As the mother of four inquisitive and creative children, I am always looking for fun ways to celebrate holidays and special events with the kids. Memories in Moments has provided us with hours of entertaining, fun-filled activities. There is something for everyone and for every possible occasion. The reindeer cookies were a hit at Christmas; the generational photograph with a picture of Grandpa and Dad playing ball next to a picture of Dad and the kids playing ball is a real conversation piece; and the kids haven't stopped talking about the tooth fairy's trail of stardust. Each activity is coded so you know in a glance if it has to do with baking, decorating, games, gifts or simple gestures. Some of the activities take a few minutes, some can take hours to complete. There really is something for everyone. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has chidren - be it parents, grandma and grandpa, babysitters or teachers. Get your copy and let your creative juices flow!

Have you ever wondered how to take the terror out of your child's first lost tooth? How about leaving a trail of stardust from your child's windowsill to her pillow? What about a few tricks to avoid overeating on Thanksgiving? How about setting up a big jigsaw puzzle to provide an alternative activity while dinner is cooking? This book is chock-full of interesting ideas to make every holiday and event unique and memorable. It makes a great gift for new parents and grandparents, new neighbors and new friends. It's the kind of gift book they will remember you for, because they will keep on using it. It's a great idea for Mother's Day and Father's Day too. Highly recommended.

This book is a super choice for Mothers and Fathers, Aunts and Uncles or Grandparents. It is filled with hundreds of fabulous inspirational ideas. The ideas are referenced well and easy to implement. There is something to spark your interest at any time of the year. This book will inspire you to orchestrate an unforgetable repertoire of magical memories with those you love!

WILD BIRD GUIDES: BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE. By Susan M. Smith. 90 pages. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1997. ISBN 0-8117-2686-X (pbk).

Early this January, out of some obscure impulse, and although living in a fairly heavily built-up area, I decided to set up a birdbath and feeder in my miniscule garden. The feeder held a seed bar - sunflower seeds, mixed seeds, peanuts, oats; a fruit bar - banana, pear, apple, orange; and a 'calory' bar - honey water, and suet cake. It was an experiment. And it was wildly successful. My garden since has been filled with a constant stream of birds, both large and small, and their behavior provides a constant source of delight and interest.

Of the seven or so species which regularly show up, undoubtedly the most interesting is the Shijukara, Japan's near-relative to the Black-capped Chickadee. I was intrigued by the behavior of this distinctively marked tiny bird, with it's black cap and bib, which will boldly approach within a few feet of where I sit, grab a sunflower seed, fly off to a nearby branch, and then, while firmly holding the seed between its feet, noisily pound away at it with its beak to break it open. A desire to know more quickly led me to the present book by Susan M. Smith.

Smith, who is a member of the Department of Biological Sciences at Mount Holyoke University, tells us that "the chickadee's ability to use their feet in food manipulation is relatively unusual among perching birds" (p.43). Somewhat to my relief, she also assures us of the propriety of feeders since, with the ongoing destruction of habitat and foraging areas, feeders provide an essential source of food and water in winter, and the survival rates of birds is far higher in areas which have them. Her book, a brief popular treatment with a scientific flavor, offers a fascinating digest of what is currently known about this remarkable bird and includes chapters on Reproduction, Winter Flocks, Diet and Foraging, Social Behavior and Communication, Surviving the Cold of Winter, Population Ecology, Relations with Humans.

The book is well-printed on high quality glossy paper, stitched, bound in a sturdy wrapper, and is stunningly illustrated throughout with full-color photographs.
But although well-written and richly informative, and although the author's love and respect for the chickadee are certainly evident, there is a complete absence of personal anecdote. Readers might consider supplementing Smith's account with the following less 'scientific' but more warmly human and anecdote-filled book:

HAND-TAMING WILD BIRDS AT THE FEEDER. By Alfred G. Martin. 144 pages. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Alan C. Hood & Company, Inc., 1963 and reprinted. ISBN 0-911469-07-9 (pbk).

Both Smith's and Martin's wise observations about the chickadee are truly impressive, and no-one who is at all interested in birds will want to miss either of these
fascinating books.

After reading several books and on-line articles on non-profit management, I have found this book to be one of the most helpful that you can find. It has everything from strategic planning, to board and staff relations. What a great book! Even with my years of experience in working with non-profit organizations I still found this book to be very helpful.

a very readable text...interesting, well written, and full of colorful diagrams. a good introduction to a discipline i had taken for granted.

this book is excellent for practicioners, and individuals who serve on boards of adjustment, or merit system grievance panels.

I've used this book on the run to clinical sites, and for keyword type presentations.
I have the usual suspects on my book shelf,.. Big Miller, Baby Miller, Morgan and Mikhail, Barash, Secrets, and that terrific Benumof tome, Anesthesia and Uncommon Diseases.
Have to say that this is an ultra concise resource, and worth a place on the bookshelf for its sheer timesaving qualities.

You know, typically people don't make you pay to read their advertisements. This is an exception. Each of the self-serving articles in this book is followed by a 1-2 page advertisement for the author that, not surprising, offers a service to solve the problem outlined in the article. How convenient! This book is a glorified collection of vendor-sponsored white papers.

This book was a valuable resource. Many tid bits of info that can really make a big difference for your success.