Where in canada are you? I'm in quebec and have the same problem. I was thinking of joining the Scholastic book club so my son can order books. But I'd be interested in any "fun stuff" you figure out. Funny, the canadian dollar is worth more now, and everything is still more expensive here. At least we have healthcare:tongue_smilie:

My Dh is Lebanese, he does speak to the kids in Arabic (usually to ask them to do something) but refuses to actually sit with them and teach them the alphabet etc.. They definitely understand the language but will never be fluent unless they actually learn how it works (or speak it constantly day to day) Maybe we should form an arabic-english group to share ideas. I have a lot of questions about teaching it myself (since I'm only just learning too) Esp. when it comes to teaching the difference between standard and colloquial (spoken) Arabic.

It's not as :coolgleamA:cool as the wand but, here http://www.2blockheads.com/ they make really cute personalized books also here http://www.iseeme.com/ they make a book about the child's name. I made some for my dc and they (2,5) love them. But the wand is neat, dd might just get one for her b-day.

:iagree: Also Susan Coopers' Dark is Rising Series or The Black Cauldron books? oldies but goodies.

I've has 2 rottweiller mixes and they are the sweetest, most loyal dogs. The one I have now I got from the pound, she was about 2 yrs old and I had ds 1.5 and was pregnant with dd. Now, 3 yrs later, she has never been aggressive, she is soooo docile. The baby used to torture her and she would run away. She gets between the kids when they fight and howls... like the peter pan dog. Rotties are nothing to be afraid of, IMHO