HOW TO HELP: Donate to the Carlos Eduardo Rodriguez Medical Account at any BBVA Compass Bank branch. Or purchase products at www.celebratinghome.com/sites/brendaerdz. Proceeds will support the family’s cause.

Yes, you can have popcorn delivered to your seat with AMC Grapevine's new dine-in theater concept. No, Wayne Brady (above) won't be delivering it, although MomBeat thinks that would be a nice touch.

Dinner and a movie go together like peanut butter and jelly. And now, at AMC’s Grapevine Mills theater, you can order food right from your seat – and it’s a lot fancier than your typical hot dogs and nachos.

AMC offers a couple of  dine-in options:

The “Fork & Screen” alternative features casual dining and seat-side service. The menu includes classic burgers and sandwiches, desserts, cocktails, wine and beer. You can even order traditional movie snacks such as popcorn and candy. Guests have to be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least 21.

The Cinema Suites option is more upscale, with reserved seating,  luxury recliners and the same seat-side service. The menu includes blackened salmon, tenderloin steak tips, brisket quesadillas and more. Cinema Suites guests must be 21 or older, and those who look 30 and younger will be asked for ID.

For more info on the new dine-in theater, or to check movie times at AMC Grapevine Mills, visit amctheatres.com/grapevine/. And before you go, take this coupon for free dessert with you. It expires March 31, 2011.

For three days, Friday Nov. 12 through Sunday, Nov. 14, shoppers can browse among some 30,000 items of men, women, children and maternity styles – and handbags, too.

No doubt, folks will be snatching up the über-trendy Rock & Republic jeans,  said to be worn by celebs such as Megan Fox, Demi Lovato, Victoria Beckham and AnnaLynne McCord.

It’s free to get in, but shoppers are encouraged to RSVP at www.thewarehousesale.com for expedited entry.

WHEN
Friday, Nov. 12: 12 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 14: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

WHERE
Dallas Market Hall – Freeway Hall
2200 N. Stemmons Freeway,
Dallas, TX 75207
888-LOVE-TWS (888-568-3897)

COST
Free admission, but RSVP at www.thewarehousesale.com

Rock & Republic "Tyler" Maternity Jean. Retail $298. The Warehouse Sale price: $80 Friday; $70 Saturday; $60 Sunday.

Rock & Republic "Neil" Straight Leg Jeans. Retail $198. The Warehouse Sale price: Friday $79.99; Saturday $69.99; Sunday $59.99

Rock & Republic "Kasandra" Cursed Destroyed Jeans. Retail $255. The Warehouse Sale price: Friday $79.99; Saturday $69.99; Sunday $59.99

Disclosure: TheMomBeat received a gift card as part of The Warehouse Sale promotion.

Win a FREE copy of 5 Simple Things, plus a Subway gift card! Follow @themombeat and tweet this, along with YOUR random act of kindness: “ @themombeat is giving away @5simplethings & a @subwayfreshbuzz gift card. My random act of kindness 4 today was …” Deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5! Winners will be chosen in a random drawing.

Raise your hand if you, too, have a laundry list of things to do each day but no real method to the madness.

Author John Tolsma’s advice is to divide everyday tasks into five buckets: Thank. Do. Reach out. Believe. Love.

In 5 Simple Things, his debut book, Tolsma uses a technique that focuses less on brain-cluttering stuff (a 60-item to-do list) and more on what he says matters most (faith, family, friendships, future).

“Every morning when I wake up, I focus on the five simple things that guarantee I find meaning and accomplishment by the end of the day,” Tolsma says.

He says it should take no more than five minutes daily to do the following:

5. THANK – Write down five things for which you are grateful.

4. DO – Then, add four things to accomplish in the day.

3. REACH OUT – Jot down three people to reach out to in order to build relationships.

2. BELIEVE – Consider two things to do to strengthen your faith or family.

1. LOVE – Lastly, commit to one random act of kindness some time in the day.

More than half of 5 Simple Things is a journal, where readers can document their own experiences for 30 days.

John Tolsma

The author shares his journey in about 16 pages – not enough to really get to know him, but enough to show readers how to go about the process. For example, in the chapter called “Thank,” Tolsma was grateful for a much-needed rain. And for his random acts of kindness, he says he gave $5 Subway gift cards – enough to buy a sandwich and a drink – to folks on the streets of Knoxville, Tenn.

But do the 5 Simple Things work?

I began the 30-day challenge about a week ago; so far, so good. I’ve never been big on written to-do lists; I’d make mental notes instead. But I usually felt pretty scatterbrained and a little upset if I didn’t achieve my daily goals.

However, breaking up my major tasks into four per day has been a lot more manageable since I began the challenge. And even if I didn’t do every business-related thing on my list, I felt so much better knowing that I had accomplished other goals, such as more snuggle time with my hubby and kids.

DETAILS:
What:5 Simple Things: Get Past the Clutter and Complexity, by John Tolsma
Price: $12.95 softcover
Where to buy: www.porchstep.com/FiveSimpleThings
Also: www.porchstep.com/community to share your experiences

DISCLAIMER: TheMomBeat received a free copy of 5 Simple Things for review purposes.

Admit it: You’ve always wanted to set some kind of world record. Who didn’t? I always pictured myself blowing the world’s biggest bubble with my beloved grape Hubba Bubba.

I never did get around to that, but now there’s another chance: On Thursday, Oct. 7, my family and I will try to help break the world record for the most people reading the same book on the same day.

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign is a national reading event designed to promote literacy and get books in the hands of children who don’t have them.

The day will begin, as it has every year, on NBC’s Today show with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, who are official spokespeople for the event. In 2009, more than 2.5 million people participated. On Thursday, they’re hoping to attract even more readers.

This year’s book, The Snowy Day, is a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner by Ezra Jack Keats. Pick up a copy at your local library or bookstore. Or, read it for free at wegivebooks.org, a reading website that offers more than 150 free digital kids’ books.

WHO: You, me and more than 2 million other literacy lovers
WHAT: Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Campaign
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010, at any time during the day
THE BOOK: The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats
HELP NOW: Read The Snowy Day online at www.wegivebooks.org/readfortherecord.  Each time you read it before October 7, We Give Books will share a print copy of the book with a child so that he or she can participate in a local Read for the Record event.
But don’t just stop at The Snowy Day: For every book that kids read on the We Give Books site, the Pearson Foundation gives a brand new book to children in need.

DISCLOSURE: Mombeat received  a free copy of The Snowy Day, which was enjoyed over and over again by everyone at Chez Mombeat.

Then we tried the PicPocket Books app for the iPhone/iTouch. PicPocket offers downloadable picture books for kids ages 2-8.

Publisher Lynette Mattke says the apps aren’t meant to replace print books or time spent reading to your children. They can actually help enhance the reading experience, she says. “Our apps offer a ‘learn-to-read’ feature where the text is highlighted as the word is spoken, encouraging the connection between the written and spoken word.”

We tried three PicPocket titles.  Here’s a summary of each and what our tiny testers thought:

• I Can Do It Too, by Karen Baicker, with illustrations by Ken Wilson-Max. ($2.99 on iTunes)
  What it’s about: A little girl who wants to do all the things that grown-ups and big kids do: bake cakes, ride bikes, button her clothes the right way.  To prove that she “can do it, too” she mimics what she sees.
  Soon, she feels confident enough to pass along her big-girl wisdom to her younger sibling.
  Did kids like it?: My 4-year-old found a kindred spirit in the heroine: They’re both barely out of diapers, on the cusp of being big and have a new baby in the house. Now that she’s got the wind in her sails, my daughter is ready for what’s next: learning how to tie her shoelaces and chewing “buggle gum” without swallowing it – just like everybody else.
  

• What A Pest, by Maryann Cocca-Leffler. ($2.99 on iTunes)
  What it’s about: A big sister who thinks her little sis Jessie is The. Biggest. Pest. Jessie follows her big sister everywhere, intrudes on her private time with her best friend and even learns her sister’s talent-show dance routine.  Aarrgh! “Why does she have to do everything I do?” she wonders. But it takes a small emergency for Big Sis to see Jessie in a new light.
  Did kids like it?: This one hit home for my 7- and 9-year-olds, who treat their younger sister as Bis Sis treats Jessie. And just like the book’s characters, they learn that they actually can get along.

• A, My Name Is Andrew, by Mary McManus Burke, with illustrations by Donna Ingemanson. ($0.99)
  What it’s about: A tongue-twisting, multicultural journey through the alphabet: Andrew, from Augusta, picks apples with Aunt Adrienne in August. Oki lives in Oakland with a pet opossum, Orino, who wears outrageous ornate overalls and plays the oboe.
  Did kids like it?: All three girls loved this one, and it was my hands-down favorite. We loved the author’s choice of words, which were descriptive, funny and perfectly matched with the whimsical illustrations.
  

Mom’s verdict: I’d whip out the PicPocket app in a heartbeat to keep my 4-year-old busy and to help her with her reading. These little gems really come in handy while waiting in the doctor’s office or while traveling.

Lulu‘s Pajamas (Kids Can Press, $16.95), by Lucie Papineau, with illustrations by Stéphane Jorisch.

Lulu loves, loves, LOVES her favorite jammies. They’re super soft and they smell realllly good. When Lulu decides that she never, ever wants to take them off and wears her pj’s to school, she endures teasing from her friends and other surprises that she doesn’t quite plan on.

Lulu will likely remind you of someone  – your own Little Miss/Mr. Independent, maybe? Young readers usually enjoy seeing themselves in Lulu; my children sure did. What’s funny, however, was that my older kids, ages 9 and 7, were quick to say that Lulu reminded them of their 4-year-old sister. How soon they forget!

I especially loved how Lulu’s Mama and Papa responded to her assertiveness (read: borderline tantrum). It kinda reminded me of Bill Cosby’s approach to parenting – funny AND effective. For ages 2-6

Big Bear Hug (Kids Can Press, $16.95), by Nicholas Oldland.

Bear can’t help himself: He hugs every animal he sees in the forest, even the ones he’s supposed to eat. Big animals, tiny ones, scary or stinky ones; doesn’t matter to ol’ Bear. But he loves hugging trees more than anything else. When a man with an axe walks into the forest, headed for one of the tallest and oldest trees, Bear has to decide if he’s going to be his same old lovable self or become Big Bad Bear.

We’re big on hugging at my house, so we welcomed Bear and all his affection. My 7-year-old highly recommends this book for bullies and other people who might need a big hug. We also appreciated Bear’s sweet efforts to protect his habitat.  For ages 3-7

Me and You (Kids Can Press, $16.95), by Geneviéve Coté.

Two animal buddies, a pig and a bunny, wish they could trade places. Pig wants white skin and a fluffy tail, while the bunny wants pink fur and a twisty tail. They go through a laundry  list of things they love about each other and even change their appearance with paintbrushes and props. By the time they’re done with the makeovers, they learn to be comfortable in their own skin, which is a great lesson for readers of all ages. For ages 2 and older

DISCLOSURE: Mombeat received free copies of each book, which were donated to the Prosper Community Library in Prosper, Texas.

Are you a children’s book publisher? Contact us about book reviews and giveaways at felicia@themombeat.com.

Hannah Montana Secrets Unlocked Online
(Reader’s Digest Children’s Books, $15.99)

Can’t get enough of Hannah Montana? Sure, she’s got a movie coming to theaters soon. But there’s more to discover about the Disney superstar in Hannah Montana Secrets Unlocked Online. This charming book, which comes with a secret password for www.hannahwebpass.com, works in conjunction with the site. Both offer a peek inside Hannah’s world: her fashions, family, friends and even her love life. Online, kids can design a room, guitar, concert T-shirt and more. Or, they can choose Hannah’s outfits, read Miley’s diary or find out their own “crush style.” There’s also a special bonus page with printable posters and stickers.

Readers are sure to get a kick out of Szuc’s fun illustrations  – just try not to laugh at the jackrabbit in shorts!

We can’t wait to read more books from this new series, which will include Have You Ever Seen an Octopus With a Broom?, coming this fall. (Kids Can Press, $14.95) For ages 4 to 7

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS WEEK’S BOOK?
Send an email with your name and mailing address to felicia@themombeat.com by noon each Friday. Winning entries will be entered in a drawing and chosen randomly. Happy reading!

FOR AGES 4-8

• Chester’s Back, by Mélanie Watt. Chester the cat has a big ego – so big that he even sabotages this book with his red marker and diva-like demands. Limousines, jelly beans and marquee billing are just a few of his must-haves. Chester’s Back is the sequel to Chester, whose popularity is partly to blame for this feline’s inflated ego. (Kids Can Press, $18.95)
• Berkeley’s Barn Owl Dance, by Tera Johnson and Tania Howells. Berkeley the owl loves to dance, and she loves her Momma and Poppa Owl. But when it comes time for Berkeley to leave the nest for good, she’s not sure she can face the world by herself. Who’ll be there to watch her “flappity, tappity, clap, clap, clap?” (Kids Can Press, $16.95)
  
• Looking Closely Inside the Garden and Looking Closely Across the Desert, by Frank Serafini.
  “Look very closely. What do you see? Cornsilk? A lion’s mane? What could it be?” This series of close-up photographs inspires kids to get up close and personal with nature and to use their imagination to determine what’s on the next page. (Kids Can Press, $16.95 each)
• Sir Reginald’s Logbook, by Matt Hammill. Sir Reginald has a wild imagination. The armchair explorer takes readers on a journey through his jungle of a living room to find the Lost Tablet of Illusion, which turns out to be something quite unexpected. (Kids Can Press, $17.95)

FOR AGES 6-8

• Naming Liberty, by Jane Yolen. As 7-year-old Gitl emigrates with her family from Russia to America, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a young French artist, dreams of building a monument to honor freedom. Readers get two history lessons in one here: a behind-the-scenes look at an immigrant’s journey, and some insight about how the Statue of Liberty came to be. (Philomel Books, $16.99) 
  

FOR AGES 8 and older

• Gotcha! 18 Amazing Ways to Freak Out Your Friends, by David Acer. Doubting Dave and his team of Mystery Hunters have a few tricks up their sleeves, and they want to show young readers how to impress their friends. For instance, they’ll learn how to make Bigfoot prints, UFO photos, crop circles and more. Or, try the experiments on hypnosis, spoon bending and ESP. (Kids Can Press, $16.95)
• Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World, by Jane Yolen. Some of the greatest pirates ever known were women? Who knew? From Artemisia to Jeanne de Belleville to Madame Ching,  Yolen gives a swashbuckling account of 12 ladies who took charge in what is typically a man’s domain. (Charlesbridge, $18.95)