Library Elf

You need to go check out Library Elf! It is a fantastic service which many library systems offer for free if they subscribe to it. I just found out about it today. I posted earlier this summer about the benefits of the local library and reading. I allowed all 4 of our oldest children to sign up for their own library card. We checked out most of our summer reading books, other books, movies, and more books. Then we went out of town. I renewed all of the books on my card, but forgot that I had four other cards with books checked out on them. It cost me $40 to clear fines off of all of the cards since I had forgotten to renew the books on the children's cards. This is a pretty costly mistake!!

The librarian informed me of a great service called Library Elf. You link all of your library cards together and you will receive free email reminders when books are due or overdue. You can set it to remind you a week in advance or just a few days in advance. You can choose for the emails to continue to hound you or to just receive one email reminder. It is great! If you only have one card, it will still work as a great reminder to return books, renew books, or to pick up books on hold! I hope you have this service at your local library!

Library

If you don't use your local library, you really should. Ours offers all kinds of wonderful things from storytime to DVDs that you can check out and use at home. I love it because I can choose a movie for DH and I to watch or check out some Cookie Monster movies for little H. It's wonderful! I even found LASSIE the other day. The children will love watching Lassie!

We are having a family reading challenge this summer. The big 4 have a summer reading list and just have to read 3 of the titles. We have already succeeded because I challenged the children to see who could read the most books for a prize. Now, I didn't even state WHAT the prize would be, because I have no idea. Well, it ignited a passion to win in our little angels!! They are reading all of the time!!! It is just wonderful. Yesterday they read over 10 books picture each and 1 child read an entire chapter book in one day. So... dangle a prize and you will have some fastidious readers too!