[Summer Reading Challenge] Link Up #1

Thursday, June 18, 2015

A couple weeks ago when Stephanie, Courtney, and I announced our summer reading challenge, I was really excited to start reading more with Mason! Summer seemed so far away and I thought I had forever to figure out what books we could read together and then BOOM, we're already at our first link up! This summer is going by WAY too fast. In fact, ONE month from today, my baby turns THREE. THREE! I can hardly believe it. Seriously, time, please slow down!

Anyway, let me wipe away the tears, and back to the task at hand. Reading. Mason's started to really love reading recently so I thought this challenge would be pretty easy. We have tons of books and I wanted to hit up the library so I thought I would try to follow the suggestions of book topics that we shared in our announcement post. Little did I know that it would be kind of hard to find books to fit all the topics! However, I think we did a pretty good job, and I'm excited to share our first three stories with you today.


(source) Planes : Fire and Rescue // Fire Crew
(a Disney book)

Mason has been LOVING his Step into Reading books recently and this one was a newer purchase for us. Before I quit my old job, I knew I would never get as good a discount anywhere else, so I bought a few new books for Mason (and one for me in hopes that I would actually have more time to read) and this one was included. He's really loving picking up his other Step into Reading : Planes book so I was hopeful that this one would become a quick favorite and luckily I was right. He loves playing with his planes in the bath tub and then reading about them before he goes to bed at night.


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(a book with an animal on the cover)

This book has been a huge hit in our house for a while now. And although we've read it way more than 50 times, it still continues to be a favorite. I think my personal favorite reason to read this book is because it's fun and catchy and I like to give the story a country twang as I read it. (You can laugh, but if you've read it, then you know how easy that can be!) This book was a no brainer when it came to a book with an animal on the cover.

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(child's choice - freebie)

Now I can't take the credit for the idea for reading this book and making these Buttery Blueberry Streusel MuffinsCourtney first posted about it a month or so ago. She and her daughter, Aria, read the book and made these muffins. The muffins sounded SO good that I bookmarked them and when we announced the summer reading challenge, I may have made sure that we picked out this book to read. Just so we could make the muffins after. #sadbuttrue


But seriously. They are DELICIOUS. A little time consuming to make, but delicious once they're done. I really should have taken a picture of Seth eating one instead of Mason because he truly loves them. So much so that he rationed them out for the week so he could have breakfast everyday.

I thought Mason would love them just as much since we went to Mimi's Cafe a couple weeks ago with Seth's grandma and Mason literally ate her WHOLE blueberry muffin, but...


Mason, on the other hand, I had to hand feed the bottom half of the muffin to (#highmaintenance) and then refused to eat the top half (the best part!!), so I did what any good mom would do. I took one for the team and ate it for him. #winning. Toddlers. So hard to figure out!




Now, tell us! What books are you reading this summer with your children? What books do I need to add to our summer list? Link up with us below!

PS remember you need to have participated in the challenge as well as linked up at least once to be eligible for the giveaway on August 20th, the final check in!




12 comments:

  1. We read "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" so I'll have to get the moose one next! We also love the barnyard dance book... I love all of boynton's books! And yes, I do a little southern twang when reading it too. In general, I get pretty into the voices when reading to noah. And how cute are you to make muffins along with the book!

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  2. Barnyard Dance (which must be sung), and If You Give A Moosd are two of our favorites! Although Liam is leaning towards super lengthy books these days, so now I have to sneak them into the rotation!

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  3. haha, oh you used the same muffin recipe too! that one was reallllly good. mmm. I don't blame Seth at all for rationing those suckers out. And too funny that MAson wouldn't eat the top? What! That is the best part, nicely done on taking one for the team. ha. I've never read the Barnyard one, but I've heard such good things about Sandra B that we should really it up.

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  4. I feel like I missed this whole thing! Where was I when like half the bloggers I follow announced this?! Such a fun idea! And I'm so curious about those step into reading books! You love em? I might have to try!

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  5. Kinsey has loved Barnyard Dance since she was 2! We sing the song in a country twang haha! Totally get it ;)

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  6. So cute! Great idea to do a summer reading challenge for the littles. And I love that you paired it with a food/activity! Might have to steal this idea! We don't have that book.

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  7. We LOVE Barnyard Dance AND If You Give a Moose a Muffin! Those two are read so often in our house. I really need to start incorporating some of the foods when we read the "If You Give a ____ a ___" books. It's such a fun idea!

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  8. I saw Courtney's book/muffin post as well and I've been wanting to use a Sunday afternoon to read and bake with my daughter. I love that you did this as well! Sounds like it's a real hit, so I need to get on this! And, don't worry, I'm sure Mila will have some sort of issue eating the muffin as well. I'm totally down with eating them myself though.

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  9. I need to get Barnyard Dance AND the Give a Moose a Muffin... we have If You Give a Pig a Party and it's a darling book! Oh these muffins... I WANT SOME RIGHT NOW! ha ha!

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  10. Oh, man I'm so behind and missing the reading program already..!! Love the 'Step into reading' books, they are great for repetition/rhyme and early stages of 'learning to read'!! Oh, and those muffins..!! :) YUM!!

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  11. I love the Moose/muffin book! SO cute! Scarlett loves reading this is such a great idea and a fun link up! :)

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  12. I'm on the lookout for a FOOD book that we can read, that would give us the chance to bake something!! Moose is a good one! I'm hoping for something cupcake related because I mean... it's cupcakes!

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