Ah, the softness and luxe of the 100% hand-woven cotton and bamboo Shi Shu baby blanket. It is heavenly. The fabric is gentle and perfectly made to be next to your baby’s skin. 

 

All Shi Shu blankets are made of 100% natural fibers – Bamboo and Cotton. The trim around the blanket is 100% Bamboo Sateen. If choosing organic is important to you and your family, or there is an allergy issue with artificial materials, then the Shi Shu baby blanket may be a good choice for you. If you value high quality and style in the products you purchase, you will not be disappointed with Shi Shu Style. Blankets are available in a baby/toddler size as well as in a larger size for the home.

 

If you happen to be a recipient of a luxe 2009 Golden Globe swag bag on January 11, 2009, then you’ll find out first hand how wonderful these blankets truly are.  Only the best goes into those swag bags, but in case you aren’t one of the recipients, you can experience the little bit of luxury yourself by going to Shi Shu Style and choosing from the baby blanket (30”x40”), baby snuggler (16”x16”), or the classic weave throw (50”x60”).

 

Also, Shi Shu Baby is on Twitter & will donate blankets to Blankets For Babies once they reach 2,000 followers. You can help make that happen.  Keep up with news and updates about Shi Shu Style by following the Shi Shu Style Blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our own Kim has created a great recipe & a video showing it off as her entry in the Meijer “My Meal Box Moment” Video Recipe Contest. Judges are currently reviewing the entries. 20 finalists will be chosen and voting will begin on Saturday.  You can view her video & recipe by going to the contest site & looking for Kim / Easy Chile Recipe.  Keep your fingers crossed for Kim!!

 

 

 Books I am currently reading or are “on deck” for me to read:

 

Note To Self by Samara O’Shea

Speed Reading by Abby Marks Beal

Debt Cures by Kevin Trudeau (borrowed from Dad)

Backyard Adventures by Nancy Worrell

Weird Word Origins by Paul McFedries

The One Hundred by Nina Garcia

Splat The Cat by Rob Scotton

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes

Big Words For Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis

Big Bedtime Book (Berenstain Bears) by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser

Three Steps To Planning Your Child’s Parties {1-2-3… Get Organized Workbook Series} by Beverly Coggins

 

 

 

The World Around Me by Alexis Barad, one of the board books in Fisher-Price’s Laugh, Smile, & Learn series, explores colors and numbers using a “turn to learn” wheel on each page.  What color are the coins in the piggy bank? What tools are in the tool box? How many letters are in the mailbox? Turning the wheel gives three different views and another window has the answer.  There are nine questions / interactive activities.  We had a lot of fun exploring the activities and my two year old really enjoyed the book, even though it is geared for little ones as young as 6 months.  I like that it uses very familiar things in a baby’s / toddler’s world. 

 

Teaches: numbers, counting, shapes, colors, intro to telling time and more.

 

 

 

What a fun book!  The recommended age group for The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica by Debbie Glade is 4 – 8, but during the time this book has sat on my shelf, my two year has requested to see it numerous times – he loves it.  The illustrations (also by Debbie Glade) are bright, very colorful, and fun. 

 

Lilly P. Badilly is a little millipede that lives in a hole inside the Miami International Airport with her grandparents.  The book opens with Lilly gleeful about her upcoming trip to the rain forests of Costa Rica. Throughout the journey to, and visit in, Costa Rica, Lilly comes face to face with a lot of her fears and finds way to overcome them.  She meets creatures of the rain forest and has great adventures.  There is definitely learning material here and a great way to introduce your child to places that aren’t close to home.

 

The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica comes with a Book On CD. A little warning though: “Lilly’s” voice on the CD is a tad bit annoying. The rhymes in the book are set to music on the CD.

 

 

 

 

Do You Think I’m Beautiful? Answering The Questions Every Woman Asks By Angela Thomas is the study guide / workbook for a new series in the Ladies Bible Study group at church.  Angela Thomas wrote a book by the same title that was published in 2003.  The basic set-up is the Bible Study leader shares & there is discussion from the previous week; there is a video of Angela Thomas speaking on the current week’s theme, and there is the workbook to go through each day. 

 

This was the first time I had the opportunity to hear Angela Thomas and I must say I really like her. She’s down to earth, gets her points across in a meaningful way and has great wit. I’m looking forward to listening to her throughout this study series. 

 

Do You Think I’m Beautiful is broken down into 6 weekly sections: Do You Think I’m Beautiful?, When The Wallflower Is Asked To Dance, The Shout, A Pursuing Heart, The Only Hope You Have, and A Beautiful Crown.  There is a thought provoking passage & questions each day and a weekly viewer guide that goes along with each week’s video presentation.

 

The basic premise of week two is that the Lord created us with an empty spot that only He can fill. That no matter how we try to go about filling that spot or expectations we may have on our husband, friends, children, things – none will ever be enough to fill you as the Lord can.

 

This is a new study to me, so I am just sharing a few thoughts.  I’m looking forward to getting into this book more and continuing the series through the Bible Study group. If you are currently reading this / doing the video series or have previously, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Note: This is not a review, but am placing in that category for later reference.

 

Sam Feels Better Now, written by Jill Osborne and illustrated by Kevin Collier, is an interactive story for children who have seen or dealt with something traumatic.  Children do not always understand or have a natural ability to express feelings and concerns they may have after a traumatic experience.  They could be overwhelmed, feel they shouldn’t talk about it, or a myriad of other confused thoughts.

 

Jill Osborne’s character, Sam, had a traumatic experience. In the book, Sam and his mom went to visit Mrs. Carol, a special therapist who makes kids feel better. The story walks through Sam’s visit with Mrs. Carol and allows space for children to answer the questions Mrs. Carol asks Sam as well as complete the simple activities / drawings.  The story is written very simply, in language that a child can read and understand easily. 

 

This interactive story / picture book makes a wonderful guide for children working with a therapist to find a positive outlook that may have been overshadowed by a traumatic experience and to help them work through and past feelings of fear and uneasiness.

 
Just a quick note that the blog will be under heavy construction over the next few days.  Don't mind any changes until all design work is complete.  Please keep your hard hats on while in the construction area.  ;) Thanks!!

 
Hi there! I’m Christy and I am so excited about this new venture!!  I am thirty something and wife to my wonderful husband, who is a professional firefighter, Mopar enthusiast, and an awesome Daddy.  I am also a stay-at-home mommy to “B”, my sweet, loveable, active two-year-old son.  
 
I love to read, coupon/frugal shop, scrapbook, and travel, among many other things. I just need to find some balance to DO some of those things I’ve put on the backburner.  You can also find me blogging away at Shake The Salt. 

 Hello there!  Welcome to the newest blog on the block! We are so glad you found us! Please grab a cup of hot chocolate, coffee, tea, or whatever suits you and kick back.  Make yourself at home.

Who ARE the Simply Sensational Divas, anyway?

 The Simply Sensational Divas are Cathy, Christi, Kim, LaDonna, Stephanie, Tammy, and myself (Christy).  If this is your first visit here, please take a moment to visit each post, get to know a little bit about each of us, and perhaps say hello. We'd like to get to meet you too and know that you stopped by.

What IS the Simply Sensational Divas Review?

Together, the seven of us we will be bringing you fantastic book reviews (children's & grown-up books) and once in awhile reviews on other stuff, too. Part of the charm here at SSDR is that while we each have our own reading list, sometimes we will be bringing you up to seven personalized takes on a particular book or product and other times there may be just one.

We'd love you to subscribe to our RSS Feed so you will best be able to keep up on all the happenings & reviews.If you have a great book or product that you would like reviewed by up to seven ladies, please contact us. We'd love to work with you.

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