This post is part of a partnership with The Children's Book Review and New Shelves Books. Opinions are my own.

This week, I have the fun of telling you about a new kids book called "Matt Monroe and the Haunted House Written" written by author Edward Torba. This book is designed for midde-grade readers or anyone who likes a nice spooky scare that's age-appropriate for kids 9-12.

 A haunted mansion. A community at risk. A group of teens with mysterious abilities. Strange sightings at the Payne mansion and baffling incidents in the countryside place the community of Kingston on edge. Did opening the portal to Paragon draw evil entities to Kingston? In facing this new threat, Matt Monroe soon realizes he is not the only one who has secret talents. Many of his companions have hidden abilities which are exposed as Matt and his friends confront a terrifying, ethereal foe. 



All Points Press put out this book, and it was a good-sized read for a kids book. It was very engaging and had both light horror and mystical, high fantasy elements. For this reason, it should appeal to anyone who likes a good "whodunnit" but can handle a slight bit of peril handled very appropriately.

Parents should know that this book deals with abilities and things not quite of this world. It features missing kids, and there is an after-life element that creates the "haunted house" we see in the title. It's all very mild, kid-friendly, and yet engaging enough for older teens to enjoy it, too.

Above all, this is a book with strong character development, a relatable series of events that kids can look at and go "oh, yeah! that happened to me" and then it takes off into some pretty imaginative scenes. The author remembers what it's like to be a kid, and it shows. If you're looking for a way to get your child to read, Matt Monroe and the Haunted House may be it!

This book is full of scenes depicting the power of teamwork. If you haven't read the first book in the series, it may feel a bit rushed in the beginning, since so much has already happened. This book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, however, with the author doing a good job of providing enough backstory to give you an idea of how everyone got to be here. For double the fun, read both books!

Learn more about the book and author on the author's website. Or buy the book from Amazon! 


Wanna Win? Enter For A Chance To Win A Matt Monroe Series Gift Basket! 

One (1) grand prize winner receives: 

• A copy of Matt Monroe and the Secret Society of Odontology (Book 1) 
• An advanced reader copy of Matt Monroe and the Haunted House (Book 2) 
• Dental supplies! 

Two (2) winners receive: 

• A copy of Matt Monroe and the Haunted House (Book 2) 

Two (2) winners receive: 

• A digital copy of Matt Monroe and the Haunted House (Book 2) This digital prize is open to worldwide entrants 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway begins October 1, 2019, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends October 31, 2019, at 11:59 P.M. MT. Open to international addresses and the legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are eighteen years of age or older in their state or territory of residence at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. New Shelves Books is responsible for prize fulfillment.

By Melissa Batai



We’d all like our kids to be financially responsible when they grow up.

However, that doesn’t just magically happen when they turn 18 and move out. Instead, we as parents should help and guide them throughout their childhood to learn about money and manage it responsibly. In fact, you can begin teaching your kids about money as early as the preschool years. Growing Up Centsible: A No Nonsense Guide to Helping Kids Become Financially Responsible Adults by Marnie Randall Craycroft is the perfect way to introduce young children to the concept of money.

Craycroft is the creator of the website, Carrots Are Orange, a Montessori living and learning website for parents and teachers. She also has a B.A. in Economics.



Growing Up Centsible is primarily for 3 to 8 year olds and involves the whole family learning about money.

Focus on Your Money Habits First

The book opens by focusing on you, the parent, not your kids. Craycroft asks you to reflect on your own opinions about money and to look at how you manage your money. After all, your children will be watching you and learning from your example.

Next, Craycroft asks you to create a family mission statement about money and how you use and manage it.

Chores Vs. Family Contributions

Some families have their children earn money for daily chores, and others feel that kids shouldn’t be paid for everything they do around the house. Some tasks are just regular family contributions.
Craycroft analyzes both and doesn’t prefer one over the other, but she does think it’s best that the money you give your kids should be tied to some kind of work. Kids shouldn’t get weekly money without putting in an effort.

Ways to Begin Teaching Kids About Money

This part of the book is invaluable and well worth the price of the ebook. Craycroft breaks this section down in two parts based on children’s ages:

• 3 to 5 year olds,
• 5 to 8 year olds

Each section is packed with information. She gives multiple hands-on activities that you can do with each age group to expose and make them familiar with both money itself and using it properly.

Resources

In the last section, Resources, she gives a variety of resources to continue talking and working with your kids about money.

Kids’ Books

Craycroft gives the synopsis of 12 kids’ books about money that you can read to your kids.

Internet Resources for Parents

She gives parents 12 websites to consult for more information, especially about allowances and chore systems.

Awesome Ideas, Resources, and Activities from Around the Web

Here Craycroft gives nine suggestions that help you continue teaching your kids about money such as games and more tips for teaching kids about money.

Service Projects

Finally, she gives service projects you could all do as a family as a way to give back.

If you want to teach your younger children about using money responsibly, you can’t go wrong with this ebook. If you homeschool, there is plenty of suggested materials here to make an entire theme-based unit on money for preschool and early elementary students.

We are not quite ready to harvest our pumpkins, but we did have some very overgrown squash that were no longer edible (but were quite beautiful!)  I looked into ways to decorate them and considered that painting them with a basic acrylic paint would work well.  Here is an easy way you can use acrylic paints to give you squash, gourds, or pumpkins a little pop!


You will need:

• Squash/gourds/small pumpkins (don't have a garden? Walmart has several types in stores now!)
• Acrylic Paint
• Stencils (optional)
• Brushes, sponges, and other applicators
• Baby Wipes and a drying cloth
• Ribbon

1. Make sure your squash is clean, free of any mud, and dry.  Cut any stem down to a reasonable length for displaying.

2.  Get your paint ready.  I just squirt the colors of my choosing onto a foam plate so that I can toss it when I'm done.

3.  Cut your sponges or other applicators down to the size and shape of your design elements.  For the leafy fern design, I cut a kitchen sponge into a "leaf" shape.  For the polka dots design, I used a giant marshmallow.

4.  Carefully apply your paint.  I messed up a few times, but it was easy to use a baby wipe to clear the canvas and start over.

5.  While the paint is drying, tie some colorful ribbon to the neck of the gourd or squash.  Blacks, browns, and oranges work well for this!


When completely dry, you'll have a pretty piece to add to a centerpiece, cornucopia basket, or pumpkin display.  This project is not waterproof, so indoors only!


What fun designs would you paint on your squash?  If you are pressed for time you can also check out these creative stencils!

 A note on creepy stuff: Planet Snoopy is at the back of the park, which means you'll likely walk down some of the paths that are later used for the "over 14" scary entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. The "Haunt" as it's called is not for little ones, so it's super important that you don't hang around too long after dark. Most of the decorations your little one might see are like the ones below. My boys actually thought they were funny, and since the Huskers have a little history involving the "Boneyard", we used it as a fun photo opportunity. 



The rest of the park is really mild stuff, like Peanuts character decorations below:


You can get tickets online now for weekends through Halloween! Get unlimited visits with a season pass!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own.