Writing Again & Hair Bands

It’s been a whirlwind of birthday cakes, hair bands, taco parties, & anniversary planning.  I now have a thirteen year old, an eighteen year old, and a soon celebrated marriage of twenty years.   Hair bands you say?  Yes for my birthday this home stayin’ mama rocked out with a long hair, head banging, ear ringing venue.  And what happened at Brewster Street will stay @ Brewster Street!  That wasn’t me on stage with the lead guitarist, really.  And what’s with the taco parties?  That’s what happens when you put together a varsity basketball team, eighty bucks, and NBA 2K. * Never mind we began @ 1:30 am? – That’s just when teens are hungry, wait when are they not! No complaints though, rather them be here, rather than there!  With there being who knows where?
 

And on a sentimental note, my oldest son is now 18.  This puts a mom into somewhat of a reflective state. No, I’m not being overdramatic or emotional, but my life seems to be going at an advanced rate of speed.  Is this normal?    I’ve got one kid heading out the door, the littlest one just starting school, and two in between.   Here is an amazing video copulation that just about says it all!  “Tissues Needed”

The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison

 

 

And as for the anniversary planning, my husband and I are hitting the “Big 20!”  Apparently this one is China, do you think my dream trip could be on the horizon?   Me neither, especially with college for the upcoming teen and now we just lost the better of our cars.  But something along the theme of China will do ;-) 
 

So in the midst of all this, I had an ‘Aha’ moment.  (One of those 3:30 am can’t sleep Melatonin nights.)   See a while back I published a book, Park It!  A Guide To Austin Parks & Playgrounds.  And minus the fact that it was written for too narrow a population, it introduced me to the world of publishing and I even made a little change selling it @ Barnes & Noble and Book People.  Since I'm in the know of how to write these kinds of books and how to get them published, why not put my energies into this?   Write about something I know and put it out there for others to easily get.  Easy meaning for Kindles, Book Nooks, and those other media hand held devices.   

I’ve always been driven by the entrepreneurial spirit, sometimes questioning if this is a curse or a Blessing?  I choose Blessing, as I have almost completed a short Kindle size read.  I did a Sponge Bob and cleared my mind of everything but fine dining.  Okay, so it wasn’t fine dining, but figuring how to get my passion working for me.   This romp has led me to explore, and now God has led me to the River of Life.  What does this mean exactly, just give me a couple weeks and you’ll see. 

My Barnes & Nobles book signing (Barney Nooples - according to my toddler)

 

All Bout’ Them Reads

 

Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem

By Barnett, Mac

So could I really order a whale and have it mailed to the house?  I’ll inquire with my FedEx guy on how to  stamp a whale.  For this reason alone, I give this clever mix of fantasy and fact two thumbs up.  When Billy Twitters didn’t do what his mom asked, as a punishment he gets a blue whale intended to teach him responsibility.  Still not sure this gift constitutes as a punishment!

 

Watch Your Tongue, Cecily Beasley

By Fredrickson, Lane
 

 

Do you remember being told, “If you make that face, it could get stuck that way?”  When Cecily Beasley makes one too many faces it does, and a bird decides to build a nest on her tongue.  A bit farfetched but witty non-the less, sharing a message of manners and consequences. 

 

Olive and The Big Secret

By Freeman, Tor

A playful look on what can happen when you don’t keep a secret.  You’ll love how the pictures and words bounce along each page passing the secret.  I keep remembering when we used to play telephone.  Though the secret here does not change, just becomes a subject to talk to others about.  Favorite part?  How the secret is divulged in the endpapers.

 

Crabby Gabby

By Graves Sue

 

What’s up with the bad girl reads? - Only two worth posting.   And here’s one we parents can relate to.  With a crabby child in hand, why not handle unruly behavior in a humorous way.   Love the emotions conveyed by the pictures and Little Reader enjoyed figuring out what each person was doing on each page.  Short read and perfect for my beginning reader.
 

The Little Gray Bunny

By McGrath, Barbara Barbieri

The Little Red Hen is replaced by the Bunny in this Easter story. Not sure why the reviews weren’t great, we loved the clever & conservative hold on the consequences of being lazy. Little Reader cracked up at the ending, literally. Not just an Easter time read either.

Hot Diggity Dog

By Sylver, Adrienne

 

Did you know that more hotdogs are consumed in July more than any other month? And once a man once ate 68 hotdogs in 10 minutes - with buns!  If you crave foodie facts with comical illustrations, take a bite out of this one.  Personally I’m not a fan of hotdogs, but give me an artichoke book and I’ll be all over it, drizzled with a little lemon butter of course!  

 

The Leaf Men & the Brave Good Bugs

By William Joyce

 

 

 

This one’s been on the shelf collecting dust until now.  With the Epic movie hoopla, I remember reading this mesmerizing story my toddler.  He’s the now 18 year old ;-(  Filled with breathtaking illustrations, you will immediately become wrapped into the mission of the Good Bugs and their quest to save an old woman.  A sweet story of bravery & loyalty, which makes this an enchanting “Blue Book Best.”

 

Epic, a definite must see!

Peeping Into Summer

 

So last night while the boys watched Louisville basketball, Little Reader and I made bookmarks for the library contest and munched on our Peeps   topiary. No I didn’t make this, but my son’s friend’s mom made it for us. Simple, but does take time. - Awesome ideas on Pinterest.   Did you know that letting peeps sit out for a couple days makes them better?   We also tried and they don’t make good smores, so stick with regular marshmallows.

Wohoo!  So thrilled to be on the countdown to summer.   And only a library mama like myself would be super excited about our upcoming library adventures.  The theme this year is Dream Big, and I’d better get to writing if anything is going to awake in my publishing journey!   And here’s a shout-out to our little library being runner up for Best Small Library in the US. Actually there were two Texas libraries nominated for 2013.  Tell me more?

 

Next, I ran across this thing called “Kindness Bombing” and decided to do this for our library.  What a great project for the kids!  First we’ll  write kind words on Post Its, then randomly select books to put them in, and wait for the best part, watch the reactions. Look below for the templates link.  Love it when I find a new endeavor, especially one that gets my words out to others.  Even though not in published form!  But look where this romp has taken me?  I won’t go backwards, but if you have read my posts then you get what I’m saying.

  

 

 Question:  How many of you tuned into the powerful Bible series the last couple weeks?  I’m not going to delve into how Satan looked a lot like Obama, but a scary coincidence perhaps?  Wait, I don’t believe in coincidences but instead deem everything happens for a reason, a purpose, call it divine intervention if you will.  Sorry about the tangent?  But this really got me brainstorming on new ways to tell Jesus’s story to children.  With the reenactments staring my unusual garden plants of course.  Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato move over, there’s a new Luffa, and Mammoth Sun Flower in town.  (Yes yes, I still have seeds so drop me an email if you want some.  But you’d better hurry, its Plants verses Zombies and this gardening mama can’t be stopped.)

The Not So Baby Reads
 

Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break If You Want to Survive the School Bus
By Grandits, John

 

This may be too wordy for some, but lately we are digging longer meatier texts.  I’m actually glad to say we’ve gravitated away from the simpler storylines.  When Kyle gets the school bus rules from his older brother, he quickly manages to break several.   Gladly by the end of the day, Kyle realizes that riding the bus isn’t so bad after all and though there was some truth to the tips, they are impossible to follow.   The text is filled with spot-on descriptive phrases that compliment the amazing art.   A definite addition to our home library, as an older kid read.  Little Reader has never been on one of those yellow dogs, but fascinated with the idea of riding one.  Because her private school doesn’t do buses, I’ll satisfy her with a bus adventure to some of our local landmarks.
 

The Truth About Fairies
By Johnson, J. Angelique

We put this down after the second page.  Who says that fairies are made up?  There are lots of books on mythical figures not blatantly telling children they are not real.  Why not let kids explore the magical realm and let them draw their own conclusion as to what’s real or not?

In fact this Easter I decided it was time to approach this with my twelve year old son, as in my heart I knew he already didn’t believe but wanted him to hear it rightly from me.  So here’s what I copulated – in note form of course.   But no matter how old my children get, we will always welcome the Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy in our home. 

Dear Connor,

So as you've gotten older you have wondered, not wanting to ask one really big question, Are you and Dad the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy? I have given much thought on how to answer this, so here it is.

The answer is no. We are not the Easter Bunny. There is no one single Bunny, Santa, or Tooth fairy.

We are the ones who hide the eggs, fill your stockings, and put money under your pillow - just as our parents did for us, their parents for them, and you will do for your kids someday.

The Easter Bunny is lots and lots of people who keep the spirit of Easter alive. He lives in our hearts and is part of the magic, love, and spirit of giving to others. What he does is teach children to believe in something they can't see or touch.

Throughout your life you will need this capacity to believe in yourself, in your family, in your friends and most of all in God.  So there it is, the truth told at its best.

Hoppy Easter and I love you bunches!  - Mom
 

Miss Fannie’s Hat
By Karon, Jan

 

What’s a woman to do with so many gorgeous many hats?  The church going Miss Fannie is put in a dilemma when she is asked to donate one of her hats for the church auction.  A beautiful story of compassion and who would have thought a writer could do something so well with hats.  The ending takes the cake and for you sensitive folk, could cause leaky eyes.

 

Librarian on the Roof
By King, M. G

RoseAleta Laurell the small town librarian will go through great lengths to save something she loves - books.  Working as a librarian at the Dr. Eugene Clark in Lockhart, Texas she knew the children’s section needed more, so with her spunk and determination creatively put into action a plan to change this.  I’m gonna leave it like that, but will mention a roof and inclement weather.  

And how lucky we are to have her as our Portland library director.  It’s no secret to us, but I wonder how many people in our town know that between the pages, living amongst us, there is as a hero by our definition.  And is she looney? Absolutely! 

 

Epossumundas Plays Possum
By Salley, Coleen

 

Let me introduce Epossumondas the adorable opossum.  After being warned by his Mama of the Louisiana swamp loup-garou (The French word for werewolf), Epossumondas wonders off and ends up having to do what opossums do best.  This folk fairy tale is jam-packed with innocence and irony, and don’t let the southern dialect throw you off.  Read as intended, it adds to the charm!  “They talk different there, but not like us in Texas – ours is looonger and slooower!”   Little Reader
 

Saving Sweetness

By Stanley, Diane

With a little orphan named Sweetness escaping to the Wild West, who wouldn’t like this one?  Well, me - not sure why, but back to the library it goes.   In short, when Sweetness runs away from the orphanage it’s up to the sheriff to find her and bring her back.  After a plea to stop on the third page we ended, so can’t give the outcome.   I did though read a review forewarning readers it’s hard to get out of the Texas accent once you’re in it, and do agree with that.  And to answer a  question.  Are things really bigger here in the Lone Star State?  I’m not sure as I haven’t spent time anywhere else to compare.  Will say things here are conservative, we pack heat, believe in God, and still peeved at the rest the country for voting Odumbass back in office.  Okay, enough of Texas Expedia rant already.

The Lighthouse Cat

By Stainton, Sue

Love the seaside stories and now summer thoughts dance in my head.   Salty backyard breezes, long ferry boat lines to Port A, and best of all no school.  But by August and I’ll be cursing the heat and planning a move to Alaska.   But back to the book, I loved the watercolor drawings, descriptive scene sentences, and parallel stories.  And an extra bonus are the historical notes at the end.    I would love to live in a lighthouse but for now will settle for a down the road excursion to the Port Isabel Lighthouse.

 

She’s crafty - she gets around

She’s crafty - she gets around she’s crafty she’s always down.  Okay, where in the hell did that come from? A blast from the Beastie Boys era I presume, but I'm not sure why! The only thing crafty round here is my kindergartener’s projects. It’s been the 100^th Day of School, an “icreamlicious” Valentines, & we've also been romping the magazines, and telling tales. Yes, for as long as we’ve been romping, I just learned we can check out magazines. My oldest daughter has discovered American Cheerleader (Ugh!!) and Little Reader is into the sciencey reads (Zoo Books & National Geographic Kids) Personally, I’d much rather go with the science!

And with this newly discovered media, I’ve been led to an idea. What about a mini library scavenger hunt!  After all, we do spend lots of library time not just book hunting, but also hanging out, reading, exploring, asking questions, sharing, talking… What do you like to do at the library?  I'll post more up on this later, just need time to brain-storm!

Our 100^th Day of School Crayon Melt

 How We Did It
 

1. First we grabbed a foam poster board, lots of crayons, the hot glue gun, and our hair dryer.

2. Next she picked out the colors and lined them up on the board.

3. Then big sister did the glue gun and quickly placed them onto the board, in a line, with tips facing down.

4. On the warm setting we got to blow dryin’. After starting out the medium setting we jumped it up to high and alternated it back and forth. And interestingly the white crayons didn’t melt easily like colored ones. Wonder why?

On a chicken note, we are frequent Chick-fil-A patrons, and I have to say we are really enjoying their latest toy, Telling Tales. This has inspired my reader into calling herself a story maker girl.   (Oh the Joy of Words!)  And I bet you didn’t know you can buy previous toys from their site.  No I’m not a sales rep or spoke person, we just love their toys.   And hats off to them for standing for what’s morally right.  And here's a link to some great family fun!

On a pig note, we are down to only one.  We put our mean ole’ devil pig on the truck, so now she's off terrorizing some other nice folk. Yes PETA, we are feeding the last pig out to bacon.  Nom, Nom, Nom…

 

On a sweet note, we are having a ball with ice cream. A purple sphere showed up at our door, so we did what any other person would have done. We filled it with cream, sugar, vanilla, ice, salt, and then with a shake, rattle, and roll, it churned out a delicious treat.  

 

What’s In the Bag

 

Bill’s Belly Button

By Jeram, Anita

 

 

 

Do elephants have belly buttons and if so, where would you begin to look?  And for a well loved elephant named Bill, this question becomes a problem.  But when he can’t find it, he is much surprised by his friend’s resolution.   Little Reader has brought it to my attention that she too, wants to sport many buttons.   No seriously, we are heading to Michael’s not only for mommy craft toys, but buttons for making belly button pictures.

 

The Three Silly Billies

By Palatini, Margie

 

Not sure why this was recommended as a great read – found it rather sterile.  So the three billies here want to cross the bridge, but don’t have enough money to pay the troll a toll, yada, yada, yada…   The creative idea of mixing up different fairy tales exists, but its vagueness and poor written manner doesn’t deliver.  Could be used to reinforce counting money, but we weren’t motivated to do the addition.  Crappy math story of which I wouldn’t even pay a buck – and that’s a wrap! 

 

The Girl Who Never Made A Mistake
By Pett, Mark

 

For Beatrice Bottomwell, life as the “girl who never makes mistakes” is quite careful in keeping her famous reputation of being perfect.  And it’s just another perfect talent show right?  Well this one’s not so easy, and guess what happens when things go awry!  Just ask her brother Carl who enjoys making mistakes.  I felt this read speaks to both children and adults.  Maybe because of my personal struggle of striving for perfection, but either way this is a great message for all.  A great girl read that’s in my Amazon cart!

Grandpa Green

By Smith, Lane

 

 

 

Thought this was gonna be filled with green hippyness, but to my read was pleasantly surprised.  A journey through manicured topiary, where a great grandson tells the life adventures of his Grandpa Green.   Phenomenally illustrated, showing the beautiful bond of generations.  But Little Reader was quick to point out that this looks nothing like our garden. 
 

Why The Banana Split

By Walton, Rick

 

 

 

A little zany, a bit clever, and very puny. What happens when a dinosaur comes to town? Well I’ll tell ya, the trees take their leaves, the astronauts take off, and the bananas split.   A really cute read that took some time in explaining the puns, but gave us a good laugh.
 

The Poodle Who Barked at the Wind

By Zolotow, Charlotte

 

 

 

You will turn pages and watch an annoying little poodle bark at everything!  But when this little dog’s family leaves for the day, except for the dad he’s different. And the family comes to realize why the dog barks at everything.  Heartwarming story for your little dog lovers.  This is so our schnauzer and now I’m left with one question.   Do bark collars work? 

 

No Roses For Harry

By Zion, Gene

 

 

We’ve all tried disposing those ugly unwanted gifts, and did you know that dogs are no different.   When Harry the pup receives a rose pattern sweater from Grandma, he will have no part of wearing it and “accidently” manages to loose it.   Old fashion flair with a surprise ending, and do realize dogs hate wearing costumes. 
 

Board Notes

 

My kindergartener has realized that she can read board books by herself.  Their simple sentences and picture cues are easier than the longer picture books we read.  And I’m just glad that she’s connecting the dots.  Whoho!  “Board books are not just for babies like the Panda, Sheep, & Owl ones right?  So can I get some of these books to keep?” - Little Reader   And who can say no to a book request? Not me, so after a visit to Emma Quay’s website, followed by a library romp, I allowed her to make her first Amazon purchase.