Saving the World, One File at a Time!

Noahism 2012

2012-01-11T10:52:00.002-02:00

I had just started eating some grits after making the kids breakfast, when I dumped a spoonful of grits on my hoodie. I said, "Great! Really? Again!" Noah asked what was the problem. I told him I had already spilled pancake mix on myself. His sage advice (given in a prophetic voice) was:

"Maybe your time has come and your luck has run out."

Thanks, Noah. Give the Mayans my love.

Girl Scout Cookie Time is Here!

2012-01-06T09:43:00.001-02:00

Time Well Spent

2011-10-13T07:48:00.002-02:00

'Ello!

***Book Reviews Covering April-October

There are several books this time around, so I will split them into Non-Fiction and Fiction with a sub category for Young Adult Fiction and Kid Fiction:

Non-Fiction

Shermer lays out his case for Evolution and how Intelligent Design proponents are undermining science curriculum in school systems throughout the country. He also explains why debating the issue is important, as it gives both sides an opportunity to lay out their arguments. He goes on to state that the world is separated into three types of people: "True Believers, Fence Sitters, and skeptics." He goes on to state, "Lacking a good explanation, the mind defaults to whatever explanation is on the table, regardless of how improbable it may be." Also, that debate allows the opportunity to show there is a reasonable explanation for what they may see as supernatural phenomenon.
On page 95 he gives Judge Overton's summation of why creation science is not science. Basically, it is not testable, or falsifiable. (From the 1981 Arkansas trial over the constitutionality of the state's Act 590).
In another case from 2005 on page 104, Judge Jones stated, "Both Defendants and many of the leading proponents of ID made a bedrock assumption which is utterly false. Their presupposition is that evolutionary theory is antithetical to a belief in the existence of a supreme being and to religion in general."
I liked how Shermer put the issue in this statement, "The conflict between science and religion is senseless. It is based on fears and misunderstandings rather than on facts and moral wisdom."
Shermer also shares the warning from the late Carl Sagan, "Whenever our ethnic or national prejudices are aroused, in times of scarcity, during challenges to national self-esteem or nerve, when we agonize about our diminished cosmic place and purpose, or when fanaticism is bubbling up around us-then, habits of thought familiar from ages past reach for the controls. The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir."

Excellent book!

Descartes’ “method” asks the question, "What can I know for certain?" He is known for the phrase "I think, therefore I am", but as Shorto shows the nuance is really more "Thinking is taking place, therefore there must be that which thinks." When Descartes died in Stockholm he was buried there instead of being returned to France. Later he was disinterred and removed to France as a relic, which represented a connection between life and death. Shorto explains that Descartes dualism came from separating reason from religion, as he proclaimed his Catholicism all his life. The claim went out very quickly that Descartes "method" would lead to atheism was realized.
This book is a detective story mixed with philosophy, religion and science. Shorto does a fantastic job explaining the life and legacy of Descartes. Great read!

A range of voices and perspectives I was mostly unfamiliar with. Respectful dialogue throughout. Politics, theatre, poetry, and religion were part of the topics discussed. A wonderful compilation.

Public education has always struggled to meet the needs of a diverse population in capabilities, culture, and desire to learn. What the U.S. has now is No Child Left Behind, which has steered us into the culture of teaching to the test and teachers evaluated on those tests. Critical thinking and the rich landscape of knowledge that is available is truncated to meet the ever-changing curriculum. The struggle of the school system to meet the needs of the lowest performing students was encouraged by the development of charter schools, which were to take innovative teaching methods and take the ideas that worked back to the public school system. Instead charter schools morphed into a system that became a competitor for students and funding, which undermined the very community schools they were supposed to improve. Ravitch calls for standardized curriculum, among other things. She chronicles the changing ideas that she held earlier in her career and the science on which it is bases. She has a heartfelt plea to shore up the public school system and ways that it might thrive. She worries about well meaning philanthropists skew and derail the system by not looking at the data disproving some of their beliefs. Education is a fundamental for an society to thrive. Well worth the time to read.

Superb photography and interesting facts make this book much more than eye candy. I have always been thrilled to get an opportunity to look at images from microscopes and this book delivers.

The words and phrases in this book make me question if I was actually brought up in the U.S. I am quite unfamiliar with what many groups of people say. Interesting.

Explaining the history of how scientists figured out how and why the Earth has a magnetic field was interesting. The magnetic poles switching and why is amazing. A well written history.

I don't think this should come as a surprise, but their is a lot of colorful language in each of these vignettes.
I have enjoyed satire since staying up late to watch Saturday Night Live with my grandmother. I love the satirists taking information and making you look at it in a different and often startling way. As Billy Connolly stated, "We need to be reminded that you can step out of the box- and get back in again if you want, too,"
Paul Mooney's coming to the conclusion to no longer use the N word in his comedy was interesting.
I liked Conan O'Brien's comment, "...people using their talent is never wasted." People using their talent in good faith will always be food for mankind in some way."
I have always enjoyed the clever humor of Monty Python. Provenza interviewed Terry Jones and he explains that they were going to do a movie about a funny version of the Life of Christ, but first reread the Gospels and said the humor wasn't there. It was how people interpret the Gospels. "Christ talks about peace and love, and two thousand years later people torture and kill eah other because they can't quite agree on how he said it-what hats you should wear, how you should dress, or what services you should have in church."
I also enjoyed the interview with Tom Lehrer, Marc Maron, Dana Gould, Bob Odenkirk, and Rick Overton.

Another great quote: I love not knowing stuff and then learning it." Rick Overton

The lab rat studies and the lessons that are learned are cautiously correlated with human behaviour. Rats are clever and exhibit similar responses to various stressors. A really interesting read.

Fascinating essays on different science topics. If you want a primer, or refresher, this book will fit the bill.

The Periodic Table has always intrigued me and the different properties of the elements. The story of their discovery and uses made me a bit awe struck in the clever, fearless, and sometimes, seemingly, serendipitous way the scientists used their skill to get to the basics.

Biologist Rob Dunn writes about how our body systems evolved along with other species, but as we have found ways to cleanse ourselves of them, inside and out, we are feeling negative repercussions. Really interesting book.

Understanding common sense and why it fails to predict human behaviors is thought provoking.

Fiction:

A young, talented, fashion designer is thrown for a loop when her mother dies and long-term boyfriend leaves her. She takes a small sum of her inheritance to travel to her ancestral home of Ireland to push through the pain of her loss. She serendipitously meets William the Traveler who drops her off at the sea village called Glenmara where she is befriended by Bernie. Bernie is part of a group of lace-makers scrapping by in a sleepy community on the brink of financial ruin. Together they learn to deal with love and loss, while forging a new path with their lace-making skills. In a few places the author reveals the characters to long for a sense of their loved ones who have passed and their experience with the supernatural that the characters are conflicted in talking with others. The author sets up the Irish stereotype of mixing mythical beliefs with Catholicism (leprechauns, selkies, ghosts, and crucifixes).
(*just note there is a bit of swearing, but in written with an Irish accent, lightly sprinkled in the book).

A page turner. I was quickly pulled into the story with its varying perspectives. I am always horrified by the practice of infanticide, so it was helpful to read about from a cultural perspective that is not my own. The world is not black and white, which is apparent in this book. There were so many characters you were rooting for throughout the book to figure things out and have a good life. The flawed Jasu being able to redeem himself is one of the more touching developments of the book. Well worth the time to read.

Another solid offering by Charles Finch. Charles Lenox is a likable gentleman character, but a particularly like the intelligent and efficient butler, turned secretary, Graham. You get a mixture of society with Lenox working with a cadish gentleman named John Dallington, high society with his wife, Lady Jane, and the servants and other working folk through Graham. The rigors and strata of Victorian society drive me to distraction, but the story is good.

Young Adult Fiction

Beatrice has turned 16 and now must decide if she stays with her faction, or break all contact with her family and join another faction. She knows she doesn't fit in with the rules of her faction and the test that will help her decide leaves her more confused and in danger. Beatrice is divergent and must tell no one. The pace is quick and the concept of the future world being separated into 5 main factions and with those who aren't able to fit in becoming factionless is intriguing. It makes you think about how difficult and subversive to human nature it is to force a person to eschew the many facets that make up our personalities and how we interact and make decisions. Great read.

The Bill of Life was the deal that was supposed to get the warring factions of Pro Choice and Pro Life to come to their senses and stop fighting and come up with a better way to solve their disagreement and end The Heartland War. Unfortunately for teenagers from the age of 13-18 they can now be retroactively aborted, but the term will be "divided" with 100% of their body used to help others. The rule of Unintended Consequences reins down terror to children throughout U.S. Connor Lassiter becomes an unwilling participant and takes us along for a wild journey. Fast paced and thought provoking.

Good spooky teen book.

Fablehaven's mysteries are about to be discovered by two siblings on a vacation to their grandparent's home. Sinister and enchanting this preserve lures the adventurous and the reluctant to investigate. A book that will grab your attention.

Vague hints from a prophecy creates anxiety among the leaders of Regalia and their hope for fulfilling that prophecy. Gregor allies with Ripred the Rat and goes on another adventure. The choice that Gregor makes is surprising and creates problems for him in Regalia, though it retains his humanity.

Gregor is pulled back to the turmoil of the underland and is confronted with a plague that is ravaging his bond, Ares. Soon his mother also contracts the plague. Gregor and his companions seek the cure and have to fight physical obstacles and the sinister politics of the underland.

Teen angst in the witch, shapeshifter, faerie, vampire, and demon world. A book about learning who you are and how to fit in when most of the truth is concealed from you. This book will appeal to older teens. Beware that here is a liberal sprinkling of peppery language, but my daughter says she hears worse on the school bus.

More angst, demon family history, and a good looking, possible, nemesis. A trip across the pond takes Sophie to her father's home base and away from the reform school and her mystical peers. Appeals a lot to the teen girl set.

Kid Fiction:

Edward is a handsome and well-dressed rabbit who doesn't know how to love the little girl who loves him. His secret is known by the grandmother that had him created. Edward's journey begins when he is rudely grabbed by some boys and accidentally tossed in the ocean. It reminds me a bit of the Grinch with a lot more learned incrementally as Edward meets different people along the way. There is some tear-jerking moments. Well written and offers discussion opportunities about compassion, friendship, and love.

I thoroughly enjoyed the humor of this book. I got the opportunity to read it with my daughter and found it quite clever. It surely is a page turner.

Persimmony Smudge learns that her home is atop a sleeping giant. She must get the arrogant young king and the leaf-eaters to stop digging, which would wake the giant. The colorful characters and the crazy adventure make for a fun read.

I hope you find something that interests you, or spurs your desire to pick up a book...or your e-reader.

Smiles!

My Sentimental Hoarder Wanna Be

2011-09-19T15:13:00.003-02:00

Michael and I took the front door off to sand it, re-stain, and replace the hardware. Noah wondered out to the garage (he must have been incredibly bored). He asked what we were doing and I explained it to him. He saw the old hardware sitting on the work table and asked if he could have the old knob and we told him no.
Fast forward to this morning. I was relating the story to Rachel. Noah heard his name and came into the living room. Rachel rolled her eyes at the story and she was not surprised. Noah stated boldly, "It was an awesome door knob, and we were all used to it!"

Be afraid...very afraid.

Fire and Ice

2011-07-29T15:42:00.004-02:00

Here is Aaron making his glass flower using black and violet:

I'll post some other things this weekend.

**************Zooniverse****

One of the things I love to do with my time is to help researchers go through their mountain of data. If you would like to help out, scientifically, with a bit of your time here are several things to check out:

Ancient Lives

Help transcribe ancient papyri, written over 1,000 years ago by the citizens of Oxyrhynchu, the City of the Sharp-Nosed. Everyday life and writing, that we need your help to uncover.

I "helped" out transcribing and measuring a couple of fragments. It is quite hard, but I can see where familiarity would make things easier in a little bit of time.

Ice Hunters

Help to discover Kuiper Belt Objects with just the right orbit and just the right characteristics to make them eligible for a visit from the New Horizons mission.

This is the one I've been working on the most. I was invited during the beta phase and Eveybug even came an sat down with me to look for solid round objects and possible asteroids. Super cool...literally!

Planet Hunters

Using public data from NASA's Kepler mission, we are looking for planets around other stars.

The Milky Way Project

Sorting and measuring our galaxy, the Milky Way; we're asking you to help us find and draw bubbles in beautiful infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Old Weather

Help scientists recover worldwide weather observations made by Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I.

Moon Zoo

Explore the Moon in unprecedented detail using images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Galaxy Zoo: Hubble

The latest version of the original Zooniverse project. Help astronomers figure out how galaxies form and evolve by classifying their shape. Now with added Hubble galaxies.

Solar Stormwatch

Help spot explosions on the Sun and track them across space to Earth. Your work will give astronauts an early warning if dangerous solar radiation is headed their way. And you could make a new scientific discovery.

Galaxy Zoo: Mergers

Understanding what happens when galaxies merge is one of the most important questions in astronomy. Help astronomers by trying to match a merger from SDSS with a simulation.

Galaxy Zoo: Supernovae

Help us to catch an exploding star. Astronomers are following up on your best candidates at telescopes around the world.

Book Review Catch Up

2011-07-28T11:07:00.009-02:00

These are all the books I have read from March until now. There are several I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. I hope you get a chance to grab a few. If you have a book suggestion please let me know.

Myth busting at its finest. Mr. Martinez presents several science myths and lays out the evidence to refute them, while clarifying their origins. I am in agreement with the author in that truth is so much more fascinating. Grab a copy and do some myth housekeeping in your brain too.

Dated dialogue and contrived plot. Not one of her better stories.

Though she had many salient points her indignation was so extreme that it was very off putting. Her acid tongue often had me flinching, even when I agreed with her premise. I agree she had a right to be upset, but she is a masterful enough writer to have presented her ire with the same backbone without losing her reader in the cascading waterfall of anger.

Well researched, as always. Some things are touched on more deeply in his previous books, so you may want to read those first. The scholarship and detective work gone into to explain the books of the New Testament and their authorship is amazing and on going.

A dystopian, not to distant future, where children are pressed into workhouses for the spending sins of the parents. If a family overspends their debt limit the oldest child is put to work to pay it off. There is another sinister twist in this tale. It is a quick read for the young adult set. Interesting, but not spectacular.

Three kids backed by their membership as Realitants take on a mission to stop the evil, Reginald Chu and his nefarious plans. The story is a bit long in the tooth, but moves pretty quickly. Dark and a bit scary, not surprisingly. This is one that appeals to elementary and middle school ages.

Engaging characters, quick-paced story line, and a fantastic setting makes this book great for the older elementary school kid to adult in appeal. I look forward to reading the sequel.

WOW! Thoroughly fascinating physiology and behavior. These creatures intrigue me and the research going on is amazing.

Some great information about slugs and snails, also how to coexist with them. I have to say their number of teeth and ability to replace them like sharks unnerved me a bit.

A little spoiler...yes, you can get hooked on lip balm. Even though you know that little tidbit there is much more too learn in this book about beauty and hair facts.

Fabulous book on invasive species and the toll they take on the ecosystem they are found. Well written essays create each chapter.

A book with a gypsy fortune teller is bound to be interesting and this one is. It is always great to see what Flavia has managed to get herself into, hang out with Dodger, and learn more about the mystery of Flavia's mother. A sequel I quite enjoyed.

Sarah Vowell brings so much pithy charm to her presentation of history that I look forward to each installment. Learning some Hawaiian history and about American imperialism was eye opening.

Phyllis Diller, with some assisstance, writes about her life. She has had a pleaser personality since she was born to older parents who weren't interested in having a baby. Her poor self esteem was fuel for her comedic routines her entire life. She had a 25 year marriage to a man with a severe mental disorder and who had 2 children that suffered from different degrees of the same problems. Her life was one of much turmoil and traveling, but she proclaims belief in positive thinking turned things around after she read The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol.
I learned that she was an accomplished singer and piano player, as well. I like her zany, off-beat humor when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's. My kids know her voice from "A Bug's Life."
This book has a smattering of bad language and a few crude jokes... not surprising. I thought overall that it offered a glimpse into the life of a woman that made me laugh from time to time, so it was interesting to find out a bit about her life.

Brilliant book. Fascinating research and proposals.

Abigail Adams, a prolific letter writer, gives insight into her feelings and the politics of the time during and after the American Revolution. The author is able to use the primary sources to interpret the feelings of Abigail on many topics. Abigail's New England upbringing molded her strong sense of duty and service. Her love and bond with her husband, John, is a wonderful story apart from the history of the fledgling United States. The narrative seemed to bog down several times due to explaining abigail's actions versus what she said. Overall, the book gave a perspective of a woman who had a large part to play in the history of our nation.

The characters and subject of this story are painful simplistic and boring. The Nate the Great series makes me feel sorry for the trees felled to put print on them.

I am a fan of mysteries and problem solving books, so I was surprised to find that I disliked this book from beginning to end. The characters are not interesting, nor is the mystery to be solved. This is the second book that my daughter and I read together from this series and I had hopes that it would be written better than the first one she selected, but it was not.

Atticus "Tick" Higginbottom is sent a mysterious letter that sends him on a perilous journey. He is blessed with a supportive family, which and softness and comfort in a world turned upside down. The story drags on a little too long to get to some of the major plot points, but the subject matter dealing with quantum physics peaked our interest enough to keep turning the pages. Two of my four kids found it very interesting and were interested enough to read the second book in the series.

3 of my 4 kids were part of the faction that took umbrage that Pluto was "demoted" to dwarf plant status, or Trans-Neptunian object. Michael and I have always been of the opinion that Pluto does not care how it is classified. Neil deGrasse Tyson does a marvelous job explaining his reasoning and giving the floor to others to voice theirs in the discussion of how to properly classify Pluto along with similar objects in the solar system. Dr. Tyson's ability to remain respectful to others sets him apart as a true class act. He received the ire of people of varying age groups, but especially 2nd and 3rd graders who learn about the planets and get upset that there is one less. Humans love to persona objects. Pluto was also more endearing to Americans because of its discovery by an American, Clyde Tombaugh. Clyde Tombaugh was an amazing astronomer and the homemade telescopes he created are down right cool. Unfortunately, being a great person and making cool stuff doesn't override the science. When we learn we often have to adjust.
I, particularly, liked the letter of apology Dr. Tyson received from a second grader that he uses to open his book. I cry every time I read it.
This is a book about science, history, civility (uncivility), and learning to see things from a new perspective. The companion dvd was fantastic too.

This was an insightful look at what it meant to be human. It is written to an audience of aliens who find earth after the human race is extinct. The book resembles a school text book and is written by a group of writers from The Daily Show. If you ever watch The Daily Show you will be aware of the off-colored language and suggestive and sometimes pointed remarks about human nature. If you are not a viewer take in to account the previous sentence as a warning.

One of my favorite comments was on skin color, "...pigmentation was a quick and convenient way of judging a person. One of us, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once proposed we instead judge people by the content of their character. He was shot." Another comment I liked was in the chapter titled "Society" that said, " Through war we arrived at definitive answers to questions at the very heart of our existence, from "Which is the one true religion?" to "Which European power gets to kill the Zulus?" (Answers: Pantheism, Judaism, Roman Paganism, Christianity, Islam, Christianity again, Catholicism, Nazism, then finally Democracy; and the Dutch.)"
Another one that had me laughing was the comment on advertising, "Early 2000s, Our relationship to commercial products entered a new phase, wherein we believed we were expressing our individuality by paying to adorn ourselves with advertisements for good that other people profited from."
So it is great commentary on human behavior, but sprinkled liberally with colorful language.

Shiny Things!

2011-07-27T22:01:00.002-02:00

(Paislee Press, Oscraps, and font called Pea Our Best Bites)
The kids were thrilled to make their own glass flowers on our vacation.

Rachel creates a glass flower at The Holdman Gallery at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah:

I will upload photos and video of the boys tomorrow. I tripped the breaker, on purpose, but didn't realize my computer was on that particular breaker and I was working on some photos of Noah.

***********Hanging with Eve*****

Eve has been sick since yesterday and has turned the corner this evening. Her siblings have been getting her water, cool damp wash clothes, fresh towels, and sitting with her if I had to step out for a moment. I was able to finish painting our bathroom during a Rachel covered break. It was nice having such willing help.

***********Bathroom Renovations*****

Rachel well tell you I lack a bit of creativity. I found a color I really liked and a style, so I used it for both of our bathrooms. I went with white painted bead board on the bottom of the wall with a chair rail, and white crown molding. I am pleased as punch with the color I chose from Home Depot's primer paint in one. The color is "Crystal Waters." I just need to throw on another coat of white on the crown molding in both bathrooms and one on the bead board in our bathroom to finish the painting. Michael and I will get the vanity sometime this week. FINALLY!

Smiles!

Lovely Granny's Traveling Pipes

2011-07-26T13:03:00.000-02:00

I didn't realize, until today, that I forgot to post these photos of my mom's visit to Eve and Noah's elementary school. She played the chanter and the Uillean pipes. She won over a kid in the kindergarten who did not initially like the sound. She was thanked multiple times for coming and told she was cool. (March 17th, 2011)

We're Back!!!

2011-07-23T12:13:00.003-02:00

(Noah riding Cisco with Margie looking on).

Thank you to Lynette and John for throwing a fun family reunion! Thank you to Shalene, Grant, and Sharon for letting us shower and do laundry at your house! Thank you, Carol and Myron for inviting us to the parade and birthday barbeque! Thank you, Don and Margie for inviting us over, cooking us wonderful food, teaching us about horses and letting us ride, giving us a place to sleep, shower, and wash clothes, taking us on a tour of Durango, and the companionship of Crazy Cooper (and sometimes Cosmo).

I will post some photos later, but I am going to see the last installment of Harry Potter. I hope to remember the tissues. Rachel is going with her friend Sabrina, and a towel.

2011-06-06T19:30:00.002-02:00

Life with the Taylor Kids:

A couple of weeks ago Rachel and Noah were talking and Rachel asked Noah,

"How many people have threatened to slap you?"

Noah looked up and to the side thoughtfully then replied, "...carry the 5...A LOT!"

*************

Rachel started Drama Camp today at the local high school which her father graduated. As we were leaving she read, "1980." That was inscribed on some marble pillars next to the parking lot. I said, "You know your dad graduated in 1985, so that is really old."
Rachel remarked, "So, no wonder they were writing in stone."

Can I get a...badum dum?!

"I Love to Laugh...Loud and Strong and Clear...

2011-05-23T06:21:00.000-02:00

Last night after family reading time Rachel asked Michael, "Do you know how a Venus flytrap closes?"
To wit he replied, "Quickly?"
Rachel says, "Ugh... I didn't ask for an adverb!"
She went on to explain how the cells on one side grow to twice their normal size, then close up overlapping the meal.

(After this point is Rachel writing. I was going to just write and pretend that I was mom, but it's too weird to write in third person...)
Noah recently had his 11th Birthday and while he was laying down on the floor in mom's room and he said "The skin on my hand is really dry and peeling off." And because Noah is especially fun to mess with I responded,
"Noah, you're going through your eleven year molt! Ahh... I remember my eleven year molt. Cleared it away before you knew about it had to keep it a secret." And then mom began playing along and it was much fun!
Rules of the eleven year molt:
*It happens overnight when you are eleven.
*Much like pulling teeth the parent clears it away and leaves behind a dollar under the pillow.
*It happens to everyone. Much like puberty. ;D
*You can have it pulled, but it hurts.
* Kids below eleven aren't allowed to know about it until they turn eleven.
(Going to put some money under Noah's pillow now!)

Weekend Noahisms

2011-05-22T12:11:00.003-02:00

Last night as we were talking in Rachel's room I was recommending to Noah that he would make more friends if he didn't constantly interject as if he were a cop about what every one else is doing.

Me: "My only point is that you would make more friends if you weren't policing other people."

Noah: "I don't like policing. I only do it when they do something wrong."

The conversation this morning started out with Noah playing "Ben 10 Ultimate Alien game" on the WII. He noted that a company called Papaya made the game.

Noah: "Papaya is a cool name."

Me: "I think your dad likes papayas."

Noah: "Sometimes I just assume it's a guy lazy with sounds."
(Later on he said...)
"He might as well have said Hiya and added a P."

Observations of a Librarian

2011-05-21T21:46:00.005-02:00

On Friday I stopped off at our local branch of the public library to return some books and pick up some on hold. Michael sent me his card information, so I could pick up his books, as well. I grabbed the books off the shelf and chatted with the librarian as I checked out my books, then his. I noticed that we had the same book checked out. I laughed and told the librarian that often he would check out I book that I liked and I would take it from his pile to read, or that we sometimes checked out the exact same book. She looked at me smiling and said, "That is so romantic." I think she is right.
Here is the book we checked out:

*******Problem Solving**********
This is one of my favorite people. He speaks to learning math and science as a basis for problem solving, even if you are not going into a technical field.

*********Poem Project with Noah (age 11)*****
(Noah would point out that he was technically 10 years-old when he wrote the poem because today is his birthday.)

I have been helping Noah brainstorm ideas for his poetry book due Monday. Here is one of my favorites:

"There once was a boy who liked to mope
Then, one day he got a telescope.
He learned to watch the wonders of space.
He yearned to help the human race.
And now the Mope had hope."

*****Noahism*****

As we continued the poem brainstorming session Noah was working on a Diamante poem about a video game. I was trying to clarify the rules of the particular style of poem, so I asked if it needed to start with one word, if so "video game" is two words and wouldn't work. His response, "I think of it as a compound word with a space in the middle."

Later, Noah decided he needed a break from writing poetry and wanted to watch a movie with Rachel. I yelled downstairs, "Noah, you better be working on a shape poem!"
He called back, "I'm helping Rachel pick out a movie."
I reiterated that he needed to think up a shape poem.
He yelled back, "Circles are fun!"
"I came up with a shape poem. Are you happy now?"

Happy Birthday, Noah!!!! I love you, dude!!!

Game Changer

2011-03-22T15:27:00.002-02:00

Sometimes a book is going along just peachy until the author pulls a Crazy Ivan and makes what I call a Game Changer and that is just what happened with our book club reading for school:

*******************Book Reviews******************

This was one I did not read as a kid, but got the opportunity to read with my daughter and her second grade book group. The story is about Peter and the antics of his 3 year-old brother Fudge. Peter is the long suffering son who tries to be polite in awkward situations and comes to the rescue of his parents when they need Fudge to cooperate. I thought the book had several discussion worthy moments about growing up and some of the silly stuff kids do. Especially having to deal with doing group projects (which I always hated). The game changer for me was the completely callous ending. The book went from something that I liked okay to something I would not recommend. ** SPOILER ALERT:

Fudge swallows Peter's pet turtle and at no time did anyone see anything from Peter's perspective. I expected a moment that one of the grown ups, hospital staff, neighbors to step up and say something about the loss of your pet, but it is good that your brother will be okay. Instead nothing is said and they throw a puppy into the mix. I had this scene run through my head of a cheesy commercial (Peter's dad is an ad executive) that had a boy, his dad, and new puppy complete with an artificial smile and gleaming white teeth. It reminded me of a scene in the movie Better Off Dead when Lane says, "I'm real sorry your mom blew up Ricky." That kind of crazy sympathy would have worked for me.
I wasn't expecting deep literary meanings in this book, but a decent ending with a bit of compassion would have been better.

As an aside, I brought oreos for our snack because they used them to help get Fudge to cooperate for a commercial.

What an approachable book for lay people to understanding the intriguing nature of genetics. Richard Kowles has a writing style that doesn't overwhelm the reader with scientific language that might send one slinking off feeling that they could never understand the concepts within. Genetics makes up everything about us and around us. It influences what is inside us and what we express on the outside. Genetics determines how we function and influences how we act. The importance of enzymes in all of us. Explaining that there are more blood types out there than the A, B, O that we think about most frequently. Kowles explains that everyone has the same number of melanocytes, but the variation in skin color is due to the number and distribution of the pigment in the upper layers of skin (p 247). He also explains the Hayflick limit (p. 264), which is the fifty cell division limit. He dispels the eye color misconceptions of dominance saying that eye color is expressed from more than one pair of alleles (p. 289).

One of my favorite stories is one about the varied jobs taken on by bees in a hive. Due to Mendelian genetics there are bees who will uncap the wax, but not remove a dead bee, others refuse to touch the wax, but will remove the dead bee. Others that will do both jobs and ones that won't do either job (p. 187).
A favorite quote from the book, "It needs to be pointed out that many geneticists are convinced that race is nothing more than a social and cultural issue, and not a genetic concept. They believe that race has no biological meaning; that only one race exists, and we call it the "human" race." (p. 256)

He discusses the "discord between evolution and creationism" by saying, "Evolution is a scientific theory, and creationism is not. Evolution is not religion, and creationism is religion." (p.274) Basically, that creationism is not testable, but rather a matter of miracles and faith, whereas evolution has risen above a guess or hypothesis to a theory through rigorous tests and gathered data that can be peer reviewed.

His final chapter entreats the reader to become educated about issues in genetics. Critical decisions that effect society in regards to genetic research and applications could be far reaching. Excellent book.

This was an eye-opening opportunity to see how the brain is tricked, even when you think you are concentrating and aware. Two neuro scientist realized that they could learn from magicians who can control an audiences' attention through different forms of misdirection like pattering speech, touch, sound, and color. There is honor among scientists and magicians in each chapter because there is a section that clearly states a warning if you do not wish to know how certain magic tricks are performed. There are a few self tests to take (I fell for them all), so that adds a touch of fun to the text. I loved learning how our visual sense is interrupted by the brain. If you want to learn more about yourself and like the flair that magic brings, this book is right up your alley.

The title is strange, but is finally explained about 3/4 of the way through the book and it makes sense. In a small community college in Maine, Robert Klose teaches biology. What comes through in his writing is his genuine concern for his students to learn the material and how to present their findings in a succint manner. I loved the story of the 70 year-old student who loved learning and the other students looked to for assistance in the class. I also enjoyed how he decided to use cassette taped comments to his students to help them correct their papers because he felt that just writing red-marked comments in the margins would not get across his full meaning and encouragement to the struggling writers. Inevitably, in his class he has students who want to answer biological science questions with biblical verses. He answers their questions, but explains that they will fail the class if that is how they choose to continue answering the questions. Since many students in college have to take one science course for their degree program they often choose biology because it seems like the softball science. He does what he can to explain the situation and he comes across as a compassionate teacher. He always has to incorporate a bit of chemistry to explain some of the biological functions. He anthropomorphises the chemistry to have it make more sense to the non-scientists in his class. The strict scientists would be annoyed, but most every one else would find it a hoot. Professor Klose brings teaching, science, and story-telling together in a very humorous way.

***********************Harry Potter and Pippi***********

***************************WHEN I GROW UP**********

Eve informed me last week that when she grows up she wanted to be a scientist and one of the things she would do is explain how pianos work. That sounds cool to me.

Rachel wants to teach 4th grade because she says they are still enthusiastic learners and not so end to worrying about their hormones.

We aren't sure if Noah will be a purveyor of chicken nuggets, or still contemplating world domination. We don't have a basement, so we assume he will be doing this at his own place.

Read on my friends, read on.

Boys and Their Toys...

2011-03-15T15:33:00.007-02:00

********************End of an Era**********

Noah and Michael have been working on Noah's last Pinewood Derby car:

****************************Cupcakes and Book Club************

Book Club time, again, for Eve's 2nd grade class. Here is a sample of the book mark I made for the kids to remind them of our meeting dates:

I used some fun graphics and alphabets from Lettering Delights .

Last week I took a box of Whole Grain Goldfish for a snack because in the book Peter goes to a birthday party where the kids get real goldfish as a present. I warned the kids to NEVER give pets as a gift at parties because the animal might be injured, or inadequately taken care of if the parent has no warning when the animal is taken home. This week I made cupcakes with homemade chocolate frosting because in the book Peter's little brother, "Fudge", celebrates his third birthday with a chocolate frosted cake with yellow roses. I decided what to make at 10:30am and had them baked and frosted by 11:45am. I put extra frosting in containers and grabbed my spatula, then off to school. When I got there I promptly banged the container into my steering wheel as I tried to exit the car. They all toppled over...not pretty. I also managed to drop my bag with the book and containers of frosting in a puddle next to my car. I grabbed the book and wiped it off, then the containers and through them in the bag. I opened the container and righted all the cupcakes. Luckily, the flavor doesn't change when the frosting is mushed. I guess the moral tale to tell is take a photo before you travel.

Michael said the frosting tastes exactly like his Granny Vone's. That is a compliment, people.

********************Piano Lessons**********

Eve and I just got back from piano lessons. Her teacher was pleased as punch that she decided to memorize all 3 pages of her recital piece. She has been trying really hard. We are pleased as punch too.

Later, gators.

The Wheels on the Bus...

2011-02-11T13:14:00.003-02:00

Rachel likes to ride shotgun in Pippi:

(digital pieces from Cinzia Loosemore's Celebrate Life, template by Paislee Press, and Word Art piece by Kate Hadfield)

Checkmate

2011-02-10T12:53:00.003-02:00

Noah's Cub Scout leader called and asked him to bring his chess set for their activity last night. Noah wanted to get in some practice before the evening, so when Michael came home he played some games with Noah. Out of those games came this exchange:

Noah: "You want to play again?"

Michael: "That was 4 games, Noah."

Noah: "It was? (pause) It felt more like 4 losses."

Don't Tell Time By A Twin...

2011-01-17T13:53:00.002-02:00

That is your Noahism fortune cookie of the day. The back story for this little tidbit of wisdom goes like this:

In second grade Noah had one of a pair of, very identical, twins in his class. "If we were outside and to make sure the whistle hadn't been blown I would look around for a classmate. If I saw one of the twins I would say is that the one in my class or her sister. I would say, "Oh, for the love of Pete!" and give up and look for someone else in my class.

I hope this public service announcement helps someone.

Smiles!

I Soak Up Information Like a Sponge...

2011-01-10T10:34:00.004-02:00

Unfortunately, that sponge happens to be something akin to Spongebob. I am continually frustrated by my inability to remember specifics about things that I read,or hear. I can vaguely recall if something is on the right track, or if something is bogus. I all too often have to tell the kids to ask their dad, who has an amazing ability to recall information. I really love to read non-fiction books and listen to history and skeptical podcasts. I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Wait Wait, when they were making a joke about the size of the human brain shrinking. I can't remember their take on the joke (no surprise that I can't remember), but I did remember enough about the article I read that theorized that the shrinking of the human brain relates to diminished aggression. I was shocked that I could recall that. Michael was proud of me too. Anyway, here are a couple of new book reviews and some of my favorites from 2010:

This book is the story of Calpurnia Tate and her discovery of her grandfather and his discovery of her. It is told about a well to do family in Texas in 1899. Callie Vee, as she is sometimes called, is the middle child flanked by brothers. Callie's mother often has to take some of her Lydia Pinkham's tonic after dealing with her rambunctious family. Calpurnia's grandfather and his library, and shed are quite an enigma to the family. Calpurnia begins to ask questions about some observations she has made about the differences she sees in the grasshoppers in her yard. She asks her grandfather who encourages her to figure it out for herself by observing and writing detailed notes. She uses the journal given to her by her oldest brother. As the summer progress Calpurnia becomes closer to her grandfather and becomes his partner in an experiment and a discovery in botany.
The characters throughout the book are interesting and well written. I found myself as anxious as the photographer to find out if the botanical discovery was, indeed, new. I also wondered if Calpurnia's grandfather's pecan distillery would ever produce anything decent. Most of all I was intrigued by the story of a girl who wants to use her mind and make an impact on her world through science in an age where that is uncommon and frowned upon. She does have a grandfather who supports her, but a father, mother, siblings, and house staff that have an all together different idea about the place of women. There is the spark of hope that she goes on to be able to make her discoveries in the world, but I know enough about the nature of humans to oppress each others' spirit of discovery to feel like she will end up sipping Lydia Pinkham's tonic with her own passel of kids. I harbor the idea that her grandfather leaves her a trust fund in his will that instructs it to be used only for her university education. That last idea gives me hope.
This book was thoroughly fantastic and I have it on my wishlist.

This book was one we just finished for family reading at the insistence of Noah who had already read it. Rachel also had finished the book. The story explains that there is a place called The Seems that actually controls what we perceive as reality. In The Seems there are people to help us sleep, create our dreams, and try to manufacture ways for us to meet the people we are destined to be with. Some people are born in The Seems that work for these purposes, but sometimes there are problems that try to circumvent The Plan. To help counteract problems there are people recruited from our side called Fixers who have a seventh sense. In this book their is a glitch in sleep that threatens to tear the fabric of time.
Noah was enthusiastic about this book, but the rest of the kids were rather blandly listening. I thought the authors' use of word play was funny and great for kids. The story was just fantastical enough and the age of the characters gave younger children a hero close to their own age. If you want a pretty cool fantasy, sci-fi, alternate reality book I think this would fit the bill.

*************************Books of 2010...Some Stand outs*****
My shelfari.com account shows that I read 65 books last year. No wonder people at the park think of me as the book lady. Here are some that I particularly liked:

The entire Tripods series by John Christopher a sci-fi collection of stories about human natures ability to become easily herded and the handful of people who use their brains to overcome. The constant battle to save people from themselves, too.

Extremely well written and thoroughly fascinating:
The Poisoner's Handbook
Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
by Deborah Blum

Fascinating history and would love to understand more than just the basic math concepts:
Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
by Charles Seife (Author)

Historical fiction that hits a lot of the right notes:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (2009)
by Jamie Ford

Full of gorgeous illustrations and a great folktale akin to The Wizard of Oz. Also a great read aloud:
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (2009)
by Grace Lin

An upstanding gentleman that I would love to meet:
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (2010)
by Helen Simonson

I still cook atrociously, but this book is put together like a masterful recipe:
The School of Essential Ingredients
by Erica Bauermeister

Totally fascinating look into why malaria is so hard to erradicate:
The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years
by Sonia Shah

History is written by the victors and sometimes by those impertinent enough to try and set the record straight:
Lies, damned lies, and history : a catalogue of historical errors and misunderstandings
by Graeme Donald

I like to call this one the time traveler's wife without all the smut. Really cool science fiction:
When You Reach Me (2009)
by Rebecca Stead

A classic doctor Seuss that I waited entirely too long to read, but so glad I got around to:
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
by Dr. Seuss

If you are looking to donate time, and or finances to charity give this book a read:
The Power of Half One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back
by Kevin Salwen (Author), Hannah Salwen (Author

Fascinating history:
Troublesome Young Men (2007)
The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England
by Lynne Olson

Fascinating history + pithyness:
The Wordy Shipmates (2008)
by Sarah Vowell

Assassination Vacation (2005)
by Sarah Vowell

The Partly Cloudy Patriot (2002)
by Sarah Vowell

Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities
by Paul Yeager

Absolutely love this entire series. This is a definite read aloud:
The Inside Story, The Sisters Grimm Book 8
by Michael Buckley

Dystopian at it's most fashionable:
Uglies, Pretties, Specials, & Extras ( 4 separate books)
by Scott Westerfeld

******************WII Just Dance****

I just finished showering after a head to head dance competition with Eve. We did 11 songs and I one 4. I totally kicked it on Pump Up the Jam. Rachel played once, but wasn't feeling to well. She had been playing out in the snow with her friend Lydia.

Now to just chill...I suppose literally and figuatively.

Hey, You Bought A Bunch of Milk...Why Not Order...

2011-01-09T23:35:00.002-02:00

Some Girl Scout Cookies to go with it. And if you buy Girl Scout cookies it will make you want to walk off the calories. If you walk off the calories you will feel good about yourself. If you feel good about yourself you will want to help others. If you want to help others you think about organizations that inspire people. When you think about organizations that inspire people you might think about young girls. If you think about young girls, you may think about being a kid yourself. If you think about being a kid yourself you may have fond memories of milk and cookies. If you have fond memories of milk and cookies you may think about Girl Scout cookies.

If any of these are you, please consider ordering Girl Scout cookies from Rachel, or some other fantastic girl.

Trying to stay safe and warm this chilly evening and I hope y'all are too!

Noah's Evening Epiphany

2011-01-06T00:55:00.001-02:00

"Have you ever noticed that when you think about anything it makes more sense."

Noah Taylor
age 10 :)

It Makes a Momma Proud...

2011-01-04T21:03:00.005-02:00

...when her ten year-old asks for help on coming up with a jingle for class about suffrage. First we watched this for inspiration:

He made it clear that we could not plagarize anything (proud, again!)

When we asked for Michael and Rachel's two cents they broke into this song, separately:

This was the final product:

You trust us with your house.

You trust us with your kids.

So you should trust us to help the government.

:::::::::::::::You are What You Read::::::

I was in the waiting room while Aaron had his dental cleaning yesterday and picked up the January 2011 issue of The simthsonian and was introduced to the painter Guiseppe Arcimboldo. I was surprised and intrigued by his use of still life objects...fruits and vegetables to great portraits. He used other objects, such as, sea creatures and books. I am completely enamored with this one:

Time for Girl Scouts...later, gators!

Naivete...Taylor Style

2011-01-03T23:25:00.004-02:00

Adventures in Conversations with my kids:

First:

Noah came in after watching some show we picked up from the library and started explaining how someone might survive a fall from 100 stories. It entailed standing on top of a plank of wood and jumping up at just the right distance from the ground to avoid a deadly impact.

My response: "Your superhero days await you."

Noah's reply: "I wouldn't try it...I'm not sure what a survival distance from the ground is?

Michael then explained to him that no one would survive a fall from that height. Apparently, Noah couldn't figure out how he would be able to jump up from the board during the fall.

Second:

We will be selling Girl Scout cookies by the end of the week and I was picking Rachel's brain for some ideas for the annual ad. I thought a retro, or vintage style ad may be fun. Eve was hanging out with us by the computer.

I said: "I need to find a vintage Girl Scout picture."

Eve matter of factly: "Go to vintagegirlscout.com"

Rachel quipped: "Like that would work."

I googled the terms and got a link to vintage girlscout.com.

Eve said: "I told you."

New Year Noahism...

2011-01-02T01:21:00.002-02:00

We plied Eve with 2 tsp. of Advil and she and Noah went down to watch Dr. Who. About an hour later Noah came into the room and very matter of factly said,

"Hey dad, the way I see it ...if a guy takes out one of your eyes and you take out one of his eyes eventually all you will get is a lot of blind people!"

Michael asked Noah to come over and stand by him because he wanted to show him something on his laptop. Michael pulled up this quote by Gandhi, "An eye for an eye, only ends up with the whole world blind."

Hear, Hear!

Happy New Year!!!

Clever Idea of the Day from Rachel...

2010-12-28T20:35:00.002-02:00

You see Noah has a natural tendency to give really tight hugs, so Rachel excitedly told me of the name she came up with to describe her little brother...Here it comes...Wait for it...

"NOAH CONSTRICTOR"

I love it!

Hugs to y'all!

Snow and Ice(ing)

2010-12-07T09:32:00.006-02:00

*********************************

Noahism of the Day

There is a tradition at the kids' elementary school to create Dicken's inspired snow villages. Rachel made a beautiful inn she called "The Out Inn" when she was in 5th grade:

While sitting at the table Noah lamented that he couldn't use this box design that he created on Sunday for his snow village:
Noah said, "I guess they wouldn't want a Fusion Reactor Core Generator at School."

***********************************************
Haley's 13th birthday

Rachel was invited to Haley's birthday party held at an awesome place in Senoia called Cutie Pies and Cakery;

The girls decorating their cake boxes. Each girl iced and decorated their own cakes:

Rachel loves to design with circles and the color blue:

************************************

These are photos from the day before Thanksgiving when the girls baked and decorated cupcakes:

Here is a mash up of two of my favorite pics of the cousins:

Off in a little bit to take photos of this year's snow village.

A Pinch of This and That:

2010-12-06T07:06:00.001-02:00

The tree lot has been set up since the day after Thanksgiving. The proceeds go to pay for a portion of the boys' camp costs. Pippi has garnered a lot of attention on her trips around town, so Michael had her hang out at the tree lot to help get some attention for the tree lot.

Aaron next to a load of trees:

Eve helped unload trees because she loves to help with stuff like that (cleaning her room is a big NO, but she is eager to carry trees):

********************************************

Zoo Atlanta with my sister, Tracy, nieces, Jessica and Haley, and with the Taylor kids:

Noah wanted to be helpful by reading the map:

The birds were very skittish. After 10 minutes, Jessica was the only one who could get a budgie to eat from the seed stick we bought:

Eve loves to hang out with her big girl cousins:

Rachel and Haley...Beautiful:

Komodo Dragon:

Komodo Dragon and a boy that probably tastes like chicken:

Dead mice...nom...nom...nom:

Jessica gets a close up:

Eve gets to pet a hedgehog:

The second time around the budgies are a little less skittish:

Rachel worries that mom is not around to get the photo. (Oh ye of little faith):

*******************************************

Baking Braided Christmas Bread:

Sister Weiler pouring salt. (I love how the salt granules are suspended in the air)

Rachel was an enthusiastic participant:

This song kept going through my mind as the girls worked the bread:

*******************************
Music education

Rachel was busy switching channels when I heard this amazing voice throw out a few words and made her go back. I love the voice of Lou Rawls and this song makes me remember listening to the radio as a kid, so I offer this great youtube video (it also uses the word "need", so I see a running theme in my own twisted way):

Relaxing Week and a Couple of Book Reviews

2010-11-29T12:21:00.005-02:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent the day at my Dad and Alice's house. We watched a couple of movies (State of Play and Leap Year)along with some old The Office episodes. The girls made adorable cupcakes with m&ms and candy corn to look like turkeys. Alice made some tasty pecan pies too. I will attempt to post some photos later. Here are some book reviews in the meantime:

I am a fan of the type of books that delve into how easily most humans will give up their freedoms, but that a rogue few have to use their wits to save the world from its cattle/sheep mentality. In this prequel, Laurie and Andy witness the initial invasion of the Tripods. In short order the Tripods are destroyed. The humans pat themselves on the proverbial back and people go on with their lives briefly. The Tripods are able to use television to control the minds of many. Swiftly the world changes and the Tripods use the concept of fierce nationality to separate the humans into manageable groups. The author makes a very good point when he compares the free band of humans to rats when he explains that humans have been trying to eradicate rats for centuries and what they achieved was killing the weak and dumb rats, while being left with the strong and clever. The author shows that the Tripods are accomplishing a similar idea with culling out the easily manipulated humans from the strong willed.
This series is a set of quick reads, interesting ideas, a great understanding of human foibles, human resolve, and simple science fiction (nothing too techie).

15 year-old Penelope Lumley becomes a governess for 3 children who, until a hunting trip by Lord Frederick Ashton, had been raised by a wolves. I enjoyed the, mostly, unflappable Penelope. She was willing to take on the challenges put before her with her chin up and best foot forward, so to speak. Her tender consideration for the children, common sense, and book smarts made her an interesting character. The children where infinitely likable, as well. My problem with the story is that too early on in the book I realized it was being written as a sequel. That certain plot points seemed needless strung out. It reminded me, unhappily, of the journey I took with the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke (my husband is beyond tired of hearing me fuss about that series). I do not like to be treated like a donkey with the perpetually hanging carrot in front of my face. This author has the ability to deliver the goods, and I wish she would have completed the task in this book.

Smiles!

I am Thankful for...

2010-11-19T18:59:00.004-02:00

by Noah Taylor:
I am thankful for wasps because they clean up dead insects.

I am thankful for ants because they prove my nervous system is functioning properly.

I am thankful for paper cuts because they prove I have blood.

I am thankful for shots because they keep me safe.

I am thankful for heat because it makes me sweat proving I am hydrated.

(addendum by mom):
I am thankful for Noah because he helps me see the world in a whole new way.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks!

Mornin'

2010-11-11T11:30:00.004-02:00

The background to this is that several mornings I would make Noah cinnamon sugar toast and Rachel didn't get any. I would usually make her oatmeal, or a blueberry bagel, but she longed to be included in each sugary breaded breakfast treat.

I asked the kids, "What do you want for breakfast?"

Rachel responded, "Are you making anything special for Noah?"

Me: "Yes, because I like him best."

Rachel: "I'll have that."

Another successful interaction with my children to start the day.

:::::::::::Book Club::::::::

Today is the last session of Book Club with Eve's 2nd grade class. They are smart kids and quite silly. I baked them cupcakes for our last treat.

Remain Calm!!!

2010-11-10T21:00:00.003-02:00

Noahisms:::::::::

Yesterday Eve was acting like a maniac with a pair of safety scissors. She was threatening her moon project by saying, "I will cut you!" I was trying to get everyone to calm down to say a blessing over breakfast, so as they promise that they are ready I look up at Noah who has his arms crossed like Bela Lugosi and has his eyes rolled back in his head. I start snickering, but try to get on with the prayer.

Rachel said, "Mom you obviously lack self-control."

Noah quipped, "She lacks all kinds of control."

Pot to kettle, my friends!

A few minutes later Rachel meets me in the hall to relate the next Noahism. She said she had stolen a piece of his cinnamon sugar toast and popped it in her mouth. Noah told her, "That acid will burn through your sarcophagus!"

Rachel: "My sarcophagus?"

Noah: "Yeah, your sarcophagus, you know, that thing in your throat."

Rachel: "You mean my esophagus?!

Of course, I wrote these things down to wit Noah said, "I'm very quotable today!"

:::::::::::::::::Last Minute Science Projects R US:::::

Now to help with Rachel's project where I can!

Later!

Pumpkin Carving 2010

2010-10-31T20:22:00.000-02:00

Pumpkin Carving 2010

Ooga Booga and Books Galore:

2010-10-28T09:31:00.004-02:00

I think tonight is pumpkin carving night. Michael has been in design talks with the kids. I am looking forward to helping and documenting their progress.

Michael and I are thoroughly tired of being sick and tired. Colds are such nasty drags!

I just love the phrase, "Ooga Booga". No scary costumes for this year. Noah is going to be a robot. Michael has the box cut out and spray painted with silver metallic paint. I got Noah a pair of gray sweats and some cookie tins. I look forward to seeing what the guys put together. Eve decided she wanted to wear Rachel's Kimono from 2nd grade, so easy peasy there. Rachel is going to be a white fuzzy die with black fuzzy spots. Should be weird. Good stuff!

To the Books::::

This was the second book I have read by Mary Roach. I was intrigued by the subject of what a person would have to do to get ready for and possibly expect in long term space travel. Mary Roach's style is to ask questions that are not usually asked due to their embarrassing nature, or social taboo. Her book Stiff was one that thoroughly fascinated me, as well. I found the discoveries of how the body works under long periods of forced bed rest, no bathing for several days, processing different types and consistency of food, and withstanding extreme G forces interesting. The author often interjects her thoughts and feelings, so you feel you are her silent partner along for the experience. The part that seemed tedious and unnecessary was the several pages devoted to tracking down and watching footage from a porn film because it claimed that it showed how people could have sex in zero gravity. Well the footage was just an obvious camera trick and an annoying tangent to a story that could be served with a footnote.
I did like that the book was footnoted throughout. These asides I, mostly, found pertinent to the overall story.
How animals were and are used in the space program was very informative and interesting. The Russians preferred dogs, while the U.S. used monkeys.
One of the most fascinating parts of the book was the psychological tests that the potential astronauts have to endure. The scary part is the potential for problems because if there are psychological issues astronauts will deny them because they realize they will be scrubbed from the mission. Trying to figure out optimum crew make up was pretty cool. They have found mostly male crews with a few females would probably work best for long term travel.
The book was worth the read, but the tangents were often distracting to the more interesting information in the book.

Mary Quinn accepts a new assignment that uses her early life experiences of being on the street. This time she has cut her hair and donned the clothes of a street urchin boy and gets a job hauling bricks at the construction site at the Clock Tower at the Houses of Parliament. She meets up again with James Easton who is brought in to help determine the safety of the job site after a man has fallen to his death from the tower. Mary and James have a smoldering relationship that is blanched when Mary reveals some of her past to James. The setting in Victorian England and the descriptions of life for the poor is vivid and jarring. Especially riveting is the character of Jenkins. The series continues to have a modern feel, which I wish it would shake off some how. I like the characters and feel that the writer continues to show a lot of potential.

The Story of Henry Lee, a first generation Chinese boy in Seattle and his life changing encounter with a Japanese girl, Keiko. The story moves between two time periods. The war years of the 40s and close to present day in the mid 1980s. Henry's father wants him to learn English, so doesn't allow him to speak Cantonese. This communication barrier isolates Henry from his family. Henry is also ostracized by his classmates who are caught up in hatred of anyone who looks Japanese (which means anyone with Asian characteristics). His father makes him wear a button proclaiming, "I am Chinese". While working in the school lunchroom, Henry becomes friends with Keiko. Their friendship is put the crucible of war time drama. Through machinations of his father, Keiko and Henry are separated. Their ultimate return to each other is a long time coming, but done in a satisfying and gentle way.

The themes of father-son relationships, racism, bigotry, war, internment camps, friendship, and love are explored in this novel. A thought provoking read and a great book for discussion.

I am a science fiction geek, so books in this genre help me consider interesting "What If" scenarios. This book continues to be told from Will's point of view. Will is small, scrappy, and impulsive. His strong desire to maintain his identity by avoiding Capping by the Masters has led him to a group of rebels seeking to overthrow the Masters through subterfuge. Will is able to enter the City of Gold and Lead by winning a competition held to take the strongest representatives to work for the Masters. He, along with Fritz, enter the city and find out several important secrets of the Masters that the can use to fight them.

The world created by the author was well thought out and plausible. Well plausible, if you totally dig the idea of creepy, domineering alien species. I do...so plausible, YES! This is a cool read aloud. My son keeps asking questions about the What Ifs. Curiosity...not so bad sometimes. Enjoyable series.

Charles Lennox is an upstanding gentlemen in Victorian England with a loyal butler, and an equally loyal fiance. His brother who likes to help out in Charles' detective work is also a great character. In this book of the series, Charles Lennox is running for a seat in parliament. The political machinations for running for election are a large part of the book. Lennox has to alternate his running for election with solving murders in London. The clues and characters were interesting, but I kept feeling that there was too much time spent on the run for parliament.

This is a solid detective series with good character development. This may be a bit of a vanilla review, but I like to think of it as a vanilla bean review because it does have that little somethin' somethin'.

Happy Halloween, folks!

How Did You Save Your Games?

2010-10-10T17:14:00.004-02:00

Conversations with Noah:

On Friday we were going to my mother's house for the kids to sleep over. Noah was playing a handheld video game and was shutting it down to go get in the car. He cocked his head sideways and asked curiously,
"Hey mom, what did you do when you were a kid to save your games?"

Me: "I would leave them out on the table and tell everyone not to touch the pieces."

Noah: "OOOHHH."

I love those little family history moments.

:::::::::::::Noah's Business Venture:::::::

On Thursday we took the kids to Steak and Shake where Noah ate his usual request of chicken tenders. He decided that he should get a job. He understood that he was too young for getting a job out of the house, but he had come up with a clever plan:

"I have a great idea to make money. People could pay me money to play video games for them. I would play to increase their high scores. I would have to have a disclaimer that stated "Results May Vary"."
He is ten, but is already making sure his legal bases are covered.

I'm sure the offers are going to come pouring in.

Math for the Literally Minded...

2010-10-05T20:00:00.003-02:00

Noahism of the Day:::

"Hey Mom, you know people don't really get in lines to get on the bus. They get into line segments".

:::::::::::

A few minutes later Noah asked us how to draw a crowd, so Michael started waving his arms and yelling different things.. I started yelling I've got free money. I've got chocolate. He explained that he meant he needed to literally draw a crowd. So much for homework help.

Smiles!

That's a Blog!

2010-10-05T15:42:00.010-02:00

Noahism:

Noah came home from school on Monday and said, "You know you forgot to pack me a snack?"

Me: "Sorry. I realized that after you left that I only packed one for Evey."

He wanted to eat some sugary snacks, so I said, "I know you like to eat crap."

Noah: "I call it unhealthy goodness."

Me: "Nice. Why don't you eat an apple."

Noah: "I said I was hungry not desperate. That's a blog!"

::::::::Neighborhood Clean up:::

Below is a link and article from back in April when we joined Aaron's troop to help clean up the park next to the scout hut. I was quoted, so I thought I would share the article on my blog:

http://www.tuckercivic.org/NewsEvents.html

April 2010

Scores of volunteers at Cofer Park cleanup

More than 70 residents of all ages joined in TCA’s “Give An Hour” at Cofer Park on May 10. There were local homeowners and their children, Boy Scouts, and more than a dozen congregants from Tucker First Baptist Church. After the county Parks Department dropped off a mountain of mulch and four new metal park benches, some volunteers spread mulch around bushes and flower beds while others dug post holes and poured cement to anchor the benches near the park’s fishing pond.

Another large job was removing a two-inch deep layer of silt from the floor of the park pavilion, then digging a trench around three sides of the pavilion to direct future stormwater runoff. There was real enthusiasm for this event. First Baptist Pastor Randy Shepley explained, “Our church exists to love our community through Jesus, which means working with our neighbors for the common good.”

Victoria Taylor, mother of a Boy Scout, said, “Anything that can bring people out to the park to work with their family and others while enjoying nature is a worthwhile effort.” Juliet Melvin, whose 13-year-old daughter plays soccer in the park, added, “We use the soccer fields here, and it’s invaluable for children to see that you have to clean up the facilities that you use.”
TCA’s next “Give An Hour” is scheduled for May 1, 10 – 11 a.m. Volunteers will freshen up Fitzgerald Field, a youth athletics facility at 4877 Lawrenceville Highway, in advance of the Tucker High School spring football game.

For more information, contact Ron Wilkinson at district4@tuckercivic.org or

:::::::::::::::Arts in Education::::::

I got to be the hostess for one of the most fun presenters from Young Audiences. Cathy Kammerlain came to the elementary school this morning to present a show on Georgia history. The kids learned and laughed. Her show allows for a lot of audience participation. Here is a picture of Eve at the show:

Eve represented the month of September in Georgia when we have the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain.
Now to color correct photos and upload them for the yearbook...oh, and throw in housework.

Smiles, Victoria

Reading is Fun...OKAY!

2010-10-01T10:31:00.005-02:00

::::::::Reading with Eve::::
When you have a struggling reader it is interesting what word they might connect from their brain to the letters they see on the page. Eve and I had quite a fun time when she was reading Madeline and The Bad Hat by Ludwig Bemelmans and she came to the line that read, "One day the Spanish Ambassador..." She began to sound out the "S.pa..", but didn't know the word so I said, "Spanish". Since she could tell that the next word was long she decided not to sound it out and, instead, fill in a word from the file in her brain. She said, "...Inquisition!" I have to admit that "One day the Spanish Inquisition..." did sound like an interesting children's story. Maybe we should write one?

:::::::::::::Banned and Challenged Book Week

I enjoyed reading my selection from the book list:

Galadriel Hopkins, or Gilly for short, has been moved from foster home to foster home since she was 3. She is left with a photograph of her mother expressing her love for her daughter. The hope of reuniting with her mother is always in Gilly's heart. Now 11, she has decided to stop becoming attached to her foster families because the moves are never permanent. She wields control through excelling at school, then putting the brakes on everything. She is placed with Maime Trotter who has carried for many children over her years as a foster mom. Ms. Trotter is already caring for a little boy who is scared of everyone. William Earnest Teague allows Gilly to soften her attitude over the course of the book. Mr. Randolph the blind, elderly neighbor gives Gilly an opportunity to make impressions by actions rather than sight. Mr. Randolph's kind approach also breaks down some of Gilly's wall.
I was intrigued by the interactions between Gilly and her teacher Ms. Harris. When you are introduced to Gilly she has a negative attitude toward black people. She has moved around the South and has landed in Ms. Harris' 6th grade class. Gilly decides to make a card to anger her teacher who she says as frustratingly fair to every student. She delivers the rude card to no reaction the entire day. When Gilly thinks all hope is lost of getting her teacher to react the teacher asks her to stay behind. The teacher says, "You and I are two of the angriest people I know." She expresses her envy of Gilly's ability to face her anger, whereas, Ms. Harris was taught to deny hers.
It is inferred by comment from the social worker that Gilly's mom was a flower child. Courtney, Gilly's mom, was one of the free love generation, which found out that "free love" actually had a price, and she wasn't willing to pay it. Her character is selfish, distant and unforgiving. She likes others to take care of her problems, so she writes her estranged mother to take custody of Gilly from foster care.
The ultimate lesson of the book is summed up by Maime Trotter when she tells Gilly that life is tough and no one is owed anything. Good things do happen, but don't expect them all the time. Doing well on something that was hard makes you happy too.
This book is well worth the discussions it would bring up. For example, foster care, racism, responsibility, family relationships, and gossip. I also liked the way the author wrote down what Gilly was thinking followed by the actual dialogue. Most people are usually thinking much more than they actually say. Worth your time, indeed.

Always learning. Smiles, amigos!

2010-09-28T12:58:00.000-02:00

Banned Book Week is here:

I have only read a few on this list, but I plan to read The Great Gilly Hopkins

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm

1 Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling

2 Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3 The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4 And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell

5 Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

6 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7 Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8 His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9 TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10 The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11 Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12 It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

13 Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey

14 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15 The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16 Forever, by Judy Blume
17 The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18 Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous

19 Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

20 King and King, by Linda de Haan

21 To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

22 Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23 The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24 In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25 Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26 Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27 My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier

28 Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

29 The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30 We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31 What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32 Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33 Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34 The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35 Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison

36 Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

37 It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38 Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39 Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40 Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41 Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42 The Fighting Ground, by Avi

43 Blubber, by Judy Blume

44 Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45 Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46 Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47 The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard
48 Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50 The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
51 Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan
52 The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
53 You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco
54 The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole
55 Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green
56 When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester
57 Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
58 Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
59 Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
60 Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
61 Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle
62 The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
63 The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney
64 Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park
65 The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
66 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
67 A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
68 Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez

69 Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

70 Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen

71 Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park

72 Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
73 What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras

74 The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

75 Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry
76 A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
77 Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert
78 The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79 The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
80 A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
81 Black Boy, by Richard Wright
82 Deal With It!, by Esther Drill
83 Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds
84 So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins
85 Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
86 Cut, by Patricia McCormick
87 Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume

88 The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

89 Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger

90 A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle

91 Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Graighead George
92 The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
93 Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
94 Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
95 Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix
96 Grendel, by John Gardner
97 The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
98 I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte

99 Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

100 America: A Novel, by Frank, E.R.

AHHHH! The Smell of Books in the Morning...

2010-09-28T11:43:00.005-02:00

Some books featuring strong female characters, except for the last one.:

Minli is a child driven by love for her family and a desire to change their fortune. Living a hardscrabble existence, Minli, goes on a journey to talk with the Old Man of the Moon. Along the way there is a kind dragon, an evil green tiger, mischievous monkeys, clever children, talking goldfish, and a kind boy, among other characters. This book reminded me of a Chinese version of The Wizard of Oz. She even had to follow the yellow road at one point. The book is made of short chapters with short folktales making perfect segues. The story was like a lovely woven tapestry. One of my favorite stories is when some of the villagers that Minli meets take fabric from each of their own clothes to create a warm jacket for her to continue her journey. These people where the exemplars of happiness and their selflessness in helping Minli brought tears to my eyes. The lessons in this book were ones that would be beneficial to all.

This was a decent beginning to a series about a young woman who is saved from the gallows to become a part of group of secret agents. I never felt immersed in this Victorian era mystery. It had a rather modern feel. That being said I liked the character of Mary Lang and had a desire to go along on her quest to find out information on a possible smuggler. There was nuance missing in this first book, so I'm curious how the next in the series compares.

This reads very much like a college paper, which is not surprising since Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a scholar. She begins the book explaining how a short phrase from one of her early research became a phenomenon in the world of apparel and novelties. She goes on to discuss the impact made by woman such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Virginia Woolf, Christine de Pizan. She explains how these woman were acting within societies norms, but them came to something that they could not abide. This prior history gave the women more credibility when they finally chose to speak and act out to change. I had a bit of an issue with the information presented about Joan of Arc. I have read other scholarship that downplays the historical tales of her actions. I think what I would have preferred was explaining how the tales affected readers and listeners with out making Joan of Arc's actions coming across as having actually happened. Untrue events can have a concrete affect on behaviors. Overall it came off as a bit dry, but I do like reading about women who are willing to stand up for what they deem as right.

This biography has the feel of a rambling chat with a wizened grandmother. Mrs. Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson is a woman willing to admit mistakes and to have a dialogue with anyone with which she might have a disagreement. This attitude, I felt, was the most endearing and enduring message of her life's story. She has genuine compassion for others that was displayed by her career as a social worker. She wants people to take responsibility and be treated with dignity. The story is not told chronologically, so the out of sequence events can get a little muddled in the presentation. The author may have improved the presentation with a tighter narrative, but the book is an informational read. I appreciated getting Mrs. Johnson's perspective over her eventful life.

The tripods rule over the humans by using a metal cap placed on the head at the 14th birthday. Sometimes the capping doesn't go well and creates deranged behavior causing the person to be called a vagrant. Will and his cousin Henry are reluctant companions on an escape to The White Mountains were there are humans struggling to remain free from tripod control. Along the way they meet "Beanpole" who is their logical "Spock-like" friend who saves them from jail. The writing is rather halting and was a bit awkward for reading aloud, but the story is engaging and my 10 year-old remained eager throughout. I too wanted to know what would happen and I look forward to the sequels.

The Heart of the TARDIS is...

2010-09-24T16:11:00.000-02:00

made of yellow cake, marble cake, and buttercream frosting. Who knew?

Time And Relative Dimension In Space

Michael uses a square fondant cutter to make the windows of the police box.

He places the window panes of white fondant into the blue walls.

Rachel observes her dad's handiwork.


I printed the Police Box signs on my computer.

I suppose we could have done a cake to look like fishsticks and custard, but we nixed that idea in favor of the big blue box.
Happy 13th Birthday, Rachel!...and many more!!!

ExterminEIGHT!

2010-09-15T11:24:00.011-02:00

Yep! I, purposely, misspelled exterminate.

Eve requested Chinese food for dinner, so we went to Hunan's on Chamblee Tucker. The owner is such a cut up. He brought Eve some fried pineapple for dessert and led us in singing in a birthday song. Eve, especially, loved the spring rolls and moo goo gai pan. She kept hunting for more water chestnuts.

::::::::::::::Morning Silliness::::::::

This morning Rachel and Noah had a lip-sync contest when Word Girl came on PBS. They were hilarious. Rachel declared victory, but Noah did not acquiesce.

:::::::::Cool Kid Podcasts::::::

Aaron's World

I love that Aaron and his helpful computer do the talking in this informative podcast about dinosaurs. The episodes are just over 5 minutes and Aaron's approach to learning and teaching others is engaging.

:::::::::::::::Bee Cake Pops::::::

Well I am off to make cake pops with the Beehives at church. Check www.Bakerella.com to see what I mean.

Later, gators.

Friends and Books

2010-09-10T11:56:00.004-02:00

It was so nice to get a call from my wonderful friend, Crystal P., inviting me out to lunch at the Blue Rooster. She also invited Virginia L. We had a great time talking and eating. Crystal wants to adopt my mother and vice versa. She was also Eve's preschool teacher.

:::::::Book Reviews::::::

What a thoroughly endearing and funny man is Major Ernest Pettigrew of Edgecombe. His love of honor and civility is needled by a son who lives only for "The Deal" and keeping up with the proverbial Joneses. Major Pettigrew's strikes up a friendship with Mrs. Ali. Both he and Mrs. Ali are widowers with a love for literature. Other side characters give wonderful texture to this story that unfolds very nicely. The thread that ties the story from beginning to end is the pair of Churchill guns. The plausible storyline of the animosity between brothers over a separated pair of guns is brought to an odd conclusion at the end of the story. The contrived ending that included a psychotic, knitting needle wielding lady threw the tone of the book quite off for me. Don't get me wrong, this book is very well crafted with only a miss step in a side story line. The relationship that develops between Mrs. Ali and the Major is engaging. The devolving relationship between the Major's son, Roger and his fiancee is also interesting. The commentary on how different races treat each other and the rampant classicism is treated on just the right note. I also was very fond of Gertrude who is a wonderful friend to the major.
What a gem of a book!

This book is a well prepared recipe of characters. The separate chapters that explain each character in the cooking class is intriguing. Each character acts as the just the right ingredient that combines into a superb final dish. In a brief book there is so much depth. A delightful read!

::::::::::::Drama Club:::::::

Rachel was excited to tell us that she was selected to be a member of the middle school Drama Club. She said there are about 20 members. I think she also said that some of her friends are members too. Julia, Sabrina and Brenna are the names I can think of now.

Later!

Reading, Reading, and More Reading...

2010-08-28T21:22:00.008-02:00

***Edited Post: See correction before Dracula and Frankenstein book reviews.
The meaning of "Friend" has a ton of definitions. One of the ones I subscribe to explains a friend who politely tells you when you have goofed up and straightens you out, or reminds you of what really happened. You might think the absence of drug use in my life might limit my need for memory correction, but that is not the case. I have to go over things several times to remember things and try to get them right, and you can tell me the same joke repeatedly because I forget them. My brain is magnetized to collect trivial and inane information, which I find perplexing (and Michael finds mildly disturbing). I do think that I can be taught, you just have to keep saying it sometimes. This was my loooonnnnggg winded way to tell Teacherninga, Jim, that I appreciate his kindly correction.

Well, school has started back. Okay, so it was a few weeks ago, but we are starting to settle into our routine of homework, not doing homework, grumbling, stern glares, stern talking to, remembering to do school work...well most of it, as least. The one shining thing has been unexpected. Aaron and Rachel want to be in Drama Club in their respective schools. Rachel is waiting to hear if she will be allowed in her club, but Aaron just has to show up and help out at his school. The director of the Drama program has a genuine love for all of the kids. Aaron wants to help in stage designing and set up. He has already liberated six dollars from my purse, with permission, to support the bake sale for the drama program. Michael and I see that this is a positive avenue for him so we signed up to be Gold Sponsors of the club. Rachel already is familiar with the teacher through drama summer camps each year, so we figure why not support Aaron and the program now. He told us that he wishes he had started in his freshman year. He came home with names of drama club folks on his arm to add them to his Facebook friend list. I would have used paper, but he often goes a different route.

Comfort Snowberger's "Life Notices" made me laugh and I agreed with her that "Death Notices" are too boring. My own maternal grandmother, Mama Doris, would read the obituaries in the newspaper each day to see if her name showed up. I would read them out of curiosity and always wondered about those who died...well really, about the life they lived. People intrigue me. My maternal grandfather's family had run the Harris' Funeral Home in Phenix City, Alabama, so when my friend Kim told me about this book I checked it out from the library. I loved Comfort's family and her dog Dismay. I really loved Great, Great Aunt Florentine and I agreed with her that there can never be too many brownies. The advice for how to act at a funeral and what food to bring is practical and should be taken to heart. My heart was broken in the last chapters, so just be warned to grab some tissues. This was a great read.

***Great set of books! I need to correct one thing, though. Mary Shelly did in fact write Frankenstein after the summer of 1816 which she spent in Geneva with Percy Shelly, Lord Byron, and Dr. John Polidori. They all told fantastic tales to each other and hers went on to become Frankenstein. Polidori came up with the only other published piece, "The Vampyre" which features, as far as I know, the first aristocratic vampire. This was an influence on Bram Sroker's book, I'm sure, but since he wasn't even born until 1847 and Mary Shelly died in 1851, I don't think they ever got a chance to tell each other any stories in person. Sorry, I wrote a paper on this once!

By the way, I think the disease book is the creepiest one of the bunch!

I finally got around to reading the books that came out of a rainy night ghost story challenge. Written in the form of letters back and forth was a great vehicle for telling this story. Dracula, not surprisingly, is one creepy dude. He has had quite a lot of time to make some devious plans that take him to England. He enlists the help of a lawyer, Jonathon Harker, who thinks he is only brokering a simple land deal to find himself trapped in Dracula's castle. Harker eventually escapes back to London where Dracula has already ensconced and putting his plans into action. One of the first victims is Lucy Westenra who is the best friend of Harker's fiance Mina.
Overall, I thought the mixture of superstition, pseudo-science, and science interesting. There was one character I wanted to beat with a stick and that was Lucy Westenra's mother. Weak female characters drive me to distraction. I got pretty perturbed when the character of Mina Harker puts the various threads together and figures out what Dracula is doing, then the men in the story put her in a room to keep her "safe", which allows Dracula to get to her. I have always disagreed with the mentality of a victim being filthy because they were violated. I would argue that this has been prevalent for centuries in most cultures. In Dracula, the person bitten becomes immediately filthy and could not go to heaven unless the vampire that bit them has been destroyed, which can be compared to how victims of rape are perceived. I think this parallel is something that is worth discussion.
The book was a great "ghost story" with the devious machinations of a centuries old nut job, a handful of loyal friends, damsels in distress, some fly and bird eating, a bit of dismemberment, a ship voyage, a lot of superstition, and a smidge of suspense. It was worth the read and a good baseline for the pop culture that I have grown up watching.

Another of the ghost stories that came from the rainy night challenge. I prefer this one over Dracula. It was nice to read this after growing up watching different movie versions of the Frankenstein monster. The format for telling the story is initially letters, then it turns in to a manuscript, then back to letters. What happens when you have the ability to reanimate parts in to a whole, especially one that you created to be larger than life. Victor Frankenstein immediately flees from his odious creation leaving that creation to fend for itself. The monster's realization of what he is coupled with the reaction he gets when he seeks kindness from those around him drive him to hatred of his creator and humanity. Victor Frankenstein abhors what he has done and it leads him to a mental and physical breakdown as he constantly berates his actions. The monster wants Frankenstein to build him a companion, which leads to more emotional and physical turmoil. A great book for discussing how humans treat those with physical differences and the "godlike" powers of some scientific endeavors.

I have to read about the same subject repeatedly because my ability to retain information is abysmal. This book touching on the subjects of smallpox, leprosy, cholera, AIDS, plague, and malaria. The section on leprosy explaining how research figured out what was going on, which allowed for the idea of the illness being a disease, not a curse was really amazing stuff. The fact the the microorganism that causes leprosy likes the cooler parts of the body, then multiplies in the nerves making them thick and rope-like. This thickening makes the nerves numb, which leads to injury.
The section on Tuberculosis was a must read since a student at our elementary school was diagnosed with the disease and it lead to some students and staff being tested. Tuberculosis can hide out and wait for the immune system to be compromised and then attack the tissues. The author listed some of the treatments people tried throughout the centuries to fight this disease. None of them pleasant.
The section on Malaria explained some of the unintended consequences of using DDT. Houses sprayed to kill mosquitoes would leave the chemical to also be ingested by the roaches, which would be eaten by the lizards. The weakened lizards would be caught and eaten by the cats. The cats would die, which allowed the rat population to burgeon and the risk of plague to replace the malaria.
Cholera is just plain nasty. If you are able to replace the massive lose of fluids you can survive, but outbreaks usually strain the ability of health care workers to give aid. Make sure your water source is clean. I thought it was fascinating that people that live in India could use Saris folded over eight times as filters. The older cloth would actually work better. A practical solution for rural people.
Overall, a fascinating book and one great for teens to adult.

My next books will be mostly from books I will be reading for Book Club. I am excited about the choices.

Smiles!

Philmont

2010-08-27T06:40:00.000-02:00

Getting around to some layouts of Aaron and Michael's trip to Philmont:

Free, Free...Set Them Free...

2010-08-12T12:47:00.003-02:00

:::::::::::::Yesterday::::

I checked Eve out of school early for a dental appoint. She had to get 3 fillings on the right side. She goes back next week for the 2 on the left. She is one brave girl. I told the dental assistant I need some of the nitrous oxide for my house, so the kids would laugh at my jokes. That comment made Eve laugh...but, of course, she was breathing in nitrous oxide at the time.

:::::::::::::Reading:::::

I am reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I am surprised how much I am enjoying the writing style. I'll let you know what I think of the whole thing when I finish.

:::::::::::::Psych:::::::

I laugh out loud multiple times during each episode. I had to wipe my monitor down after the most recent episode that I watched on HULU.com. The 80's reference to Webster was a riot. My guess is the writers are my age. Check out the show for some crazy stories and laughs.

Later, gators!

Whoa...Can You Hear The Quiet?

2010-08-09T15:35:00.006-02:00

The first day of school came today. I drove Aaron to high School for the start of 10th grade. No photos...I was just awake enough to drive.

Then, the wee beasties were awakened for their day. Eve was so excited she only ate half of an apple. Noah had his French toast. Sabrina F. came over to catch the bus with Rachel.

Here I was playing with the curve function on Photoshop:

Noah chose to be silly for all his photos:

Here is the regular photo of Eveybug:

She got annoyed because I kept calling her Taylor Swift:

Apparently, two boxes of tissues and a roll of paper towels turns Noah into a Sherpa:

Sabrina and Rachel cutting up at the bus stop:

Rachel purchased these shoelaces that say "I love Nerds":
Rachel...the girl behind the bangs...film at 11:

Waiting for the bus is not high on the Fun-O-Meter:

:::::::::My Day::::::

I walked and read at the park, took a shower, did laundry, made beds,scowled at the ants at the sink (they are baited, so killing them would not be the best long term choice),uploaded photos, playing with some digital layouts and catching up with a little Warehouse 13 on HULU.

I hope y'all had a great day!

Fahgettaboudit!

2010-08-02T16:00:00.012-02:00

That was the title in my head when I was thinking about the history stories in this first book review:

I had a good laugh along with learning some changes to history as researched by Graeme Donald. There always seems to be a caveat to any historical story, so I am even skeptical about these changes, but they are plausible. I was intrigued by the theory that many of the presumed bubonic plague cases might have actually been anthrax. For those who love to learn about history, but think it a bit dry this book is up your alley.

This book brought back a bit of nostalgia. The main character's mother is practicing for her appearance on the Twenty-Five Thousand Dollar Pyramid. That was one of the many t.v. game shows that I loved to watch. Miranda is a 6th grader who is a latch key kid who can't figure out what is going on with her best friend Sal. New York City is the setting and Miranda begins to get mysterious notes that spook her. A thread that runs through the book is the time traveling, science fictions story by Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle Time.

This book combined layered characters, science fiction, friendship, growing up and questioning how far you might go to right a wrong. A fantastic book for tweens to adults.

The setting for this book is Adenville, Utah where only a few towns folk are not Mormons. Tom, The Great Brain, and is brothers and mom and dad are part of the non-Mormon contingent. Tom and his brothers hold their own in the hard scrabble life of kids growing up at the end of the 1800's. In this town you have to show your strong, so you won't get beat up. Tom is always looking for a way to make a penny and his family keep him, somewhat, in check...but not much.
This book was recommended to me by a friend with the review that it was a lot of fun. I would have to say that there are, indeed, many adventures that the boys get into throughout the book, but the undertones maintained a mean-spiritedness that Rachel and I found distasteful reminding us of how we felt while reading The Diary of A Wimpy Kid. I felt that the entire book was a set up for the last page, which surprisingly delivers. Unfortunately, there are the rest of the pages that led up to that last one that you have to read. Simply not a fun book for our family read.

As I read this book absentmindedly, then more nervously scratching at a couple of mosquito bites on my neck, I was drawn in with the clear and engaging prose of Sonia Shah. She presented the history of Malaria and the mosquito as the vector for it's spread in a fascinating way. She explains the health consequences of malaria and how quickly and easily it can be transmitted throughout the world. She explains the political and economic ramifications of this plasmodium parasite and doesn't genuflect to deep pocket backers of malaria research who throw money at the problem in the genuine effort to fix the problem without listening to and looking at other more realistic scientific options. The plasmodium parasite has an ability to quickly adapt to the changing environment and pesticides while researchers continue to seek a way to defeat it's transmission.

Grab a hankie my friends! This book plucks all the heart strings. Petey is born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and also given the diagnosis of "Idiot" though he doesn't have a mental deficit. His mother and father are unprepared or able to take care of Petey's physical needs and those of their older children who feel neglected by all of the care required by Petey. At the age of 2 Petey goes to a state asylum. Over the years Petey's natural good nature helps him make friends, but most move on. Finally a young boy befriends Petey and learns that family can be more than biological. Petey also teaches those around him to appreciate things that are taken for granted.

Mo Willems can make Naked Mole Rats look great. This book was a fun read about being an individual...with style.

A rather clinical approach, not surprising, for the history of the Epidemic Intelligence Service. The evolution of this program to help locate the vectors and origins of epidemics. They can upset people because they are not on the scene as health care providers. They are masters at asking pertinent questions to find the source of the outbreaks through interviews and on sight detective work. There was a lot of information to present, which I'm sure was daunting. Though I found the subject fascinating I kept comparing this work to the writing of the development of forensics in the U.S. by Deborah Blum titled, The Poisoner's Handbook. Blum's prose is captivating, while Pendergast is a bit dry. I still found the characters and the development of the E.I.S. worth the read.

Learning to say "it's my fault" and "I'm sorry" is a hard lesson for many of us. This gooey mess of a book brings it home in a creative, eye-catching way. A Dr. Seuss I should have read eons ago. A simple message that can accomplish great things.

::::::::::::::::Conversations with Noah and Eve

On our return from the dentist office Noah and Eve got into a discussion about children and marriage.

Noah: I'm never getting married. I'm going to adopt.

me: You don't want any one who can help you?

Noah: No. I can do it.

Eve: Are you going to adopt a boy or a girl?

Noah: It will probably be a dude.

me: Will you make him wear a belt and get a haircut? (This is a reference to our discussion on Sunday about wearing a belt and getting his hair cut.)

Noah: Yeah, I'll make him wear a belt sometimes, but no ties. I hate ties.

Eve: Why not adopt a girl they don't wear belts.

Noah: I don't understand girls. I don't get them at all.

:::::::::::::Michael and Rachel Circulating the Room:::::::

Rachel requested a room makeover. She firmly stated that she had outgrown pink and lavender along time ago (this did not take into account that Eve was 7 and still liked it). We went to the home improvement stores to get paint samples. She did get final approval with Eve, since they share the room. She chose "Aegean Blue" and "Blue Suede". The lighter color matched exactly to the sample, but the darker bottom color came out greener, but it still looked good so we went with it. I cut it everything and Michael did a couple of coats of the lighter top color before leaving for Philmont, NM with Aaron. Eve cried that the castle Michael painted would be gone, but Michael assured her it would be okay and that we would take a photo.

Bye, our Castle in the Sky...

I patched all the little nail and pin holes.

I finished touch ups on the top, painted the bottom and the chair rail:

When Michael got home he helped Rachel put up her repositionable vinyl circles in chocolate brown and white:

I had already hung the Japanese paper lantern I found at Kohl's department store:

The company sent a complimentary pair of chocolate brown butterflies:

Michael found a salvaged cork board for some of the girls' artwork:

Rachel loves her Photo booth pics with her brother Noah:
Rachel displays a letter and magazine photo from her friend Julia (apparently there is some inside joke about llamas). She also has her detailed map of "Rachovia" (a town from her imagination...or is it? The photo of the crazy, long curly fry was a keeper too.

:::::::::::::Next post should have Philmont photos from Michael and Aaron's trip.

Smiles and thank you to Michael for fixing the computer!

What's the DIF?

2010-07-06T18:00:00.004-02:00

No fireworks, or potato salad for our 4th of July holiday. I spent my celebration of freedom peeling wallpaper from some stubborn walls at my parent's house. It is a funny thing that I, mostly, enjoyed the experience. I had several opportunities to talk with my mom and step dad, Jim, while we scraped away...well it was really banter. Silly jokes and going over old memories in a confined space isn't so bad when there is free ice cream in the pantry fridge. I would take a break and read my book about the Epidemic Investigative Service, so when I went back to scraping the wallpaper (just 2 layers worth) I created a story that I was releasing some toxic spores from the 70's. Depending on the validity of that story and differing periods of incubation I might be looking for a doctor and attorney in about 5 days to 10 years...

My parents have been taking care of the neighbor's house while her father is in hospice. They have been paying Aaron to cut her grass to earn money for Philmont this month. They also paid Aaron and his friend Alex to paint her shutters, front door and garage door. My mom has to break the news that termites are eating the wood on either side of her garage door. Mom and Jim would fix that too if they could. They are great examples of good neighbors.
:::::::::Noahism:::::::::

While I was stripping the wallpaper Noah ran by to ask my mom for something out of the pantry. So I asked him what he was foraging for (he loves to eat junk)in the pantry. He said: "Rachel wants some Pops."

Me: "What, are her legs broken?"

Noah: "No. Why am I getting them. She threatened to lick me, or she said she would give me a lickin'. There isn't much difference."

Noah is our germaphobe, so Rachel's threat to lick him was tantamount to a beat down.

Now...to help Michael fix some sheetrock at our house.

What's Up?

2010-06-28T20:23:00.009-02:00

:::::::Zoo Trip from Last Week:::::

:::Book Reviews::::

Some bizarre and interesting facts mixed with some conjecture about creatures we live with on Earth. Some amazing adaptations and some that are rather freaky make me think that being human is not to shabby.
A sad, but necessary cautionary tale of human intervention in Florida has to do with people putting an abundance of bird seed out to encourage birds to visit their gardens, but it causes the birds to produce young too early. The adults can eat the seeds, but the hatchlings need grubs and larvae, so they often die of malnutrition.
One of my favorite stories was about the male lyrebird from Australia. The lyrebird's ability to mimic sound has me in awe!
Another great story is about sheep not being all that dumb. There are sheep in Yorkshire, England who would run and then tuck and roll to get over the cattle grates to raid the farmers gardens.
Another interesting fact that no eels have been witnessing reproducing in captivity. Eels...who would have thought they would be the masters of restraint?
A quick and enjoyable read.

::::::

Paul Yeager injects a lot of personality along with his informative book about weather. He dispels many weather inspired myths and clears up many queries on why the weather does what it does. He explains that though we Southerners perceive humid air as heavy it is actually lighter than dry air. He states, "It just feels heavier because we feel warm, clammy, and disgusting." (He speaks the truth about that perception, indeed). He also dispels the myth about "heat lightning"...(hint: there is no such thing). A great gardening tip from p. 198, "water the garden after it rains". This promotes deep root growth and conserves water. Yeager states that if you are certain on a light rain will fall you can water while it is still raining, "Ont only will it have the same effect on the garden, but it will give the neighbors something to talk about." A wonderful book for understanding our world.

:::::::::Piano Lessons:::

Eve is enjoying her piano lessons. She is experiencing some frustration with reading the notes consistently. The pattern is the same as we see with her with reading books. I have taken to sitting with her during her practices and trying some different strategies. I have her tell me what note she sees. I have her tell me what notes to play. Then she plays the piece. She goes through it about 3 times to play it consistently. Part of her reading problem has her recognizing the note immediately, then forgetting the same note a few measures over. I think it is part confidence part developmental delay. She gets claps, hugs and kisses with each success. I am having to remember the lessons I had as a kid. I could never get my left hand to play staccato correctly with my right, so I gave up lessons. Michael is our fallback since he reads music.
Eve also picks up Aaron's guitar... (it is a lonely guitar and likes the gentle stroking). Michael and I plan to trade it in and get a 3/4th size guitar for Eve as a Christmas present.

:::::::::::Dr. Who::::::::

Just wanted to give a shout out to Matt Smith for being, yet another, enjoyable Dr. Who. His take on the Dr. is pretty cool. Our entire family like his portrayal. We also like his companion, Amy Pond. Their was a collective sigh of sadness when Rory was absorbed into the crack in space.

Later, gators!

Save the Drama for Your Mama...

2010-06-11T11:51:00.011-02:00

...at least this kind is fun!

::::::::Drama Camp:::

The theme for this year was Myths, Legend, Monsters & Heros. The title of Rachel's skit was, "The Golden Apple".
It's Basically a mixed up version of the Story of the Golden Apple. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite are attending their friend Thereus's wedding when Eris the Goddess of Discord throws an apple at Thereus's head. Written in it's skin are the words: For the Fairest. The three Goddesses fight over the apple and turn to Zeus. Zeus doesn't want to be given the responsibility of choosing the fairest amongst his family so he gives the burden to a handsome sheep herder named Paris. Who is tricked by Eris to pick her as the fairest causing Aphrodite the one with the biggest ego of the three stays behind crying. Thereus comes in and tells Aphrodite that life isn't fair.

~Rachel Taylor

Rachel T.:Hera, Julia B.: Narrator, Thereus, Brenna M., Charles: Paris, Camille G.: Eris, Sabrina F.: Athena, Lydia P.: Aphrodite, Lauren S.: Jupiter. Counselors: John Fiscian, Alexis Osenga.

Rachel, Alexis, and Brenna:

Rachel and Lydia:

Julia and Rachel:

Sabrina, Rachel, Lydia, Lauren, and Brenna:

The finale:

Aaron congratulates Alexis on a good performance:

Michael having fun behind Rachel's back:

Alexis teases Noah:

We drove to Steak and Shake for a celebratory lunch. Rachel got chili cheese fries. Noah loved his chicken tenders and wanted to order more, but we said no. On the way home he was playing his dsi in the back seat. When we pulled into the driveway he got out of the car went up on the porch, turned around a puked over the railing. He had gotten car sick. He is so calm when he is sick. My other kids cry out, not Noah. He is rather matter of fact about things. He was able to rest up before cub scout camp. He had a great time. Lesson learned for the day...Noah can't read or play games in the car without it making him sick.

I love reading this series out loud to my family. It is a great one to read to yourself, as well. Michael Buckley's flawed heroines and hero, two young girls and a funky (I mean smelly) boy fairy take the reader on quite a bumpy ride through the Book of Everafter to save the girls' baby brother. There are fairytales familiar and unfamiliar, but different characters are called on to explain each tale so no one is left in the proverbial dark. There is even a scrapbooking reference that I found hilarious. The dialogue is quick and clever and the descriptions of the settings and characters are rich. I was so happy to see the phrase "...to be continued" at the end of the book. YEAH!

::::::::::Plans for Saturday:::::::

I hope to be able to give blood tomorrow. If you would like to donate and live near Tucker send me an e-mail and I can get you the details to donate too.

Smiles!

You Blogged That, Mom?

2010-06-10T13:01:00.005-02:00

Life with Evey:

This morning Eve was telling jokes, which she found quite amusing.
I told her, "You know you are a legend in your own mind."

Eve replied chirpily, "I know. I hope I get a statue!"

::::::::Here Comes Science:::::::

The verdict is in...we love it! The cd is fun all by itself, but what a cool addition to have the dvd. The dvd has cartoon drawn characters to segue to each song. Noah sings the Palentologist song the most. Eve can be heard singing about Photosynthesis, Roy G. Biv, and the blood mobile. I love the shooting star song. I like that they included a follow up song to one they did about the sun that had new scientific information.

We are off to see Rachel and the other Drama Camp performers at Parkview. I will post photos soon. Time to go get celebratory flowers!

Summer time...

2010-06-08T17:53:00.003-02:00

Eve and Noah were arguing, Eve at the base of the stairs and Noah in his bedroom. From what I could tell Noah refused to help Eve find a website on the computer downstairs. She was trying to harangue him until he helped her. Then I heard in a whiny, shrill voice, "MOM, Noah called me a brat!"

Noah yelled from upstairs, "I said it loud enough so mom can hear!"

Well...so much for blackmailing the older brother!

::::::::::::They Might Be Giants::::

I just got the cd & DVD of "Here Comes Science". I'll let you know what I think after I finish listening to it. My, preliminary, guess is that it will be pretty cool.

Smiles!

Reading Again...

2010-06-08T08:42:00.007-02:00

This book created a surprising amount of anxiety for me as a read through the politics involved with several dissident Tories collaborating with Labour and Liberal party members to remove Neville Chamberlain shortly after the start of WWII. It was akin to watching a movie where you know the ending, but somehow the outcome might be different. Lynne Olson does a fabulous job explaining the social and psychological aspects that underlay the decision making machinations in British politics. There is the system of peerage, what school you attended, and ties through marriage to consider when making any decision. It is rather dizzying and frustrating. It was this same peerage system, the separating of the classes, that led to several in the upper classes to be sympathetic to Hitler's cause and allowed the reports of Germany ramping up its military to be left unheeded. There was also a distinct hatred of communism over fascism. The press was censored and largely a government machine, as well.
I was surprised to learn that even though Churchill wanted to be Prime Minister and get things ramped up for the war effort early on he did not get directly involved with the men who eventually put him in to power. He, in fact, thought of them negatively. By the time all the wrangling for a confidence vote came around the British were being hit hard by the Germans and Churchill was Lord of the Admiralty. He felt loyalty to Chamberlain, even when Chamberlain was always for appeasement to the Germans. Chamberlain was always certain that Hitler could be reasoned with some how. Once Churchill became the Prime Minister he kept many of Chamberlain's people in positions of power surprising, and disheartening, the Tory rebels. Churchill saw them as conniving and traitorous. He did give out a few posts in government, but not the welcoming positions the rebels expected. Ultimately assigning one of the rebels, Harold Macmillan, to Algiers as Minister in Resident allowed Macmillan to become an integral part of negotiations with the U.S. Eventually Macmillan returned to acclaim in Britain and later became the Prime Minister during a period of severe economic downturn. Macmillan turned things around during his tenure.
I was thoroughly fascinated and awed reading this book. I was counting my blessings to not have the upbringing in a classed society. I find the machinations, back biting, palm greasing, and politics in general a distasteful business. I suppose I'm a history gawker, or rubbernecker though. I still want to read and find out what happened and why. Lynne Olson has an engaging writing style that brings history alive. I look forward to reading some of her other work, as well.

An Atlanta family decides that they can downsize their lives and sell their mansion and take half of the proceeds and donate it charity. Hannah Selwan's parents already had a history of giving through Habitat for Humanity and other charitable work, but through Hannah's desire to do more the family made some changes. Realizing that the collecting of stuff was not what they wanted to teach their two children the Selwan's got behind their daughter's push to do more. Every person in their family had a voice when making decisions, which was a vital aspect to a life long change.
The family was criticized for some of their choices. Many were upset that they chose to donate their funds to The Hunger Project, with the money going to Ghana not doing something in their community, or the U.S. Many thought they were showboating because of their wealth.
As I was reading I found a family who sincerely wanted to give service, which they did through Cafe 458 (a place for feeding the homeless), Habitat for Humanity, blood donations, and The Hunger Project. They weren't putting on hairshirts. They maintained their affluent lifestyle, but not to the extent they had before. There were several setbacks to funding their charitable desires with being unable to sell their house in a timely manner due to the economic downturn.
This book is great for families and teens who want ideas on how they can contribute to a better world. One of the key things I learned in the was the negative impact that mission and service trips have in communities, "Mission and service trips often have a negative long-term impact on the very people they are aiming to serve- not positive, not even neutral, but negative. It may be hard to believe that people of goodwill aspiring to help those in need can have a deleterious effect. But they do."
The problem is the fostering of dependence as opposed to self reliance. The best efforts are when supporting the work that their community is doing. A very eye-opening and well thought out book.

A series of vignettes about summer vacations with a sturdy, independent grandmother and two city grand kids from Chicago. The children never seem to move past their grandmother's veneer. They do get glimpses that there is a compassionate and clever woman who feels safe behind her gruff exterior. Never straight forward, but rather enjoying machinations and manipulations of the vanity of others the grandmother achieves her purposes. I realized in each chapter there was a little gem that the kids could take away, but the ending was book felt rather flat with a surprising uptick at the end with the touching farewell.

::::::::::Drama Camp and Twilight Camp:::
Yesterday Rachel started Drama Camp and Noah is doing Twilight Camp with the Cub Scouts. Both kids came home tuckered out, but had a good time. I'm looking forward to the drama performance the kids will have together on Thursday.

Smiles!

Nice (said in my best sarcastic voice)

2010-06-04T16:00:00.004-02:00

Noahism of the Day:

Scene: I had just gotten home from the grocery store and was putting things away when Aaron asked:

Aaron: "Mom, will you make me the pizza rolls now?"

Me: "Preheat the oven. Your arms aren't broken."

Aaron: "But you are my slave."

Noah: "That's not til she's promoted."

Aaron: "You really don't want to live long."

Books and Movies

2010-06-04T10:02:00.006-02:00

This song was mentioned several times in the book, so I thought I would include it with my review:

A glimpse into the life of the "Weird" Watsons from Flint, Michigan. Told from the perspective of the 10 year-old son, Kenny. Kenny tells us his experiences of dealing with his delinquent bullying brother Byron and his rule following, kind-hearted sister Joetta (Joey). Kenny's parents are finally pushed to follow through with the threat to take Byron to stay with his strict grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. The family takes a trip to the South with the families old car, "The Brown Bomber" and momma's notebook laying out their itinerary in detail. Once in Alabama the children are introduced to the sultry nights and oppressive heat of the day... and the oppressive hatred that is punctuated by a bombing at the Sunday School.

The first several chapters describing the family and the actions of Byron and his bullying were off putting. The author doesn't let Byron become a one dimensional character. The incident with the bird shows a sad, but redeeming quality in Bryron. The book hit its stride once the Weird Watson's hit the road. I have traveled enough with road trips with my family and seen that clinched jaw and wild eyed star on my husband to get connected with the family. The part where Byron says, "No cars, no cow, but I counted yo' momma six times already." Then Kenny replies, "That's your momma too, stupid!" makes me think of several conversations among my kids in the car and at the breakfast table. Byron's character at the end is fully redeemed by helping Kenny through the aftermath of the bombing. I like that the characters are all a shade of gray.
The epilogue was a great addition to the book and one of my favorite parts said, "They are the people who believe that as long as one person is being treated unfairly, we all are. These are our heroes, and they still walk among us today."
Definitely give this book a read. This would offer a wonderful springboard to a family discussion on Civil Rights, bullying, road trips, and life in different parts of the country.

:::::::::::Shrek Forever After

I took Eve to see Shrek on Thursday afternoon to keep a promise I made last month. The message of the movie, to appreciate your life, was a great. The alternate reality was hilarious. The interaction between Rumplestiltskin and the witches was a hoot. Donkey and Puss were their crazy, reluctant, side-kick selves. The site gags with Puss sliding down the ropes was too funny. We had a great time singing too.

Here is a great site for finding all of the songs in the movie in order of their appearance.
I have enjoyed all of the soundtracks from the Shrek movies. I have this image in my head that somehow I went to school with the folks selecting the music because I enjoy them all so much. I thought this new song was amazing "Darling I Do" by Landon Pigg and Lucy Schwartz:

I'm one of those folks that sits and reads the credits to films and this song by Maxine Nightingale that I fondly remember from the late 70's was fun to sing along:

::::::::::Robin Hood:::::::

Last week, my mom and I got to use our free movie tickets to see Robin Hood. Michael and Aaron had gone earlier in the day and gave it a positive review. I already like Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, so I was game to go to see the film. This telling of the Robin Hood story was well done. Russell Crowe plays Robin Longstride who makes a promise to Robert Loxley's sword to his father to make amends for taking it and going to battle. Reluctlantly Robin agrees, but has to make a minor stop to return the crown of the dead king first. When Robin gets to Nottingham he is asked by Loxley's father to pretend to his dead son, so that his daughter-in-law, Marian, will not lose the family estate.
Cate Blanchett as Marian is a strong woman (I love strong woman characters)who defends her family and land against the smarmy Sheriff of Nottingham played by Matthew McFadyen (who was made not dreamy like he was as Mr. Darcy for this film), then the forces led by the evil Godfrey. Russell Crowe has the presences in each film that he is given a leadership role to pull it off convincingly. I loved him in Master and Commander and in Gladiator too.
The fight sequences are many, but suprisingly, not gory. The bloodiest part of the film is in the credits and is done in life action with a watercolor overlay. Totally funky effect to have the credits using the watercolor. This is a quintessentially cool date movie. It has action, drama, romance, history and a plot (some movies never get around to the plot part...or good actors...). The scenery is magnificent, as well. Check this one out.

Cupcakes and Books...

2010-06-02T00:13:00.003-02:00

I am looking forward to this book that I pre-ordered from Amazon.com:

I enjoy seeing what new and clever idea Bakerella has come up with and presented on her blog. I have used her ideas for Apple Pops and Smiley Face Pops.

I also ordered this cupcake book. Cupcake obsessed much?!

::::::::::::Book Reviews:::

Flavia de Luce in the little village of Bishop's Lacey is a young chemist and solver of mysteries along side her faithful Gladys (her bicycle). I loved the line about Flavia's character, "I'm keen on chemistry and I enjoy making scrapbooks."
When a puppeteer and his assistant comes to town Flavia notices that the puppeteer knows more about the village and some of its residence then he says. The hanging death of a village child from years before is brought up again when the puppeteer uses the child's likeness in one of his puppets.
Flavia's home life includes an aloof philatelist father, a vain and talented sister, Ophelia, and a bookworm sister, Daphne. She also has a need for a cast iron stomach due to the family's cook, Mrs. Mullet. Dogger, depending on how he is handling his post war trauma, is the family butler, gardener, and groundskeeper.
The book is well paced and Flavia's desire to make sense of her surrondings using observation and science draws me in. The village setting allows for a close knit community and also for whispered secrets. Ancient history among the villagers provides depth to the characters and possible motivations.
Overall, I enjoyed the first book a bit more, but Alan Bradley uses his descriptions of characters and scenery superbly. I liked this book and look forward to the third book in the series.

I requested this book from the library because I was curious about the craft of thinking something up and then presenting it to others in a humorous way. A common theme with the writers was to write what you know. Also not to overwork the joke. I like to help Rachel's Girl Scout troop with their skit each spring. One of the moms said that our girls are known as the F Troop of Girl Scouts, so I thought it was appropriate to get a few pointers to get down their ideas. Some of the tips that seemed to fit with how I like to work is bouncing off ideas in a group. I find that someone says something that leads to something else quite funny. Another tip was to sit and write. Get it down and then work with the ideas. I always tell the girls when we are talking about skit ideas to know their audience. Ours is usually girls from 7-17 and women leaders, so our jokes and gags need to be varied.
Being obsessive compulsive seemed to be a common thread among the comedy writers, so if you are witty, observant, and must eat the same cereal everyday at 7:18am you might be a future comedic writer. Some writers are very well read, while others are just observant of their surrondings. The more you read the more material you have to use. If there is no center to the characters, Harold Ramis said, you just have whimsy which is not powerful.
You are unique, so work with what you've experienced. Todd Hanson from The Onion had this great advice, "If you want to do something creative, you should have a better reason for wanting to do it than to make money. If you want to make money, my advice is to sell shoes or go into banking." He suggests writing your own paper for fun.
I also liked what Dave Barry said about comedy's origin lies in the mutual understanding that "we live in an extremely dangerous, scary world, run by all kinds of forces over which we have no control. And we're all gonna get sick and die."
One of the writers interviewed was Jack Handey who writes about his "Deep Thoughts". One of the ones he shared that hit just the write note with me was, "Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that, I'll be over here, looking through your stuff." The combination of sentimental and felonious is hilarious.
There are 21 comedy writers interviewed in this book and it is interesting to hear how they work. If you are curious about such things then give it a read. Be aware that there is some salty language peppered throughout the interviews...or should I say peppery language?

We finished this family book read a few days ago. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson have put together another great adventure. The choice of words sets each scene magnificently. The book might play better to a slightly older child. Light and fluffy, these books are not. Sinister forces have returned to collect the starstuff caches in London and from Neverland. Children are put in perilous situations. The evil characters are described vividly and it is not a pleasant sight.
I got sucked into the book immediately, while Rachel (12 years-old) said she had a hard time feeling a connection to the characters. The book is well paced with several small chapters that keep the action moving, while giving the sub stories definition. Barry and Pearson add levity to the book by keeping a Disney-like interaction between Hook and Smee. The dialogue with these characters always makes me laugh.
I recommend this book for older kids and teens who like intense adventures.

Smiles!

Check These Out For A Smile...

2010-05-19T09:24:00.000-02:00

Smiles!

Daddy is Great, Gives Us Chocolate Cake

2010-05-17T19:17:00.004-02:00

Mommy is Great <<<<<-----------

Eve asked to frost the cake I had in the refrigerator and I said for her to have at it! She asked me to help her frost it. I showed her the scoop and plop method, which gives you a lot of frosting to move around. She had no problems after that demonstration.

Noah demonstrates his Puss in Boots imitation from Shrek 2:

If you are unfamiliar with the title's reference check out this sketch by Bill Cosby. Michael and I love it:

Smiles!

Johnny Cakes and Homework Passes...

2010-05-12T14:08:00.007-02:00

Noahism

As I waited with Noah and Eve for their school bus I asked Noah if he was sure he had all of his school work ready for the day. With Michael being sick helping everyone with homework was put on the back burner for the evening. He recalled that he hadn't finished his spelling homework.

me: "So, Noah did you get all of your homework done?"

Noah: "Oh...I forgot to do my pioneer spelling words, but it's okay I have a homework pass."

me: "So, because you didn't plan properly you are just going to fall back and turn in the homework pass?"

Noah: "Yeah, that's how I roll!"

I went to school a bit later to help the kids mix some corn muffin mix and blueberry muffin mix in preparation for Pioneer Day. I related this story to Noah's teacher who replied, "Dude, that's what they're for." She totally gets Noah, which is so comforting.

This story reminds me of an earlier argument between Noah and Rachel. At some point, over breakfast, I brought up that I was going to school to help Noah's class with the Pioneer Day baking. Rachel and Sabrina reminisced about the tasty corn muffins. Noah interjected, "They are called Johnny Cakes."
Rachel testily replied, "They are still corn muffins." Noah repeated his first statement. Which made me imagine out loud what it might be like when Noah is older and pulled over by a police officer:

Noah: "I was actually going 67 miles an hour, which would be exactly 12 miles over the speed limit."

Officer: "Thank you for that information, sir. I will duly note that on your ticket, which should cost you about $200.00 more. If you continue talking we can discuss this down at the jail."

Noah: "It should be called a Correction Facility."

If you have met Noah you are aware this scenario might actually occur.

Smiles!

(Cake) Pop Goes the World

2010-05-11T18:39:00.000-02:00

Michael and I are nursery leaders in our ward. We have 12 kids, usually, and they consist of kids who are potty training. I have taken on the duty of helping the little ones go potty and I come up with the art project ideas. Michael helps with crowd control, funny faces, singing in key, and making the art projects actually work. I have a fingerprint tile Aaron did back in 2002 and it hangs in the kitchen. I decided I wanted to have the kids in nursery make them for Mother's Day gifts a week in advance. I grabbed my
1.Ed Emberley's Complete Funprint Drawing Book

2. white 4.5 x 4.5 white tiles from Lowe's
3. acrylic paint
4. black Sharpie
5. wet wipes
6. Acrylic spray sealer
7. apron
8. 3x5 cards (to write down the page number and animal/animals the kids wanted)
9. and two additional people to help (Thanks, Deborah P., and Brother Howick)
10. felt for the backing
11. ribbon for hanging
12. liquid nails for interiors

Here is what the kids stamped with their fingers, then Michael sketched in what they wanted. I sealed them, cut the felt and glued the ribbon and felt to the back. It was a team effort.

I had the "brilliant" idea to use some paper bags and some construction paper to make puppets that looked like the moms for an additional Mother's Day craft. Michael cut out red construction paper lips and black paper became hair, along with yellow, and off white. The off white paper was colored brown by the kids. We had a few kids dissolve into sobs as they had to wait for lips to be glued, or the crayon they wanted. Michael rolls his eyes and perseveres with my impromptu ideas. He had to console one particular child because we didn't have purple construction paper for lips. He gets next week off, but I can't promise that after that I won't have another harebrained craft idea to pursue. Oh yeah...Father's Day is coming up. Toss any ideas my way.

::::::::::::Teacher Appreciation Week:
One of my favorite websites is Bakerella.com. Her cake pops are a total hoot. I decided to make the apple version for teacher gifts at the kids' elementary school

(This template is by 3 Paper Peonies)

Eve helped me make smiley faces for my mother-in-law, Sydney.
(This template is by Christine Newman)

Must go. Peace out, my friends!

Thursday

2010-05-06T14:57:00.000-02:00

Surreal Moment of the Day:

I tried to open my front door by pressing the door open button on my key ring. It only took a split second for that Duh moment to pass, but I may want to check into getting a sonic screwdiver.

These pages are from an event in February:
One of the moms made a comment that our troop is the F Troop of Girl Scouts. I had a good laugh at that one. Our girls love to put on skits and they call themselves the Drama Queens. We are a diverse and quirky bunch. I have a great time with them.

My Flick Pick of the Day:

A blast from the, not too distant, past is the hilarious movie Jimmy Neutron. There are so many things to enjoy with this movie. Sheen and Carl are the best, mostly clueless, friends of Jimmy Neutron the boy genius. The evil aliens voiced by Patrick Stewart and Martin Short keep me laughing with their pomposity (is that a new word?). Jimmy and his friends build spaceships to reclaim their abducted parents when they realize they do, indeed, miss them. The sound track is fun to sing and dance to even if your kids try to physically restrain you from doing both (yes, that happened to me only this morning!). So, if you are looking for a fun family flick for Friday (oohhh, that was cool) try this one:

~~So much time and so little to do!~~

Lordy, Lordy...Yes I'm 40!

2010-05-03T13:08:00.000-02:00

A big thank you to my mom and Jim for inviting some awesome friends to partake in some tasty Mexican food, yummy cake and some good natured ribbing. I stole this photo from Jim's blog because I love my friend, Althea's, laugh. Hey, if any of you fly Delta she is one of the best flight attendants around. Another friend, Elizabeth, just moved back to Georgia and is working at Emory so look for great stuff there...but I hope you won't need the services. Suzanne and Jason are great neighbors to my mom and friends. Lani and Guy...thanks for the cool pinwheel (it is in the front yard) and Eve has claimed the balloons. Carol...thanks for the cute card! Charlene...thanks for driving Lani and me places when we were kids. Thank you mom and Jim for the cool presents and always helping with my kiddos. To my dear husband who went shopping with me for my 5th smoothie maker...you are a patient man! It was a truly fun day!

A torrential downpour to start the week. MMMmmm the smell of runoff in the morning!

Need an inexpensive adventure...try the library:

:::::::::::::::
Autonomatonophobia is the fear of ventriloquists' dummies, animatronic creatures or wax statues -- anything that falsely represents a sentient being.

I actually think ventriliquism is pretty cool, but that is as long as the ventriliquist and dummy are on television. I really liked Willie Tyler and Lester in the early 70s so my mom was so cool to get me a Lester doll. Lester stared at me all the time, so I put him in my toy box. I wasn't sure if that was good enough, so I put my bag full of Barbies on top of that. Still I wasn't sure if he might get out and kill me, so I wedged my Barbie airplane and any other firm items on top of the toy box just to be sure. I eventually donated Lester to someone with more sense. Some unknown person mind you, but probably with more sense. I also feared my wicker chair, the space under my bed and leaving my closet open. Rachel finds it amusing that I would hit my bed after a dead run and a leap to make sure nothing could grab me a night. I know I'm not alone in these fears because I saw Poltergeist and who ever wrote the script for that listened to my nightmares, or had the same ones. Clowns are evil, people! Do I realize these are unfounded...yes...do I still get creeped out...yes!
One of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes is with Tele Savalas and Talking Tina:

http://whatafind-antiques-collectibles.blogspot.com/2009/01/eg-goldberger-willie-tyler-lester.html

So long Lester...I hope you are safely resting in a place far, far away!

The 39 Clues

2010-04-28T12:55:00.005-02:00

At the behest of my 9 year-old and a good review from another friend I read The 39 Clues. Well, the good part first. I found the historical clues interesting. That being said, Rick Riordan has underwhelmed me again with his abilities to develop characters that I want to root for, or find interesting. The protagonists are being raised by a string of Au Pairs, but mostly left to their own devices since the death of their parents. I found the children grated on my nerves and the antagonists (there are several) were comical and grating in their overblown characterizations. The scavenger hunt that takes place in this book reminds me of the 1979 movie *Scavenger Hunt. During the book I felt like Richard Mulligan's character that kept getting run over as he sought the treasure. In this circumstance I feel like I'm Richard Mulligan and I keep getting run over by Rick Riordan as his unsympathetic characters. A possible silver lining is that there are different authors for the various books. Noah explained this to me when I told him the only character I cared for at all was Nellie, the Au Pair.

Overall, the book is an okay read for the historical information. There, apparently, is hope that the writing will improve in the subsequent books. So, give this one a try. It is a quick read and you don't have to become emotionally invested in any of the characters.

***I would like to note that I do like the movie Scavenger Hunt.

I hope y'all have a great day!

For My Mom...An Early Mother's Day Present...

2010-04-23T09:18:00.004-02:00

Welcome to the first Eveism:

This morning while helping the kids get ready for school:

Noah: "Hey, mom did they have the Pink Panther when you were a kid?

me: "Yes."

Eve: "Wow, it's really old then."

A few minutes later Noah and Rachel got into an argument because Rachel kicked him in the butt. He was howling that it really hurt, so Rachel came down to explain how hard she had actually kicked him. She was Air Butt Kicking (kind of like Air Guitar) to show that Noah was exaggerating. I was brushing Eve's hair at the time and she piped up happily, "Use me, Use me. I need someone to kick my butt in the morning!" (Truer words, people).

Happy Earth Day!!!

2010-04-22T20:00:00.006-02:00

I thought this was a good song for Earth Day and for the book Extras :

It is three years after Tally Youngblood has helped change the minds of most of Earth's population. Aya Fuse is a Japanese teenager who is trying to improve her face rank in the reputation economy that has taken hold in Japan. Westerfield gives us another strong female character who is going through the turmoil that is puberty and finding her place in society. Aya's hovercam companion, Moggle, has a K-9 from Dr. Who quality. I, along, with Aya would worry if I thought, during the story, that Moggle might have gotten hurt. The supporting characters are well written. I, especially, like the Sly Girls with their desire to do wild stuff without trying to garner any attention. I also thought Frizz Mizuno with his brain surge to make him completely honest opened up a great opportunity to discuss free will.
Westerfield also continues this dystopian book with his theme on preserving the planet. Resources are becoming scarce and I just imagine watching Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff when I read the book.
This book is good for teen to adult. The reputation economy and some of the tech advances exit at some level already. I am currently reading Troublesome Young Men about the Tory members of Parliament that helped remove PM Neville Chamberlain and replace him with Winston Churchill. I can tell you that the reputation economy has been in practice for a long time.

I love how this science experiment is going to turn out:

I hope everyone has a great day!

Tuesday

2010-04-20T16:52:00.000-02:00

Noahism:
To preface this tidbit I need to tell you that Eve and Noah are always trying to find out who is my favorite kid. I usually tell them that they are one of my four favorite kids and that they are equal favorites, which prompted Noah to ask:

"Who is the most equally favorite?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::
A layout of my mom at the school:

Eve is interested in learning the guitar:

Author Deborah Blum pulls together the various strings to weave the tale of the beginnings of forensic science in the early 20s in New York. Led by Chief Medical Examiner Charles Norris and Toxicologist Alexander Gettler information from each victim was compiled and used to help the living. Blum tells the stories of several types of poisons prevalent during the 1920s. Chloroform, Arsenic, Cyanide,Carbon Monoxide, Radium, Thallium,Ethyl alcohol and Methy Alcohol. There are stories of those who poisoned on purpose and those who played with the poisons without realizing what pain they would endure. One of the saddest stories is the one about "The Radium Girls" who played with the glow in the dark paints they used for designing watch faces.
One of the biggest causes of Dr. Norris was trying to show the government that Prohibition was creating a far larger problem. The government was poisoning the alcohol to prevent/discourage people from drinking, but it didn't work. Dr. Norris used his role as Chief Medical Examiner to continually press for reforms for public saftey.
An aside about the appreance of the book. Each chapter begins with the title of the chapter inside a column that mimics a period newspaper article. I thought the effect was well done. The chemisty explained, alone, is fascinating. Tales of deviousness, greed and stupidity add layers to these stories.

Here is an ad from the time period:
Radithor

*This is a video from Spike tv: http://www.spike.com/video/radium-girls/3133575

*(There are off color comments under the video you probably want to avoid)

I happened to get the first two books out of order, and now that I finished the first book I can say that the first book is a wonderful start to this series. Charles Lennox, the main character, is a solid guy with integrity. His faithful sidekick Graham allows Lennox to investigate areas and people that are beneath Lennox's social class. Lennox's life long friend, Lady Jane, is a strong woman who has compassion for others.
This case begins at the request of Lady Jane to look into the possible murder of a former servant. With the assistance of a doctor whose better days have been overshadowed by alcohol, Lennox finds evidence that the Bella Indigo plant has been used as a poison with the telltale sign of bright red veins. The murder uses arsenic to veil this poison. The book is comprised of short chapters and the story movies swiftly as the amateur gentleman detective and his entourage work to solve this case.

I love to look at fonts...I, in fact, horde fonts on my computer. I have ideas of how to use them, but often don't get around to it. So, these fonts stay tucked away on my hard drive and some times get new companions. Today was just such an exciting day for the Font Folder on my hard drive! I downloaded some awesome sauce fonts created by Teagan White, Douglas Vitkauskas, Anke Arnold, and Billy Argel from dafont.com.

Clementine Sketch
Peach Sundress

Angel Tears
Green Piloww

Typo Garden

Love and Peace

Ghetto marquee

Super cool doodle fonts:
http://kevinandamanda.com/fonts/fontsforpeas/category/doodles/

Stacy's are some I like best.

::::::::::::

The ones in bold are the ones I read:

The Top 100 Children's Novels
100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)

19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)

3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

Friday

2010-04-09T12:17:00.006-02:00

I was surprised to find my eyes tearing up throughout each chapter of this book. I did some self psychoanalyzing to try and figure out my emotional response behind this story of a struggling man (Nelson Mandela) under Apartheid in South Africa. I have determined that the tears come from frustration. People that see color as a reason to feel superior and disrespect others, then use force and unjust laws to further their beliefs is unconscionable. The ends which people will go to see others fail, marginalized, and brutalized rends my heart.
Just last week one of the major characters in this book was murdered in a dispute with two workers, Eugene Terreblanche. From a couple of articles that I have read the respect that Mandela struggled to achieve from both sides is tenuous and faltering. Hate filled rhetoric fans the flames of people that are already harboring jealousy, mistrust, guilt, and shame.

This book details the events that led to the Rugby World Cup being held in South Africa in 1995. Nelson Mandela went from being the organizer of the military wing of the ANC that was formed to stop the white led government of the Afrikaners to being incarcerated for 27 years. Mandela was never idle during his incarceration. He used the time to craft political and social ways to fight apartheid. He learned to speak Afrikaans and learned the history of the boers along with the rules of the game that ruled their hearts, rugby. He knew that respect and that love of rugby could unite a nation divided by color and a history of brutal and unjust laws. The change in the hearts and actions of many of the people in this book was inspiring. It is that shining moment when people can be more than they realize and rise above the base nature that many allow themselves to wallow. I just wish those shining moments were not so brief. This quote came to mind and the attribution I found was to Maya Angelou:
"At the time, I did what I knew to do, and when I knew better, I did better."

I think that is why my love for history and reading is so strong. I know I have a lot of room to do better and be better. I recommend this book, along with a box of tissues.

Let's Get Together...Yea, Yea, Yea!

2010-04-04T18:57:00.013-02:00

Spring has sprung and an opportunity to get together with aunts and cousins. Michael and I took the kids down to my dad and Alice's house for Easter. Saturday, the girls helped me bake and decorate a cake for my sister, Tracy's, birthday, the kids hunted eggs, and my dad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on the Big Green Egg.

Here are Rachel and Haley's toes after a spring inspired pedicure:

Haley and Rachel made and decorated cupcakes for Easter:

They also decorated some hard boiled eggs:

Rachel and Haley hanging out:

Rachel and Haley help me make fondant decorations for Tracy's birthday cake:
Me coloring some fondant:

Rachel and Haley cut fondant to make decorative spheres:

Here are some fondant flowers drying:

Here is the strawberry and devil's food cake frosted with chocolate:

Here is Tracy's birthday cake:

Michael blows bubbles waiting for the kids to start hunting eggs:

Michael snuggles up to my dad:

Dad, you aren't uncomfortable...are you?

Aaron isn't hunting eggs, so he poses with a plate of chili. Noah, Haley, Rachel, Eve, and Tyler are ready to go:
Aaron gets whacked with a confetti egg:

Haley:

Rachel runs away from Aaron:

Tracy and Tyler with the cake:

Dig in:

Happy, slightly early, Birthday, Tracy! Happy Easter, everyone!