Monthly Archives: November 2020

Book, Photo-A-Day, Review

Review: The National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021

Andy and the Kids Almanac
Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00678

We received a free copy of the National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021 to read and review. Opinions are our own.The National Geographic Kids Almanac is a fantastic publication filled with the amazing photos from National Geographic photographers and is set up in such a way that each page is filled with great information for kids. It is not overly wordy but conveys quick bits of information that kids would love like the 21 cutest animals of 2021. Each little blurb about the animal goes along with a cute photo.

I asked for this to review because Andy says that he wants to be an animal adoption person and so anything with and about animals is sure to catch his eye. The Almanac has so many great animal stories inside but also stories about people and places and one story on robots that told me that there is a restaurant run by robots in China! The meal is prepared, cooked and served by robots! That is crazy cool.

There are also fun games to do inside the Almanac and instructions on making things like snow globes and more. Andy actually made a snow globe this Summer. He said he wanted to make one but didn’t have any idea how. We looked it up but the Almanac had the exact steps to get the job done. We could have used that.

The Almanac is not just about animals, however. There ae articles on topical things like The Presidency with quick facts about every president and some stories about a few of them and the practical jokes they have played. There is also serious information on Civil Rights, Women and voting and much more. There is a bunch of pages on the countries of the world with facts about each of them and then small quick extra facts that I think kids will find very interesting. So much is packed into the 352 pages. If you are thinking about a kid in your life who is curious about the world around them then this is a great gift for Christmas. If you are interested in picking it up please consider using our Amazon.com affiliate link below.

Kids Almanac 2021

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021 – (ages 8-12, paperback, $14.99, 352 pgs)
– The latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac features amazing animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that kids know and love, plus more of the incredible inventions, awesome games, and fresh challenges for curious kids who want to learn all about the world and everything that’s in it!. Tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation, and more is why this is the number one selling kids almanac on the planet. There’s a whole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics and the colorful compilation also includes an Almanac Challenge 2021 — which inspires kids to reduce their plastic waste and encourage others to do the same.

Photo-A-Day

Today Was A Good Day

Watching Kamala Harris
Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00677

After days of refreshing my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds looking to see if the numbers will go up and we will get a declaration of a winner in the Presidential race it has finally been called. I do not make political posts on this blog. I keep my political leanings to myself for the most part. However, today was a historic day and a good day because character and decency won the day.

I had been sleeping from the previous night’s work and was waking up a little around 1:30pm. I heard Eva shout the name of Joe Biden from her room. Then Allison came in to tell me the good news. The election had been called and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had won. Well, I was done sleeping for the day. I tried to go back to sleep but kept scrolling through Twitter to see the joy from people that had kept me sane from the start of the pandemic. I think the one thing that stood out for me most clearly was a clip from Van Jones of CNN. I’ve never heard of him before today but what he says in this clip really got me. Character Matters.

This clip was so important that I shared it with the whole family at dinner. We talked about how character and integrity are important traits and those are what won today. We talked about how our karate school, America’s Best Defense is all about instilling character.

Later on this evening I received a message that the Austin PBS station was going live and so I tuned in and there was the victory speeches from Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. I called Eva in to my office and we watched this together. Eva is already forming her own opinions and has her own causes that she champions. To be able to be with her in that moment where she sees the first woman Vice-President was so important. Eva was nodding along to the speech and was equally engrossed when Joe Biden took the stage. His speech was something that we could be proud of and happy that Eva saw. Both speeches were so important. It was a good day.