Sunday, December 21, 2014

The story behind the two kitties from the Einstein & Moo children's book series



My husband and I wanted to adopt two cats that were also siblings, so they would have each other.  I am a big fan of animations, and I especially like the sidekicks.  One of my favorite Disney movies is Mulan, and I really like Mooshu and Cricket.  So on August 14, 2009, we went to a shelter and spent a couple of hours in the kitty room.  I loved all of the kitties there, but one in particular stole my heart.  The shelter named her Lexie, and she was the only female kitten.   She came over and curled up in my lap and slept there for at least an hour.  I knew she was ours, and she would be named Mooshu, Moo for short.  We adopted her brother (Tux was his shelter name), and my stepdaughter named him Einstein because she thought he looked like a “little old man - the way the white was around his nose and mouth, and the white whiskers all around his face”. 

They are loving, sweet and curious, and they have very different personalities.     Einstein is quite talkative and will talk even more when it is close to mealtime; sometimes, he will play fetch.  Moo squeaks more than meows, and she loves to hide underneath the coffee table and wave one paw at your feet, like the monster under the bed.  They love catnip, catnip toys, and bouncy balls.  Their purrs are one of my most favorite sounds, and the spot between their ears seems like the softest fur and is my favorite spot to stroke. 



I was inspired to write about them because of my love for animals, storytelling, children, and books.  To me, when someone shares a book with a child, they share an act of love.   The Einstein and Moo series currently has two books out: Einstein and the Leaf and Moo and the Case of the Mistaken Identity.    The series will also have stories about them together.   Einstein and the Leaf is about a perfect fall day with children playing outside in the leaves while Einstein watches from inside.  When the children come in and a few leaves come along with them, Einstein sees his moment and is ready to play!  Moo and the Case of the Mistaken Identity is about Moo playing with a little ball that bounces against a glass fireplace when she notices a shadow.  Who could this be?  She must determine if she sees herself or another kitty.

Please check out my website at www.jennifermilius.com or like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/authorJenniferMilius and the series Facebook fan site at www.facebook.com/einsteinandmoo.




Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Authors Ayoe and Bob share a special message about the meaning of Christmas

This is what Christmas means to us.

The most important part of Christmas is something Ayoe brought with her from Denmark. It is called “Hygge”. There is no English word that hygge can be translated into, because it is simply more than a word, it is a feeling and a state of mind, body and soul. It is coziness, love, quality time and usually accompanied with great food. :)


That being said, it doesn’t mean that hygge can’t be learned by someone from outside of Denmark. It is in fact very easy.

First things first: Slow it right down!
This goes for everything we do, cooking, spending time together and just being, not doing. After all we are human BEINGS, not human DOINGS. :)


Secondly we must get in touch with friends and family on a personal level, not just through a text or email, but face to face and actually spend time together and talk, play games, cook delicious foods and sit down together and eat it SLOWLY! (put your phones away too).

Third, enjoy it, have fun, be present! There is nothing less hyggeligt than spending time with someone who is so busy, they don’t have time to spend quality time with you. We know everyone is busy, but is that really so? Could it be that we make ourselves busier to seem more important? How about we just relax a little and spend our energy on where it really matters: on our loved ones! Wouldn’t that be awesome. We like that a lot. :)

This is how we love to celebrate Christmas, and any time of year for that matter. We take it slow and enjoy every moment of it. We really love spending time together in the kitchen cooking up some yummy Christmas treats and also every day foods.

You can read about some of our favourites on our blog www.threemorebites.com and please let us know your favourite Christmas foods, we’ll be happy to try it out.

Much love
Ayoe & Bob