Wordpress.org’s main video insert option is rather lame in that it just gives you a link to click on, rather than embedding the video directly in the post. I knew there had to be something better out there. After a quick search through the available plugins I found Smart YouTube which “allows you to easily insert Youtube videos/playlists into your post, comments and in your RSS feed. The plugin is designed to be small and fast and not use any external resources.” Sounds good to me, but does it work?

After fiddling around, trying to figure out how it works and thinking it didn’t work and almost walking away, SUCCESS! I suddenly figured it out. Here’s how it works:

• Look under your dashboard’s “settings” options & you will find settings for Smart YouTube (assuming you’ve installed and activated the plugin)
• At the top of the page will be a link for instructions, click that! You can also make any customizations you’d like here.
• It will tell you pretty simply to just type httpv://[youtube address]. It should be that simple unless, like me, you’re a bit dense.
• Do not try to turn it into a hyperlink, just type httpv (the v is for video and it’s important) :// [video address] in your visual editor. Trust me.
• The youtube address you use should be the “shareable” link like “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meT2eqgDjiM” and not one of those weird long links you sometimes see like “http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic#p/c/F125407272F3C1A4/1/2vEStDd6HVY” Make sure you use the short ones that you’ll find under the “share” options or it won’t work and you’ll think it’s Smart YouTube’s fault except it’s really yours.
• If you get it all right, when you hit publish the video will be embedded, perfectly like this:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vEStDd6HVY

So in short -- remember the v and make sure you are using the right youtube link. Happy video embedding!

Rather than give into the hype of the latest “Awesomest Book Ever According To Everyone,” I’ve cleverly devised a simple system which will help you decide whether or not to read this book that everyone keeps telling you about. The answer to your prayers, I know. No need to thank me – this was for the greater good of literature and literature lovers everywhere, I’m sure.

So, are you ready to take my quiz? Great! Let’s get started!

1. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like writing letters, as the book is chock full of fantastic letters and will have you itching to write to everyone you know immediately.
2. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not like writing letters, because after reading all of the fantastic letters in this book, you just might change your mind.
3. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like great literature, as this book is also chock full of fantastic literary references that will make the book geek in you swoon with delight.
4. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you have not read much great literature, as this book will give you several great examples of where to start.
5. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like strong, witty characters. There are several in the story to choose from.
6. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like annoying, judgemental dim-witted characters as there are a few of those, too – but don’t worry, we mostly just laugh at them and roll our eyes a bit.
7. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like laughing – because you’ll get many chances to do so while reading this book.
8. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not like laughing, because there are also several deep, soul wrenching stories that are sure to tug at your heart strings and make your mouth go all frowny.
9. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you like love stories. This book has a couple great ones complete with impatiently waiting and “Does he or doesn’t he?” and best of all, a few happy endings.
10. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you have an interest in World War Two or life shortly after the war. There are many fantastic stories of the war and tales of courage, bravery, heart ache, hardship and survival. It’s supremely moving, motivating and … magnificent.
11. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you don’t have an interest in World War Two, because this book might just change your mind and give you a reason to be interested. The letter format of the book will deliver stories of the war, of romance and friendship in more in very nice, bite sized chunks, making the whole thing very manageable and easy to digest.
12. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if it’s been a long time since you’ve read a really great book – because this one fits the bill.
13. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you’ve just finished a really great book, because isn’t it always nice to read two in a row?
14. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you are still asking, “What in the world is a Potato Peel Pie?” because I’m surely not going to tell you, so you’ll just have to read the book to find out.
15. You should not read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do not know how to read yet - but really, shouldn’t you learn how to read already so that you can finally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?
16. You should read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society if you do know how to read, because otherwise you really have no good excuse.

So, what were your results?

I loved looking at all of the beautiful office supplies and gift ideas on their website. The prices might be a bit steep for your home office but if high quality is a priority, the price tag might be worth it – and you will definitely get a professional look and feel that is perfect for your office at work. Need a gift for a co-worker? This is a great place to look!

Being book-obsessed, the Stylish Bookend with Pencil Cups and Letter Holders immediately caught my eye. I love the dark wood style and how multifaceted the bookends are. Executive Gift Shoppe shipped my product quickly and in excellent condition and the product looks just like it does online – nice, high quality bookends with pencil cups that are large enough to double as a place to store your cell phone or a small camera and letter holders that I use to stash mail or important documents – saving the middle “book” area for my latest book reviews or magazines I haven’t gotten to yet.

It took me awhile to find a set up that I liked, but that was more due to my own clutter disaster than the bookends which would probably work in any number of set ups. At one point I had the bookends set up vertically instead of horizontally so that the magazines and books ran along the side of my desk instead of in the back, but I felt like the things I needed were actually less accessible to me and more accessible to the baby toddling by that way, so I moved them to their current position and have been much happier!

I decided to use one half of the bookend to store pens, pencils and office supplies and the other half to hold my small electronics . So far the set up has worked beautifully. I love that all of my supplies are corralled in their appropriate location – and when I need more space (or less) I simply move the bookends accordingly.

Executive Gift Shoppe sells all sorts of products to suit your needs – clocks, desk accessories, golf gifts – anything you might need for your office at work or home.

This post was written for Family Review Network and Executive Gift Shoppe who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

Some of my favorite companies and parenting products are in the runnings this year, like Barley & Birch – one of my favorite eco-friendly children’s clothing boutiques and the Kaboost portable chair boosters – such a unique alternative to a traditional booster seat! I hope you’ll head over to SK and support your favorite companies with a vote in the She Knows 2010 Parenting Awards.

I’m about forty pages in and already, already I have quotes I’m just dying to share with you – quotes that perfectly explain why I am falling madly in love with this book. Quotes that I would normally recite outloud to my husband while he was trying to sleep except when I was reading them he was in the living room working on God knows what which means the quotes are still lingering in my head, waiting for someone to share them with so I can squeal and go, “I know, right??” Lucky you.

Ready?

“…booksellers really are a special breed. No one in their right mind would take up clerking in a bookstore for the salary, and no one in his right mind would want to own one – the margin profit is too small. So, it has to be a love of readers and reading that makes them do it – along with first dibs on the new books.”

- from page 15 of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

“That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive – all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”

- page 11 of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I know, right???

After her husband announces that he is in love with someone else (a male someone else), Shey moves herself and her boys to her childhood home – a family ranch in Texas. Moving back home is never easy and Shey finds herself dealing with her Southern Baptist mama, over protective brothers, the typical struggles with three teenage boys, one of whom has been battling depression – not to mention the death of her brother, life as an older model and run ins with her ex-crush Dane Kelly.

One thing that I love about Jane Porter’s novels is the fact that things never start or finish in a tidy way. Her stories are very true to life with no perfect happy endings. She jumps in the middle of the action and leaves a few loose ties as well. Some of those loose ties stand to upset readers but I actually like that she leaves things open – and knowing that her characters will likely pop up again in future novels with more details of how things work out is an added bonus. Did I mention that the other novels of Porter’s that I’ve read feature Shey as a character? Shey’s two best friends were the respective main characters in Odd Mom Out and Easy On The Eyes and all three girls appear in all three books, with bits and pieces of their stories told in each – so the story never really ends for any of them.

Another thing that I enjoy with Jane Porter is her very conversational writing style. It’s not always perfect, in fact sometimes I find myself obsessing over her sentence structure, wanting to rewrite bits and pieces – but the overall result is a book that feels like it may have been written by your best friend – it’s not perfect, but it’s so easily digestible – which is good given the often heavy subject matter of death, depression, cyber bullying, family trauma, divorce, heart break and more. Life is messy and Porter’s stories are often a bit messy as well – and a bit heavy. Her writing style makes all of this much easier to digest I think, giving an overall feel of light, dare I say chick-lit – in the midst of some pretty deep subject material.

I definitely recommend She’s Gone Country – it delivers in much the same way as Porters other books – and I think most women (especially moms or fans of chick lit or this new cross breed of mom lit) should enjoy it. I might recommend that you read Odd Mom Out or Easy On the Eyes first but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Win It!

Thanks to Book Sparks PR, we’re giving away a copy of She’s Gone Country to one lucky winner! Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. Tell us: Would you rather live in the country or the city? This step is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
2. Like Jane Porter on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
3. Follow Jane Porter on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.

For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian addresses only. The giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Monday September 6, 2010.

Every now and then I try a new recipe that is so amazing I just have to share it with everyone I know. The other week I was flipping through the latest issue of Parents magazine and spotted this recipe for End of Summer Pasta. Always on the lookout for new uses for the eggplants and other veggies that we get flooded with each Wednesday from our CSA, I was excited to find a totally new way of cooking eggplant that I’d never tried!

Cooking this pasta sauce is pretty easy and it smells amazing and fresh while it simmers in the pan. I love knowing how many awesome servings of veggies are in the dish – and our fresh CSA veggies probably bring this dish to a whole new level. It’s sort of reminiscent of a ratatouille (did you know that touiller in French means simply to toss food?) except you skip the baking process altogether.

This dish excels in its simplicity and versatility. Substitute veggies you don’t have for veggies you do – add in more veggies and seasonings to create a whole new flavor. Last night I added some onions, summer squash and zucchini to the dish and it was fantastic. This afternoon I mixed some leftover sauce into a bowl of Ramen noodles and that was good, too!

You can click over to Parents Magazine for their copy of the recipe or check out my variation below:

End of Summer Pasta

(adapted from a Parents Magazine recipe)

The result is a dish that I’ll be honest – tastes a lot better than it looks. Younger kids are likely to turn their nose up to this one – so I opted to not offer any to my picky brood and instead sliced some fresh tomatoes and threw them on top instead of the sauce for the kids. Next time I might try throwing in some other raw veggies and then gradually work my way up to serving them the real dish. Sneaky momma!

If you are on the hunt for a new way to use up your summer veggies, definitely give this one a try! I feel like this recipe has opened my eyes to a whole new level of cooking that I’d been unaware of and I’m having a blast coming up with variations and new ways to use up our veggies.

My next adventure in cooking with summer veggies? Don’t these chocolate chip zucchini oatmeal cookies look delicious?A friend of mine just posted about these on Facebook and I’ve mentally drooling over them ever since!

If you try this recipe – definitely let me know how you like it and any variations you come up with! I’d love to hear more about what you’ve been cooking up in the comments section below!

I have been a big fan of PBS Kids show since my son first began watching tv – for two years it was the only channel I let him watch actually! I love how educational and entertaining the shows are and knowing I can trust them to provide quality entertainment for my children is invaluable. Dinosaur Train is one of PBS’s newer shows and my son adores it. Anyone with kids interested in those awesome prehistoric creatures should get a kick out of this show and parents, you can trust that this show delivers the same quality that we’ve come to know and love from PBS.

We watched our screener DVD at lunch time and I made my son a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that I cut into the shape of a dinosaur using a cookie cutter for the occasion – so fun and such an easy way to set the tone! The kids were smitten with this one hour special, which follows Buddy and the Pteranodon family as they take the Dinosaur Train on an underwater adventure, exploring the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic oceans to discover new aquatic creatures. Like all the other DT adventures, this show perfectly mixes fun stories that your kids can relate to with educational lessons on prehistoric life. I definitely recommend checking it out this Friday!

Here’s a link to a snippet from the episode (sorry our layout doesn’t seem to allow embedded video):

Dinosaur Train Under the Sea on PBS Kids

WIN IT!

Thanks to Three Sixty Marketing & Communications and The Jim Henson Company, we’re giving away a copy of Dinosaurs Under the Sea on DVD to one lucky winner! This DVD comes out on August 24 and includes eight exciting adventures as well as interactive games, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and information for parents. Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. Tell us: What is your favorite show on PBS Kids – or if you don’t already watch the channel regularly, just tell us your favorite kids show? This step is mandatory and if not done, all other entries will be null and void.
2. Become a fan of  PBS Kids on Facebook and leave a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
3. Follow PBS Kids on twitter and leave us a comment with your user name telling us you’ve done so.

For additional entry options and giveaway rules visit our Extra Giveaway Options page!

This giveaway is open to US addresses only. The giveaway will close at 12pm EST on Wednesday September 1, 2010.

I have just started letting MM check books out at the library. It’s been a long time coming, I know, but he is very rough with his books and I wanted to wait until I thought I could trust him – and even then I had to make some pretty hard core rules – like no library books in his bedroom without adult supervision. Seriously. Are your kids rough on their books?

Anyway, here are a few of the books that have been in constant request mode at nap time and bedtime story sessions:

The Magic Raincoat by Ryan David – This is our most recent library pick. MM spotted the fun cover from seemingly a mile away and had to have it. The book tells the story of Emily whose mother gets her an orange raincoat (she’d wanted a yellow one!) that turns out to be magical. At first she goes nuts, wishing for all sorts of silly things but soon she learns that her wishes have real consequences and she vows to use it’s powers only for good, but then…

I love the beautifully detailed illustrations by Sibylla Benatova in this picture book and I thought the story telling was sassy and fun. MM was riveted by the book and asks to read it frequently. This is one I’d definitely consider buying for our personal collection. MM wants to add that he loves all of the umbrellas in the book which is slightly irrelevant but there you have it!

Mudge Wants to Play by Cynthia Rylant – This is a pretty simple story about Henry and his puppy, Mudge. Henry is reading a book quite happily when his puppy Mudge comes in wanting to play. Mudge does everything he can think of to get Henry to stop reading and play with him, mostly by acting out. Eventually Henry gets the memo, stops reading, and they play together.

I actually found myself thinking about when the kids act out for my attention – it is so easy to get wrapped up into whatever I’m doing and sadly I frequently find the kids start acting out more – vying for my attention. That’s when, like Henry, I need to remind myself to just put down whatever I’m doing and spend some more quality time with them. A good lesson to learn at any age!

This book is very basic and easy for kids just starting to learn how to read – it features lots of repetition and simple words. MM quickly memorized the book so although he cannot actually read yet, he can pretend to read by memorizing what’s on each of the pages. He loved to “read” this book to Dan and I at bedtime when we had it checked out from the library.

Richard Scarry’s A Day at the Airport - This is actually one of the books from our own collection, but it’s one that MM has seemingly just discovered and is infatuated with. Did you read Richard Scarry books when you were a kid? This is one that I actually remember from my own childhood so it’s a lot of fun sharing it with MM now.

Richard Scarry books are always fun because of the little captions all throughout the book telling you what all of the little details in the book are – like labeling the different kinds of airplanes or mapping out the layout of an airport. This is especially timely for us right now since we just took the kids on their first ever airplane ride at the beginning of the summer.

What books have your kids been reading?

Want to take a tour through my imaginary home?

First: the kitchen

I go back and forth on what my perfect kitchen looks like. Sometimes the cabinets are dark wood, sometimes light, sometimes white. The walls change from classic red brick, clean white tile, a bright blue or a burning orange. But I love the open, friendly layout of this kitchen and the kid friendly vibe. I like that it feels like a real kitchen where real messes and real fun happen – as opposed to some of the more serious, sterile kitchens you sometimes see.

the bedroom

I love the soothing neutrals of this bedroom – it looks very tranquil, like you could just exhale immediately upon entering it. It reminds me of a day spa in your own home! I looked at another great picture in the catalog that actually had a lot of grey going on and loved it – but couldn’t find it online. Regardless, love the idea of neutral, less color – very sophisticated.

the living room

We are book fiends in our family – and we come with a lot of stuff in general. So I love all of the opportunities for clever storage in this living room. It also seems very relaxed and lived in. I want people to feel comfortable to sit down and relax and grab a drink in my home and not be worried about coasters and rules. Relax and sit a spell!

the kids room

I love how fun and bright and cheerful this kids’ room is. I’d love to get my four year old a bed like this – how cool! I’m a big fan of primary colors for kids and classic fun with less focus on tv characters and traditional gender roles.

This was another kids room that I love – I could see this being my little girl’s room when she gets older and transitions to a big girls bed. This picture shows off IKEA’s new line of kids furniture and storage – the STUVA line – which I am currently infatuated with. I’d love to get some of these products to organize my kids’ things and create a space for them.

my office

I love how bright and cheerful this office is – and free of clutter! That’s a goal of mine. I also want my “office” to be in an open family space so that I can keep an eye on the kids while I’m busy doing my thing. I love the classic design of the desk in this room and the minimalist approach. I am seriously considering getting a high performance laptop instead of a desktop for my next computer. In this set up, I could work at my desk or pick it up and lounge on the couch with the kids or my husband while I continue working. Love it.

the dining room

I think a dining room is a great place to introduce a punch of color on the walls and I love this orange. It makes me feel like you might be in Italy at a quaint little villa. The furniture is awesome – my friend has one of those benches with her dining table and I love seeing all our little kiddos eating together on it. So much easier than trying to squeeze a few chairs in the same space – plus less chairs to coordinate around and potentially knock over – very kid friendly. I also love the idea of a comfy padded chair in the living room and this design is very minimalist which I love.

What does your dream home look like? Where is your favorite place to shop for furniture?

disclaimer: The thoughts in this post are entirely my own. IKEA did not reimburse me in any way to write this – in fact they have no idea I’m writing it at all. I’m just a slightly IKEA-obsessed dork and wanted to share some pictures that I liked with you guys. That said, if IKEA ever wants me to review their products – I might squeal like a little girl. Just to warn you.