resource should the going get tough. (you can also follow sharon on twitter and get in touch with her that way.)

aaaannnnnd, it just so happens that i have two copies of the book to give away for those of you who are interested in doing what everyone says you really should do, that is switch from blogger to wordpress. simply leave me a comment below detailing what scares you about change. i will choose a winner using random.org on june 30. the good news is that since this is an e-book, anyone in the world can enter to win! you can have a second entry if you subscribe to my blog.

this is a mamabuzz review.  i received a free copy of this e-book for the purpose of this review.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.

winners!

there's nothing like the fun of giving gifts so today i am particularly excited to announce the winners of the last three giveaways i've had going on. if you didn't win, take heart, i'm sure there will be more opportunities to win in the future.

the winner of the smartlabs giveaway is...

amy from occupation: mommy! remember, if you didn't win, you can still get 25% off through june 30, 2011 by using the code BLOGBUZZ when you check out.

the winner of the shutterfly custom path photo book is...

janie from read 'em and weep!

finally, our last giveaway is for the tiny sunbirds, far away novel.  even if you didn't win, i highly recommend you get your hands on this book.  we have a lot to learn about africa, and this is a pretty entertaining way to teach yourself.

the winner of the book is...

alicia! i have absolutely no information for you, alicia...please leave me a comment with your email address, so i can make sure the book gets put in the mail for you.

thanks for playing everyone. check back again for more reviews and giveaways!