Let's Talk Food

by Jen Kulman

Our first house had a very small kitchen, but our current house is more generous in this respect. I accepted the extra storage space as my personal challenge. During a particularly good cereal sale, a fellow shopper saw my cart and exclaimed "Wow! How many kids do you have?" Er, just the one. We're good eaters!

These are my cabinets for baking supplies and canned goods (with dog treats on the bottom for shameless beggars). I like being prepared for baking emergencies that pop up. Jen - we need four pans of brownies, STAT. I thought everyone stocked up like this, until some of my friends came over and made fun of me. I was going to give them each a bottle of corn syrup for quick energy, but they blew it with their snide comments.

In all seriousness, we actually stock up to save money. Our storage space and deep freeze make it possible to take advantage of store sales and coupons. When you have access to an abundance of food, it is easy to forget that others do not. Food banks across the country are asking us to help those who do not have the same resources. Our local unit, Gleaner's Community Food Bank states that one in eight families will need emergency food assistance this year. It is terrifying to think of not having food for your family.

Knowing that families across the nation are struggling with meeting their basic needs serves as a reminder of how fortunate we are. The Short and Incredibly Happy Life of Riley by Colin Thompson is a great book for helping kids understand the importance of appreciating what you have.

Riley is immensely happy with the basics of life - food, shelter, love, and a scratching stick for his back. His life may be short, but he glows with happiness. In contrast, humans desire more material goods, often unable to appreciate what we already have. This sweet purple rat allows us to teach our kids a valuable life lesson in a fun way.

Who? What? Where? Why? When?

As a guest blogger here, I have conducted this scintillating self-interview as my introduction, accompanied by our self portrait. I'm sure it is obvious that we're super photogenic people.

Who? I am Jennifer Kulman, Children's Editor at For Immediate Release Reviews - Kids! We exist for the sole purpose of writing reviews for newly released children's books, videos, games and toys. We enjoy tracking down fun and fabulous items to share with other families. We try to move right along to keep it interesting for our readers, posting new reviews frequently, sometimes as often as daily.

Why? Because Kane/Miller is an awesome book publishing company. When they were looking for guest bloggers, I couldn't put my hand up fast enough. They put out some of the best and most interesting children's books on the market. It is an honor to be linked with a company who is committed to publishing such books with extraordinary care and attention.

Where? Physically, my husband and I live in small town Howell, Michigan; rural enough to see farm animals from our windows - not rural enough to own any ourselves. We do have an aging pug. And a four year old boy. They act like farm animals - fighting over snacks and space on the couch (not five minutes ago there was a flare up over stolen biscotti).

When? I'm here every Tuesday. Let the wild rumpus of randomness begin!

What? What? Isn't that enough to start with? Or are you one of those people who has an infinite number of questions? If so, you should check out Why?, a book of fun animal facts by Lila Prap. Why do hyenas laugh? Why do hippos yawn? The author has several silly and one factual answer to every question.

If Why? Why? Why? is often heard at your house, this book is an ideal choice. Most enjoyable of all is hearing the responses these questions will elicit from your child's imagination!

Meet Jen

Jen Kulman is Children's Editor of For Immediate Release Reviews - KIDS! and will be a guest blogger every Tuesday at Kane/Miller Kidlit. Here's what she had to say when I asked her to a share a little bit about herself:

My name is Jennifer Kulman. I am a children's book enthusiast and am addicted to children's books. We believe all children deserve good books to read. The trouble is - the books just keep improving! They are funnier and way more clever than when I was a child - even the illustrations are better now! I hold Kane/Miller responsible for my shrinking bookshelf.

My husband and I live in the small town of Howell, Michigan. We are brave/foolhardy enough to lay claim to a nine-year-old pug and a four-year-old boy. They fight like brothers over snacks and space on the couch. That is no exaggeration. The boy just called "Mom! Toby won't stop looking at me!" Gosh, why do we only have two?

Even though we live in the country, I enjoy mostly indoor activities: reading, baking and decorating our old (1919) but new-to-us house. I'm a real fifties housewife type, except I work outside our home and my husband does a LOT of the housework. Possibly he does more than me, but he has not caught on. Sometimes (okay, every time) when he is out mowing the lawn, I lounge around on the Internet and leap up to vacuum when I hear him come in. Probably he has caught on and is just driving that mower about to catch a break from me. I know June would have done that to Ward, had the Internet been available then.

So that's the two minute intro to the Kulman family. I'm thrilled to be here and will be blogging at this space every Tuesday! Come back for more ramblings...