All of these factors came crashing together last night when Cody flung the door to my office open, on the verge of tears, clutching the book I had tucked him in with nearly an hour beforehand. The book was this:

Cody has become so fascinated with history, particularly ancient Egypt, I purchased this book for his birthday in August. It’s a really cool book, with tons of fast facts and illustrations about different ancient civilizations, designed for kids ages 8-12, though I spent a happy while flipping through it. (Incidentally, right now, Amazon also has it at a bargain price of $8.)

Back to the story, Cody silently brought the book to my desk, laid it in carefully in front of me, and pointed to the five sentences and the small picture that had given his night such a bad turn.

The section was titled, “Human Sacrifice,” and it described how the Incas sacrificed people to their gods. The picture was of the remains of a sacrificed girl found in 1999.

I scanned the paragraph, not completely realizing how shaken he was. “Yep, that stuff happened,” I confirmed, trying to figure out how old the girl might have been. She seemed young.

I heard a choked sound and looked up to see tears forming in Cody’s eyes. “How could people do that?” he said, and burst into sobs.

I comforted him the best I could, hugging him tightly and assuring him that he was safe. It wasn’t fear that gripped him though; it was anguish over the capability of human beings to engage in such a horrific act.

“How can I forget about this?” he pleaded with me. “How will I be able to not be creeped out by it ever again?”

I knew just what he meant.

As I held him close, I remembered the moment I really understood what people could do to each other. It was probably quite a bit less dramatic, but equally powerful and disturbing. It was the very late 70s or very early 80s (yes, I’m dating myself) and I was fairly young. My mom was watching something on TV and I happened to come in the room just as on the screen a jilted wife walked into the room where her husband and his lover were in bed and shot them both point blank.

It haunted me for days. I think it was mostly the fact that it was a woman that fired the gun that really got to me. I found the scene horrifying and reprehensible, maybe because at that young age I perceived all women as nurturing and caring. It was shocking and horrible to me that anyone, much less a woman, could shoot someone else in cold blood like that.

I remember the feeling of losing my blind faith in humanity well. It was like tiny pinpricks all over my skin, yet complete and utter silence and stillness inside, allowing for only a very slow thump of my heart, making my breath catch and hold every time I thought of the scene I had witnessed. The scene that represented the loss of my innocence.

How can I unlearn this? I remember feeling, and that’s just what Cody was asking me. How do I cope with this knowledge that humans can be so evil?

I sighed. “You can’t forget,” I told him. “But it’ll get better. It will fade in time and it’ll become less and less upsetting.”

I comforted him a while longer, until his tears had subsided and he had a different, much more upbeat, book in hand.

“I just never knew people could do that,” he said, his voice full of sorrow and resignation.

“I know,” I said softly. ”I’m sorry.” I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry you found out. I’m sorry I don’t have anything more comforting to say. I’m so sorry for your loss.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Is there a particular event in your and/or your child’s life that marks the time when you (or your child) understood what people could be capable of?

Right now, I’m reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I admit has been sitting on my shelf for several years. I’m not a big fan of the memoir genre, typically, so despite this book’s glowing reviews, I wasn’t too anxious to crack it open.

That all changed when I finally sat down and watched the movie of the same name starring Julia Roberts. It wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it resonated with me, and I decided that I simply must read the book. Once I found it somewhere in the depths of  my multiple bookshelves, that is.

I’m so glad I did. The book is divided into 108 parts. Some tales are quite short, less than a page, while others are multiple pages, making this a perfect book for parents who can steal a few minutes here and there.

Each piece is an exquisite essay. As an essayist, I appreciate the very essence of a writer that goes into a personal essay. One of the essays I wrote that was recently published in the book, Fits, Starts and Matters of the Heart (okay, yes, that was a shameless plug), took me several years to write, not to mention dozens and dozens of drafts. I can’t imagine how much of herself Elizabeth Gilbert must have put into this book. It boggles.

One of the goals, if not THE main goal, of a personal essay is to get the reader to feel what you, the writer, felt, so that he or she, the reader, walks away feeling a connection with your piece. The reader must be able to, consciously or not, identify the universality in your work, or all you’re doing is navel-gazing, which nobody wants to read.

Gilbert is exceptional at this very skill. She makes you taste what she’s eating, see what she’s seeing, feel what she’s feeling, care about what she cares about. To say that’s not an easy task is a gigantic understatement.

I’m nearing the end of the first of three sections in this book and I’m savoring it, like a rich dessert. Each piece is a gem, a beauty of finely-crafted, witty prose that makes me feel strangely comforted and comfortable.

I love this book. It speaks to me on a universal level. If your library carries it, check it out.

If you’ve read EPL, what did you think of it?

I’ve been devouring all three books for the past couple weeks. I’m about 3/4 of the way through the last book and I love the story so much, I’m finding myself dragging out the finale because I know I’m going to be terribly sad when the proverbial fat lady has sung. A world without any more books starring Katniss Everdeen? I can’t think about it.

You know you’re reading a great story when you’re inexplicably sad to finish it. So many books leave me completely unmoved, wondering why I wasted my time hoping the whole time that some turn of events or explanation would redeem the pages I struggled through, only to FINALLY get to the unsatisfying end. The few that cause my heart to sink at the conclusion are treasures that I end up reading again and again, each time feeling just as resigned to the inevitable end of my temporary escape as I did the first time.

Even though The Hunger Games is technically in the Young Adult genre, a style for which I confess having a huge weakness, its lessons, characters and symbolism are timeless and universal. Writing a novel is a big accomplishment. Writing one in the YA genre is an even bigger accomplishment, a challenge in itself, considering its target audience. To write a story that adolescents actually care about, especially one that doesn’t contain the smut teens typically look for, is a feat achieved by very few.

If you like a fast-paced, emotionally-charged, action-filled, character-driven story, then you should definitely check out The Hunger Games trilogy. If you’re really smart, you’ll read it before the first movie, now in negotiations, makes its way to the big screen. I have a feeling it’s going to be a smash hit.

Have you read The Hunger Games? What’s your review?

Here’s what LeapFrog is up to (from a press release):

Another school year is underway, Education Nation has launched, Waiting for Superman is on movie screens, and we all want to give our children the best possible school experience. Knowing that literacy statistics in recent years have been discouraging at best, in 2009, LeapFrog decided we had to do more to help our youngest kids get started on the right foot—in Kindergarten, the year when “learning to read” usually begins.

So we donated $1.5 million in Tag Readers and books to the classrooms of 10,000 Kindergarten students nationwide. And after using them for a few months, here’s what teachers told us:

o 99% of them said they’d recommend Tag systems to other teachers and to parents, because it makes a real difference.

o   96% said their students’ attitudes about reading improved.

o   95% said their students wanted to spend more time reading.

o   97% said their students’ reading skills improved.

WELL. We felt confident that Tag would have a positive effect in the classroom, but even we were amazed by this feedback. Because teachers have made it clear that Tag helps them and their students, LeapFrog has launched the Tag. Give. Read. program, empowering anyone to “give the gift of reading” by putting Tag materials into the hands of 30,000 more students.

2 ways to get involved:

1.   GIVE TO A TEACHER. LeapFrog has donated $100,000 to DonorsChoose.org, to match donations, dollar-for-dollar, made to teachers who request Tag for their classrooms. This is teachers’ opportunity to post a request for Tag Readers and books, being sure to reference “LeapFrog Tag Readers” in the request. And it’s everyone else’s opportunity to help a teacher out. Everyone can give, no amount is too little, and LeapFrog’s gift effectively doubles every dollar given.

2.   “LIKE” LEAPFROG ON FACEBOOK. LeapFrog will give a Tag book to a Kindergarten teacher for each new Facebook fan we get—it’s what we’re calling our “Virtual Book Drive.” That way even someone who is unable to contribute financially can lend a hand by becoming a fan.

Pretty cool initiative, huh?

THE PRIZE:

Tag Reading System + US Map and 2 additional books for YOU.

Tag map

Tag Reading Sytem

PLUS, choose a Kindergarten teacher to receive a Tag kit for classroom use, consisting of 2 Tag School Readers and headphones, along with 2 copies each of 15 Tag books.

TO ENTER:

♣    “Like” LeapFrog on Facebook, then leave a comment here with your Facebook name. Limit one comment per person.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣    Suggest to 10 of your Facebook friends that they “Like” LeapFrog on Facebook too. The more “Likes” LeapFrog gets, the more books they get to give away! Leave a comment here telling me you did this.

♣    Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣    Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a Leapster Tag Reading System, U.S. map & 2 books from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/25jov9h.

♣    Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

♣    Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and leave a comment here letting me know.

♣    Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know.

PLEASE READ: Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Sunday, December 19, 2010. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. only. The winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

GOOD LUCK!

Confessions of a Mean Mommy — The name alone makes you want to read it, doesn’t it? Denise Schipani, Mean Mommy extraordinaire, blogs about everything from baby lust to why she didn’t childproof. On her “Why ‘Mean Mommy?’” page, Denise explains, “I didn’t set out to be ‘mean,’ but as the years have passed in this adventure we call motherhood, I realized that my relentlessly practical nature, combined with my inborn stubborn streak, make me ill-suited to the loosey-goosey parenting style currently in vogue. I’m just doing my bit to nudge the pendulum back to somewhere between 60s commune (too far in one direction!) and kids should be seen and not heard (too far in the other!).”

Click here to sign up for Denise’s Tag Reading System giveaway. Hurry — it ends Wednesday, September 23.

3 Carnations — Some of her posts are thoughtful, such as this one about a man she has never met who died in the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and all of them are totally relate-able (poo on a stick, anyone?). 3C is also a favorite of mine because she comments on  my posts once in awhile. Thanks, 3C!

Click here to sign up for 3C’s Tag Reading System giveaway, which ends Thursday, September 24.

ReadyMom — Kristen is a fellow writer and mom who is working hard on her recently-birthed blog. Her latest post asks which book got your kid into reading and another recent one gives a great tip on how to help kids be better readers. I’m totally inspired!

Click here to sign up for Kristen’s giveaway, which also ends Thursday, September 24.

What are you waiting for? Go sign up before it’s too late! And while you’re at it, if you haven’t signed up for my LeapFrog Tag Reading System giveaway, click here.

As promised, I’m starting a giveaway for a LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle, sponsored by the ever-inspired LeapFrog company.

And I have great news for all of you who want to sign up to win one of your very own: I’m doing a 10-blog blast with this giveaway, so you can sign up to win a Tag on all ten blogs! (Note: Each blog may have separate instructions to enter.)

The Tag Reading System has won 28 awards in 6 countries and the Toy Industry Association named it the Best Educational Toy of 2009. It’s also the best-selling reading system in the world.

The Tag Reading System

THE PRIZE:

A LeapFrog Tag Reading System, which comes with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, plus two extra books! Retail value: $77.97

TO ENTER:

♣ Leave a comment describing something you learned from my review of the Tag. Limit one comment per person.

WANT BONUS ENTRIES?

♣ Subscribe to my blog via RSS or email, then leave a comment letting me know.

♣ Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment with the link. (You can do this daily.) Optional phrasing for your Tweet: I’m entered to win a LeapFrog Tag Reading System from @MomofTwinsPlus2. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/n4uq4w.

♣ Post on your blog with a link about the giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your post.

♣ Favorite me on Technorati (leave your username).

♣ Follow my blog on Networked Blogs and let me know.

♣ Become a fan of Parenting By Trial and Error on Facebook and let me know.

PLEASE READ:

Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time, Friday, September 25, 2009. Any comments left after this time will be deleted. Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. The winner will be chosen by using random.org. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification with shipping info. If no response, another winner will be chosen.

You can also enter to win a Tag on these blogs: (Note: Their contests may not be up yet, but keep checking back if you want to sign up.)

Blogging ‘Bout Boys
Frisco Kids
Blog Salad
Confessions of a Mean Mommy
Ready Mom
The Adventures of Supermom
3 Carnations
My Semblance of Sanity
World of Weasels

Good luck!

***********CLOSED***********

I’ve made no secret about my love of LeapFrog products — my boys have been using Leapsters for a couple years now — and the Tag Reading System is absolutely no exception.

The Tag Reading System

According to the LeapFrog website, the Tag has won 28 awards in 6 different countries and is the best-selling reading system in the world. LeapFrog graciously sent us a Tag to try for ourselves, along with a Spiderman book, an I Spy book and both of the Learn To Read Phonics Book Series. Both my boys were beyond excited to test this brand new educational toy and they have already spent many hours with it, reading the books over and over.

I’m impressed with how intuitive the Tag is. Maybe I’m showing my age here, but I find it more than a bit amazing that it recognizes any word or series of words you choose, including the names of the authors. There are different reading options so kids can have the Tag read the entire page, or they can read word by word/ bubble by bubble (character voices included). There are also games on a lot of the pages, which keep kids involved and engaged in the story. I’ve also seen already how much the Tag helps with word recognition.

The Tag holds 10 books and comes with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. For other Tag books, all you have to do is connect the Tag to a PC with the included cable and download the appropriate book from the website. It couldn’t be easier! (Note: You need the actual Tag book for your download to do any good.)

I haven’t done this yet, but you can also set up what’s called a free Learning Path for your child on LeapFrog.com. This allows you to track what your child is learning and see his/her accomplishments when online.

All in all, I am very impressed with this LeapFrog product and highly recommend it. This would be a great Christmas gift for kids ages 4-8 this year. With over 30 books and games for the Tag, there are plenty of choices, plus you can even get the reader in pink for your little girl.

Personally, I feel really good about my kids playing with LeapFrog toys because I know they’re spending their time well rather than mindlessly (video games, anyone?). Learning with LeapFrog toys is so much fun that they don’t even realize that’s what they’re doing.

Would you like a chance to win your very own LeapFrog Tag Reading System? Enter here!

We absolutely love LeapFrog products in this house. We first got hooked around 6 years ago when the girls received LeapPads for Christmas. Ever since then, we’ve had an ongoing supply of LeapFrog products and I’ve been very pleased with all of them. We haven’t tried the Tag yet, but it looks like another gadget must-have to me!

The Tag Reading System has won 16 awards in 8 countries and the Toy Industry Association named it the Best Educational Toy of 2009.

TO ENTER:

♣  Check out the review on About.com of the LeapFrog Tag Reading System HERE.

AND

♣  Return here and leave a comment on this post describing what you liked the most or what you learned from the review. You must follow these steps in order to qualify for the drawing.

TO QUALIFY FOR BONUS ENTRIES:

♣  You can receive a bonus entry by also posting here that you signed up for LeapFrog’s One Million Hours Reading Pledge, where you can earn discounts and prizes, as well as download a coupon for $10 off the Tag Reading System.

♣  Receive another bonus entry by leaving a comment confirming that you have linked to my contest on your blog.

♣  If you’d like yet another bonus entry, subscribe to my blog using the links on the home page, either by email or RSS feed.

♣  Bonus entry for following me on Twitter (@MomofTwinsPlus2).

♣  Tweet my giveaway with a link to my blog, http://tinyurl.com/c6krwh, and receive another entry. Leave me a comment with the link to the tweet. You receive one bonus entry per Tweet and you may do this daily until the giveaway is over.

THE PRIZE:

A LeapFrog Tag Reading System bundle, which includes Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

Retail value of $77.97

I will draw a name and announce the lucky winner here the morning of Wednesday, March 25, 2009. The prize bundle will be shipped directly to the winner from LeapFrog.

You may also enter the contest on one of the other 9 blogs LeapFrog has chosen:

3 Carnations

So Much More Than A Mom

Goddess In Progress

What About Mom?

My Sweet Baboo

Verbatim

Miss Britt

Stop, Drop and Blog

Callapidder Days

Some of these may not have the contest posted yet, so keep checking back for more chances to win!

Please be sure to include a valid email address with your comment so that I can alert you if you’re the lucky winner.

GOOD LUCK!

(All photos courtesy of LeapFrog)

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