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Storytelling: Tell Me a Story in the Dark

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I have such a hard time telling stories. My parents never told me stories growing up and so I never had that exposure as to how to even begin to think of a story and then relay it to my children off the top of my head.

“Tell Me a Story in the Dark: A Guide to Creating Magical Bedtime Stories for Young Children” by John Olive is the perfect sort of book for me. This book shows you how to prepare and tell a story. It talks about the benefits of storytelling. This book provides a treasure trove of stories that parents and other caregivers can adapt for their children. It also, most importantly for me, teaches you how to make up and tell your own stories.

 

I absolutely love how easy this book made it for me to tell stories to my children. It has helped me become more of a storyteller and the kids hear a lot less, “How about we ask Dad to tell you a story?”

You can find this book on Amazon for Kindle and Paperback.

Pleasant Grove Library, April 2015

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Pleasant Grove events

For Kids: Cover to Cover: The In & Out “Cover to Cover” Reading Program thru April 18. Earn hamburgers by reading!

Kid History: “Silk Road” April 15th, 6 weeks; Wed, 6:30 pm. Contact Melissa Carbajal at: [email protected] or (801) 602-7515. Sign up at the Library.

Lego Club: Ages 6-12, 2nd Tuesday at 4 pm. April 14; play, create, and beat some challenges.

Twilight Tales: Tue, 6:30 pm. Story hour for the whole family.

Story Time, & Wee Read: Drop-In Story Time on Tue and Wed, 11 am. Regular Story Time and Wee Read are taking a break while we get ready for Summer Reading!

Spanish Story Time: 10:30 a.m. every Friday. A bilingual story time for both Spanish and non-Spanish speakers. Les invitamos a la bibliotheca para participar en una adventura y cuentos en ingles y en espanol.

After School: A Poem in Your Pocket April 16, 4:30 pm. Elementary age. Tickets at the front desk 2 weeks prior to event.

Writer’s Series: April 16, 7 pm. Ilima Todd, author of “Remake”, will discuss, “So You Think You Can Write a Memorable Character.”

Teens: April 17, at 6:30 p.m. ABC Scavenger Hunt. Compete for bragging rights (and a small prize) by finding objects that start with each letter of the alphabet and being first back.

Great Reads: for Girls 8-16, with caring adult. April 23, 7 pm. Based on “The Secret of the Old Clock,” by Nancy Drew.

BookEnders: “The Light Between Oceans,” by M. L. Stedman, April 22 at 7 pm

 

Celebrate Dia de los Niños/ Children’s Day! Tue, April 28, 6:30 pm. Stories and activities celebrating children, culture, language, and literacy. Special guest: David Boren, A talented storyteller and puppeteer

Tax Day Freebies 2015

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Here are a few places to get some free or cheap things on Tax Day as a reward for getting in those tax forms! As always, please make sure your local store is participating.

  • Pizza Hut:  fill out their “National Pizza Return” for a chance to receive a Pizza Hut gift card in the amount of your net pizza return
  • McDonalds:  buy one Big Mac or Quarter Pounder and get one free
  • Orange Leaf Yogurt:  fill your cup for $4.15 (view here for offer)
  • Arby’s:  free curly fries with coupon (view here for the coupon on 4/15)
  • Sonic:  1/2 price cheeseburgers all day, no coupon necessary
  • Kona Ice:  free shaved ice at participating post offices and tax preparation centers

Child-Friendly Hike, The Grotto

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Payson Canyon has a great child-friendly hike called “The Grotto.” It is up Payson Canyon about 6 miles and is then a short 10-20 minute hike up to a little area with a waterfall.

There are little bridges over the river and although the water is flowing fast, it is shallow. If you have not been yet with your children, this is a great hike for them. If there are no kids, there are harder parts of the hike including going up and on the mountain on a trail and you can climb up and over a rocky side to the top of the waterfall.

When it’s warm, pack a snack or lunch, put on some swim clothes, and let the kids play in the water!

the grotto waterfall the grotto bridge the grotto waterfall

A Mother’s Luncheon: “It Takes A Village”

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UnitedMomsFoundation.org (that includes us!) and UtahMomConnection.com are joining together to bring you a Mother’s Day Luncheon! This luncheon will include a special guest speaker, Jentrie from Jentrie’s Journey, who will talk about motherhood and will also include lunch and giveaways.

mother's day luncheon final

 

Tickets will be on sale through April 20 with a discount! After that, prices will go up so hurry now and buy your tickets. Invite your friends, family, and neighbors and come join us! I’ll be there, will you?

Buy Tickets Now

Giveaways:

6 Things to Do This Week, April 13-18

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utah valley moms
This post may contain affiliate links. Each time you purchase using our unique code or link, we receive a small portion of the sale at no cost to you.

Here are 6 family-friendly things to do this week:

Looking for more things to do? Check out the calendar or April events list.

Some great deals:



Tales of Spook, an E-Book Review + Giveaway

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This post may contain affiliate links. Each time you purchase using our unique code or link, we receive a small portion of the sale at no cost to you.This is a sponsored post. Please refer to our disclosure statement.

Tales of Spook” is an E-Book by Lady Jennivieres Quill. It is a book perfect for children 8-14 years old. It is about a boy who meets an ugly, purple monster who he found in his basement one day.

I thought this was a pretty unique book with an interesting plot line for kids. It’s a cute story with good characters who are also great examples as they are good kids. And I loved that a main character is a monster as it’s something that kids actually think about and may believe in. These characters are ones that children can relate to or feel like they understand which is great for creating a favorite book with the kids. The story teaches that each choice has a consequence, both good and bad.

Here’s what the book is about:

Everything is great in Noel Hawthorne’s life. He’s an only child, popular and his birthday is right around the corner. Then, he meets an ugly, purple monster named Spook living in the basement and his world is forever changed. Spook’s life … not so great. But he is  armed with a plan and the determination to change his life. Noel has a best friend named Stacy, a plan and one day to stop Spook. The question is, do Noel and Stacy have determination? If they fail, someone will spend a lifetime living in the shadows eating dryer lint.

 

You can find the book on Amazon and Kindle.

Giveaway

Enter to win “Tales of Spook” by entering your information below on the widget. Good luck!

Tales of Spook

RC Willey Special Events at University Mall, Orem

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RC Willey at University Mall is finally open and they are celebrating with some great special events.

Saturday, April 11, 6-9 pm: Free Gaming Night – prizes and food

Tuesday, April 21, 7-8 pm:  Michael Vey Party – Richard Paul Evans (author of the Michael Vey series) – book signing and autographs

Wednesday, April 22, 6-8 pm:  BYU Mascot, Cosmo – free photos

Saturday, April 25, 12-3 pm:  Dora the Explorer – free photos

Tuesday, April 28, 7 pm:  Blogger of “Favorite Family Recipes,” Echo Blickenstaff – samples of popular summer desserts and free copies of her new cookbook

Saturday, May 2, 3 pm:  Spongebob – free photos

Wednesday, May 6, 6-7:30 pm:  Utah Jazz Bear – free photos

Friday, May 8, 7 pm:  Live concert with Nathan Osmond – autographs and photos after the concert

Saturday, May 30, 10-12 pm:  Princess Party – meet popular princesses Anna & Elsa with Kristoff, free photos, face paintings, balloon animals, & more

Cedar Hills Educational Classes

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Free Utah Valley event

A series of free educational classes begins this month. The first one will be a gardening class. It will be held at the Cedar Hills Community Center, 10640 N Clubhouse Drive, on Wed., April 8, at 6:00 p.m. These IFA-sponsored classes will be held monthly at 6:00 p.m. on the following dates:

  • April 8 and May 6: Gardening
  • June 10: Turf, Irrigation, and Fertilization
  • July 1: Pest & Weed Management
  • August 5: Canning & Food Preservation (Jams/Jellies)
  • September 2: To Be Determined (based on feedback from classes)
  • October 7: Winterizing Your Yard.

Springville Duck Pond

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Update:  We have been told that this is private property so please be respectful. You may be asked to leave if you choose to walk onto this property.

This pond is located just off of S.R. 75 in Springville at the corner of 1100 West. Here’s a look at the Springville duck pond:

springville duck pond

Please remember to feed the ducks something healthy like lettuce. They will eat it just as much as bread and it causes them a lot fewer problems.

Find more duck ponds here.

Ideas of Things to Do for Spring Break

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Things to do for spring break

Spring Break is here and my biggest question is, “What in the world am I going to do with the kids for the next 5 days?!” Without our usual routine, I will definitely be looking for some things to do with them that we normally don’t have time for.

Staying at home for the break? Here are some ideas of things to do for Spring Break:

  • Museums:  Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University both have free areas to visit, however, Utah Valley University’s art museum is at University Mall, also called the Woodbury Art Museum.  Brigham Young University has a Museum of Art, Bean Life Museum (animals), Museum of Paleontology, andMuseum of Peoples and Cultures.  Each of these museums is free to the public and parking is free at Brigham Young University if you park in guest parking areas. There is also the Hutchings Museum in Lehi and the Springville Art Museum.
  • Cabela’s:  Wander around Cabela’s and let the children view the different animals and don’t forget to take a quarter to feed the fish. It’s a great learning experience for the children and it can be completely free if you so choose!
  • Thanksgiving Point:  Visit Thanksgiving Point and the Museum of Ancient Life, Museum of Natural Curiosity, Farm Country, or any of the other places Thanksgiving Point has to offer.
  • Go hiking:  Utah Valley Moms has compiled a list of hikes for in and around Utah Valley. View the list here.
  • Parks:  Visit the nearby park. Pack a lunch and enjoy the afternoon at the park.
  • Visit a duck pond:  Here is a list of local duck ponds.
  • Go on a bike ride:  Go on a nearby trail or just travel around the neighborhood, maybe even to a park!
  • Serve a friend/neighbor:  Make some bread, cookies, etc. and visit someone who you haven’t seen in a while, someone you’ve been thinking of, or someone who may need a little uplifting and make sure to get the kids involved.

And if those don’t work for you, check out our calendar or April activities list.

What do you like to do for Spring Break?


Utah County Duck Ponds

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Utah County duck ponds

Feeding the ducks is great for the kids! However, we recommend taking left over lettuce for the ducks instead of bread. The ducks will still eat it and it’s much healthier for them.

Here is a list of Utah County duck ponds:

  • Nielsen’s Grove Park, Orem (2000 Sandhill Road)
  • BYU’s Botany Pond, Provo (just east of 400 E. 800 N.)
  • Springville (along S.R. 75 at 1100 W) 
  • Paul Reams Wilderness Park in Provo (500 North at Independence Avenue)
  • Bicentennial Park, Provo (1470 E. 1440 S.)

Know of more? Please share!


6 Things to Do This Week, April 6-11

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utah valley moms

Here are 6 family-friendly things to do this week:

For more April events, check our April activities and events list.  You can also check our calendar.

Deals for Utah County

  • $20 worth of food and drink at The Orange Peel of Springville for $10
  • 50% off at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
  • Bowling for Six for only $29.99
  • Dinner, Ice Cream, & Movie for 2 for $19
  • $12 for Purple Turtle for $6
  • 50% off at Gandolfo’s Deli, West Provo
  • $12 for $22 at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar
  • 50% off at Oregano Italian Kitchen
  • 1-night stay for 2 at Ticaboo Resort, Lake Powell for $69
  • $39 for unlimited Bikram Yoga
  • 50% off CLAS Ropes Course & Couples’ Retreat
  • Moonlight Canoeing for $20

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