New Year’s Eve Songs, Traditions and Celebrations

New year’s eve celebrations around the world traditionally include dinner parties, firework shows, singing songs, watching Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on ABC, plus the New Year’s kiss at the stroke of midnight. Year’s ago, celebrating New Year’s Eve may have meant getting all dressed up and heading out to a number of New Year’s Eve parties, but this year we’ll celebrate the holiday at home.

In year’s past, looking for things to do on New Year’s Eve was fun and exciting. Maybe we’ve just gotten too old for extravagant parties where everyone is drinking to excess and then stupidly driving while they are clearly intoxicated.

We will still prepare a New Year’s Eve dinner with all the traditional fixings, but to tell you the truth, I do not like black-eyed peas so we’re going to have to come up with a new recipe if I am going to eat any of those.
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Children’s Books New Releases of Hot New Children’s Books

What are the best brand new children’s books and hot new releases of children’s books for kids? Time will tell if the children’s books listed below will make it on the list of top children’s books of all time or not, but kids love books regardless of whether they are new books or “old” classic books.

USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS 2009″ AWARDS (NBBA) on October 20, 2009. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in 130 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2009 and late 2008.

Below are the winners and finalists of some of the best new releases of children’s books that are expected to be amongst the most popular children’s books in 2010.
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Top 10 Children’s Books of 2009

One of the best activities grandparents can do with their grandchildren is to read children’s books to them. Of course, as children get older and are able to read books on their own, Grandma and Grandpa can still help teach the importance of reading by having some of the best children’s books of all time available for kids to read.

The New York Times has released a list of what it believes to be the top ten children’s books of 2009, and there are a couple kids books listed here that even I had never heard of, but will definitely take a close look at adding some of these children’s books to our library.

Here is the top 10 children’s books list from the NY Times:
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Grandma Purse Book – My Granny’s Purse Book for Grandchildren

My Granny's Purse BookThe Grandma Purse Book is a children’s book but it is also a purse! Some people are so ingenious and crafty, and this Grandma is definitely getting My Granny’s Purse Book for when the grandkids come over. What fun!

My Granny’s Purse is a purse/book for children authored by Paul Hanson, who has also created My Mommy’s Tote and My Grandpa’s Briefcase for children. The Grandma Purse Book is a cardboard pocketbook stored in a clear plastic box, and it opens up to reveal a collection of fun items such as a mirror and comb, a wrench and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Some objects are removable, like the cardboard keys and sunglasses, but it’s a shame that you can’t really see out of the glasses.

Synopsis: Open Granny’s purse (yes, she said it’s OK) and enter a treasure chest of mementos and magic. A unique, fourteen-page die-cut storybook crammed with interactive features and surprises for ages 3 and up, it contains a whole life waiting to be discovered.
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