housekeeping!

I posted the poll on the left about picking a book for the November Group Read. The poll ends around 11pm on November 2nd. Choices are Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility. I want to read all three, so I'm excited to see the winner!

My grandpa passed away last night. He is the husband of the grandma I lost this summer. He had come to live with my parents and has suffered through a lot of different health problems in the last 3 months. This seems super surreal since I still haven't wrapped my mind around my grandma's death. I feel really bad for my dad. He has had so much on his plate since July and has lost two parents. The thought of losing either of my parents, especially both in 3 months makes me really sad and have no idea how I'd deal with that. But I also have a very different relationship with my parents than he did with his. Regardless, it still sucks.

I am still not freaking done with I See You Everywhere. But since today IS THE LAST DAY OF October. My goal is to finish it already today. I have so slacked on reading since school started and I am not happy about it. I have read a lot of children's books and a lot of blogs, but I need to focus on my books. I am not going to finish any of my 2009 reading goals and that stinks.

Donuts are a great breakfast on Halloween.

I was going to have a costume for tonight but as the week went on I just am not feeling it. I can barely feel going out to the bar even though I want too. I am going to go pass out candy at my parents house.

Happy Halloween!!!

Who else hasn't/won't finish their reading goals for the year? Who was smart enough not to make any? Who HAS accomplished them? (You suck. Kidding.) Anyone read either three of the above books and can give some insight?

Have a great weekend!!

Thursday Ten

Shamlessly stolen from Lisa who got it from someone else.. :)

1. What are you going to be for Halloween? Thought about being Velma from Scooby Doo until I realized I have no desire to actually dress up or spend money on an outfit.

2. Have you ever been on television? College Game Day

3. Do you have a toilet paper preference? Not at all.

4. When you’re pregnant, will you find out the sex of the baby? (Or if you’ve already had babies, did you find out the sex?) Why or why not? Yes because I cannot have surprises and I need to know what is inside of me.

5. What are three items that every kitchen must have?A cook, a dishwasher, and a maid

6. Do you enjoy Christmas shopping? When I have money. I hate shopping on a budget and still trying to find good stuff for people. I wish money wasn’t an object.

7. What is your go-to recipe? (The thing you cook more than anything else because it’s easy and mindless.) Please share the recipe. Does spaghetti count? That’s what we have for dinner when all else fails. Or breakfast for dinner. Or we call the pizza place.

8. Do you sleep on your back, belly, or side? Belly and I hug a pillow.

9. How do you feel about Tom Cruise? Wacko, but cute. Not as cute as he used to be though.

10. What books are in your “books to read” stack?
Alias Grace – Margaret Atwood
The Bachelor – Carly Philips
The Giver – Lois Lowry
Maniac Magee – Jerry Spinelli
Change of Heart – Jodi Picoult Fic
Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen Fic
Eat Pray Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Are you there Vodka? It’s me Chelsea – Chelsea Handler
Love the One you Are with – Emily Griffin
All of Jane Austen

And much much more!

Winner of The Bookshelf Giveaway!!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns!!

Send me your email and I will send you the copy of Hot & Bothered!!

I see you everywhere.. GAME TIME!

Okay, so since we obviously are "meeting up" on the interwebs instead of in person, we don't get to play all those fun icebreaker games.. ERR wrong! With the help of the comment section, I think we should play Alphabet Soup..

What is Alphabet Soup, you ask?

According to here, Alphabet soup is.. Working around the room, each member names a character, event, place, or object from the book— the first letter of which starts with A, the next word starts with B, the next word C and so forth through Z. Variation: use the last letter of the previous word as the starting letter for the next word—a bit harder.

To make it work for us, I will start with A on the blog and then the first person to comment leaves a B, then the next a C and so on... play as many times as you want since I think it really was only Lisa and me who are read it.. I may be wrong though..

So A - Aunt Lucy

Remember today is the last day for the giveaway!
And don't forget to leave a suggestion for next month's read!

November Blogger Book Club book suggestions..

What would you all like to read for the November installment? I know a few of us really want to read more classics. I know it is always easier to sometimes digest some of them when you talk about it with others. So if you want to suggest a classic go for it! Or whatever else suits your fancy. Want some ideas of good group reads? Here is a link..

Let the suggestion fly.. Suggest as many as you'd like. Leave a link to a review if possible... I will post a poll on Friday/Saturday to decide which would we will read!

So far we have read..
1. I see You Everywhere - Julia Glass

Don't forget the Hot & Bothered giveaway!

I See You Everywhere...

Since this is the last week of the month and hopefully everyone that was reading with us (I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass) is finshing up. I am going to post at least one discussion question a day that I took from LitLovers.Com.

Today's question...

I See You Everywhere focuses on the relationship of Louisa and Clement Jardine. Describe each sister's character. How are they like and unlike each other—also, like and unlike their parents? What do their attitudes toward work, love, and family have in common? How do they differ?

Clem is definitely the free spirit / typical crazy youger child and Louisa is the responsible, cautous older sister. Though they are both jealous of each other, think of the other often and are both very ambitous in very different ways. Clem is more transient and the attitude of whats good for now in regards to all aspects of her life. No matter what is going on with Louisa she just seems more grounded.

What do you think?

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Take no crap kinda girl

More and more lately I am a take no crap kinda girl. I can't stand to see stupid excuses, stupid logic or stupid anything. It really irrates me. Usually I can walk away and laugh about it, or I mention it to my husband or sometimes I just say something. I try not to say something because it's not nice. But then again, the truth usually isn't. I can't stand to witness actions that are just ARRRRRRGH worthy. And I really shouldn't care, but I do. That's something I need to work on, not care that other people are stupid or make really stupid choices.

So here are some random thoughts that I nicely DID not say and instead kept to myself.

"Do not spend 82349u324 months wanting to be pregnant and then when you ARE indeed pregnant spend a majority of the time COMPLAINING ABOUT something pregnancy related. You wanted this, now buck up!"

"Yes your child did not come on its due date. Most do not. SUCK IT UP. How are you going to be with patience when your child takes 23435345 minutues to walk up the stairs BY MYSELF MAMA or do anything BY MYSELF."

"So your single. You don't want to be single. TALK TO PEOPLE. LET PEOPLE SET YOU UP. Do not bring up the subject again unless you have DONE SOMETHING TO TRY TO REMEDY THIS. Prince Charming will not fall out of the freaking tree. And speaking of Prince Charming? Yeah, that fairy tale stuff you are STILL waiting on? Right. Have fun being the cat lady for life. Real life love is WORK. COMPROMISE. FIGHTING. CHOOSING TO BE IN LOVE when you don't very much like the person at the moment. Waiting for that perfect guy who doesn't spend allllll his time watching sports or hanging with his friends? Um.. that's what everyone does. Then they meet someone and make room for them in their life. "

"Bachelor parties mean booze and boobs. Get over it."

"So your significant other doesn't want to spend 89434324 minutes talking to you, expressing themselves or whatever. That's real life. Most people are selfish. Yourself included. Get over it."

"I can only teach your child so much. You are doing them a disservice if you CODDLE them, let them do what they want. And for goodness sakes, freaking talk to them and teach them the letters of their name."

"If you tell me one more time that my team lost prepare to have your facebook wall exploded upon when yours loses. And remember that last year when your team HAD A LOSING RECORD AND MY TEAM BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOURS I SAID NOTHING. Yet MY team has the worst fans EEVVER. Yet I have NEVER said crap to you except the day of our rivalry game. Idiots."

"Your way of parenting is awesome and right for you. It is not for everyone. FREAKING STOP JUDGING EVERYONE ELSE. Their child is being fed. Bottle feeding is not the end of the world. It is NOT your child."

And that felt pretty damn good.

Emptying out the Bookshelf Giveaway!

Hot and Bothered is a novel by Annie Downey that I devoured in a day this June. It was hilarious and quite the page turner. My review of it is here . A nice light read to get you through the blah days that are ahead!

From Booklist: The chirpy heroine in Downey's debut is surprised to find herself
at a crossroads when, at age 39, her husband ("Ex-Rat") leaves her with two
children and an identity crisis, presumably to join Sex Addicts Anonymous and
gallivant around with a new girlfriend. Saddled with a sassy best friend, a
flaky mother, and a gigantic crush on a charming professor ("Perfect Guy"), she
thinks that it's a miracle when she finds time for herself. She tries
meditation, she tries a part-time job, she even tries shopping for sexy
lingerie, all while parenting and hosting holiday dinners. Told in flashes,
Bridget Jones-style, the short, page-length snippets, with titles like "A Manic
Moment" and "Cheese Danish," give the sense that the author, like her main
character, is always on the run. Still, Downey pulls off the fast pace, and
readers will root for this single mom to find her prince, however unconventional
the pursuit may be. Will she end up with Perfect Guy? Ex-Rat? Rugged Alaskan
Man? Now that she is thriving, who cares? Delightful. Emily CookCopyright ©
American Library Association. All rights reserved

To win:

Leave a comment about a crossroads in your life
Be a follower
Post about the giveaway on your blog

Giveaway is open until October 28th and 7pm EST. :)

A little website love...

I have been finding a lot of new sites lately that are awesome! Most are related to education, specifically preschool/kindergarten but they are amazing! Great ideas for rainy days or theme units, whatever you may be looking for. So if you are a parent, a teacher or what here are some sites that I would check out!

Mrs. Kilburn's Kiddos - Oh my gosh I found this site yesterday and I am in LOVE. She has sooo many neat ideas and printables. I was looking for some pumpkin activities and wow. I haven't finished checking it all out but she has some awesome links, songs, poems, art projects and more!

Arcademic Skill Builders - This site research based and standard aligned games. I use this when I teach computers and have students work on skills they need work with. But it would be an excellent "at home" site for people who had students struggling with math. I say math, and I know they have language arts games but I have not tried those out yet. Just the math!

Starfall - Starfall is by far my favorite website for learning letters and learning to read for the youngin's! There is so much do. They can click on letters and hear the letter name and sound, words that start with that letter, listen to the alphabet and learn sign language. There are also other options for them as they progress in their letter recognition / reading process!

Typing - Oh man this site cracks me up. I've recently learned the bbc has AWESOME stuff for teachers. This typing program is awesome, it cracks the kids up with the accents and it gets them to practice typing!

Kelly's Kindergarten - Awesome resource of a TON of Kindergarten activities. Center times, letter fun, math and lots more. Wonderful resource!

And of course here are some random sites where I let the kids go and have "free time"
http://pbskids.org/
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://funschool.kaboose.com/
http://abcya.com/
http://coolmath4kids.com/
http://aaamath.com/
http://edheads.org/

What are some of your favorite sites? They don't have to be teaching related. But that seems to be all I have time for these days! What favorite sites do you have to play games or goof around?

Blogger Book Club: Saturday Check in!

So I suck at reading actual books currently. When I try to read I pretty much fall asleep soon after. I have high hopes of doing some reading today after shopping with my mom. I really do like the book so far and like the jumping back and forth of perspectives. I found this discussion question about the book from litlovers.com and thought it would be a good one to ask…

Glass has chosen to tell this story through alternating perspectives and, from both sides, in first person. How does this affect your reading? How do you relate to both sisters and see them differently than perhaps they are able to see each other? Take a look at the different subtitles-from “Swim to the Middle” to “The Last Word.” What do they add, if anything, to your reading of the larger story?

I think it makes you be more aware of what you are reading and to stay more focused on your reading. No lazy reading allowed. I like that Clem seems to be more of a live and let live type of girl and Louisa seems so unsure of what and who she is. But unfortunately, I haven’t gotten far enough to add much more of perspective yet..

What do you think?

The joys of teaching..

I have this little diddy stuck in my head currently..

Way up high in the apple tree.

Two little apples smiled at me,

I shook that tree as hard as I could,

Down they came,

Mmmmmm were they good!

I think I perform this along with its movements about 28349324 times a morning. Okay, maybe not but I think I can perform it in my sleep.

I also have to share the wonderful song about the word the that my teacher friend shared with me last year that I love and so do my kids and helped them learn it, when some of them do not even know the letters t-h-e..

Some people say the,

Some people say thee,

No matter how they say it,

It's spelled t-h-e!

It's a hit with the 4 and 5 year old crowd. This week we made many different art projects using apples as our theme. Last week we taste tasted apples and made applesauce. Fun times. Tomorrow we are starting our astronaut that I am excited to make. Basically its a space suit the kids are coloring and I took a picture of them earlier this week and we are going to glue their photo on and make them an astronaut! So excited!!

Next week is the letter Ll. Any teacher's out there with any neat L ideas? Always looking for something new!!

What was your favorite rhyme or song from when you were little?

I love lists..

I don't think it is any secret that I love lists. Making lists, reading lists, thinking about lists.. I just love them. I have many lists when it comes to reading and they are never ending. I also like to find lists of books other people have made and then adjust my own lists. I found a really neat list tonight.. 14 must read books for the college rebel.. let's take a look...

14 must read books for the college rebel..

Steal this Book - Alice Hoffman (never heard of it, never read it.. sounds intriguing..)
The Chomsky Reader - Noam Chomsky (I'm sad to say I don't think I've ever read anything by Chomsky I need to add him to my TBR list)
A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn (I haven't read the whole thing but I have skimmed it every time I go to B&N)
The Anarchist Cookbook - William Powel (I don't think I need to read this one)
Human, All Too Human - Friedrich Neitzsche ( semi-interested in this)
Complete Works - Arthur Rimbaud (Um no)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson (Want to read this)
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (Read it, it was okay, not all in love with it like some people)
The Satontic Bible - Anton LaVey ( no thank you)
Factotum - Charles Bukowski (want to read it..)
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse (ehhh no)
Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse (nooo)
Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonneget (LOVED IT.. I was the only girl in my lit class that did enjoy this one.. and I think one of the only reading selections the guys liked..)
Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs (kinda want to read it..)

What I think this list says about me, is that I make a very very lame college reading rebel. :) What about you? Have you read any of theses? Want to read any of them?

The link this is from is quite hilarious with a short writing description of the books.. I think my favorite is describing The Bell Jar as "Emo Girls Bible" LOVE.

What's on the menu for this week?

I actually took the time to plan out a menu this week AND put meat in the fridge so it will most likely actually happen!! Here is how our meals will shape out this week..

Monday - We had homemade potato soup and salad.. yummm
Tuesday - Spaghetti
Wednesday - Whole chicken cooked yummy in the slow cooker all day with potatos and other goodies..
Thursday - chicken leftovers
Friday - hubby is taking me out.. :)

Now lunches that is another story.. I always seem to have trouble packing lunches to go with me this is what I sorta have an idea for..

Monday - I ate yogurt, veggies, mini twix bar and a tootsie roll
Tuesday - Bowl of potato soup, applesauce
Wednesday - ??
Thursday - ??
Friday - either mcdonalds or subway

What do you pack for lunches? What are you making for dinner this week? Share some ideas!!

Blogger Book Club: Friday Check in!

So ladies, how is it going? Have you started I See You Everywhere? I got it from the library Monday and started reading it. I have sadly only made it to page 19. I tried reading it every night before bed and well I kept falling asleep! Not that it is boring, just that I am super tired. So far I really like it and see a lot of humor in it. I love reading books about "Southern ladies." I find them to be the most entertaining. I have plans on doing some reading today because I have the day off and more reading on Sunday. I forget how working really gets in the way of my reading. :)

Anything stand out to you so far? Favorite parts? Things you don't like? Any observations..

This line is currently cracking me up..

"Don't you adore its sheer presence? So equisisitely masculine! A stevedore. A gigolo!" In her mouth, that word was a delicacy, a chocolate covered
cherry, and she gave me a new smile - hardly the smile of a maiden aunt - so I
overrode my own veto. (I See You Everywhere, pgs. 18, 19)

So any big plans for the weekend? Hub's cousin is in town from Oklahoma and we are going to celebrate his and another friends bday, by tailgating, watching some college football and having a good time! I'm hoping picking out pumpkins and pumpkin pie can somehow figure its way into the weekend. Oh and that these crazy cramps will leave so I can be as productive as my thoughts!

Attention Teachers...

When do you start reading Halloweenish books? I was going through my children books the other day and got super excited about reading my Halloween books! Though I don't want to read them toooo early and then have nothing the week of Halloween, but maybe I could throw in one Halloween book a week until the week of Halloween? :)

Here are some of the books I'm excited about!

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper has EXCELLENT illustrations... Oh man I am super excited about this one. I can already hear one of my little boys giggling over the photos and the slurping and slopping of the soup! Basically, three friends live in a cabine Duck, Squirrel and Cat. They make pumpkin soup everyday and each have their own jobs. One day Duck wants a new job and uh-oh trouble starts!! It's cute, funny and awesome for kids 4-9.

Skippyjon Jones in Mummy Trouble by Judy Schachner is yet another hilarious Skippyjon Jones tale.

Another tale featuring the independent, stubborn Siamese kitten. Once again,
Skippyjon dons mask and cape, enters his closet, and changes into El Skippito
Friskito, an adventure-loving Chihuahua. Here, after daydreaming about ancient
Egypt, he converts into his alter ego and meets his amigos (a pack of
troublemaking poochitos) along the Nile River. Skippyjon fans will find much to
like here–the amigos speak a slang of Spanish and English and spur the
frightened kitten into confronting the Sphinx and a mummy–but the book may be a
bit confusing for newcomers as there is no explanation of his transformation or
his canine pals. Done in acrylics and pen and ink, the vibrantly colored
illustrations add humor to the already silly story (the gang wants to visit the
Under Mundo where mummitos rest in peas) and children will want to stop and pore
over the details (the mummy is a Siamese). The text is lengthy, with several
points of action, so it is recommended for readers who can follow the longer
format. However, the narrative is broken up by songs and rhymes that will keep
them laughing throughout. When Skippyjon returns to his (real) mummy, youngsters will feel as if they have been to ancient Egypt with him.–Susan E. Murray,
Glendale Public Library, AZ (Ages 4-10)

10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman is a cute counting book for preschoolers/kindergartens with a Halloween twist. Cute pictures and funny words!

What are some of your favorite Halloween books?

Teaser Tuesday - I See You Everywhere

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

There was an ugly brawl, which featured weeping and a smashed lamp, over the
Steinway grand. Someone with Solomonic intentions actually went so far as
to crank up a chain saw. - I See You Everwhere by Julia Glass pg. 5

So far into the book so good.. I am on page 14 because I fell asleep trying to read last night! For all of you who commented yesterday, thanks and if you want to join in and read I See You Everyhere with us, please do! We just started reading it and we just started doing a group read, you are more than welcome to join.

Helllooooo out thereeeeee...

I officially have like quadruple joking people the followers I did a month ago and am busier than ever, so I have not learned much/stalked down these new followers and for that I apologize! I always like to know who is reading my blog and I like to read new people’s views on life all the time. So, I decided since my life will not be getting any less crazy anytime soon, I better find a way to learn more about my new followers and to do that I am asking questions! New or old loyal follower (or random lurkers or random commenters) please answer the question so I can learn more about you wonderful people who care enough to read what I write!

1. What’s your name and where are you from?
2. Do you have a blog? What’s the address?
3. How did you find my blog?
4. What’s the last book you read?
5. What’s on your to-be-read list?
6. Give me a book recommendation that I need to check out.
7. What’s your favorite kind of wine?
8. Tell me one thing you want me to know.

Thanks!! And I will try very soon to get around to everyone’s blogs. Probably Friday since I have the day off!!

October Book --- I See you Everywhere

The winner for the October Group Read is I See You Everywhere byJulia
Glass..

Booklist says..

*Starred Review* In her third exquisite, piercing novel, National Book
Award winner Glass juxtaposes the temperamentally opposite Jardine sisters.
Analytical, cautious Louisa is destined to become an art critic and gallery
owner. Reckless, sensual Clem is drawn to the wild and becomes a field biologist
dedicated to protecting endangered species. While Louisa seeks marriage and
motherhood, Clem catches and releases a stream of lovers. As the two women
struggle for their place in the world, they embody archetypal struggles between
nature and civilization, self and society. As compelling as the many-faceted
Jardine sisters are, so is everyone in their circle, from their foxhound-breeder
mother to the men in their lives: a history teacher, animal tracker, stuntman,
and guru. Glass’ episodic, funny, and deeply inquiring novel is inlaid with
priceless set pieces involving the sisters’ great-aunt Lucy; Titus, their
mother’s kennel man; and Esteban, a Haitian artist who knits enormous
sculptures. Terrible accidents, epic heartbreak, petty squabbles, and fatal
despair are dramatized with Glass’ offhanded brilliance and charged with her
hunger for enlightenment. Does art matter? Can we protect nature from ourselves?
Can we ever truly understand each other, let alone other species? Isn’t it our
calling as humans to try? Glass is a wisely questioning, ardent, and artful
novelist.

I checked and my library has a copy, so if you don't want to buy it,
check out
your local library! Happy reading and I will try to have posts
about it starting
next week!
;)

Vote vote vote..

We are at a tie right now so if you haven't voted, make sure you vote for the October reading selection!

I am hoping the weather shapes up, it is the district I work for's Homecoming and I really wanted to go to the parade. Tomorrow I will be cheering on the boys in green to beat the pants off of UMSUCK!! GO GREEN! GO WHITE! I will also being cheering for my Scarlet and Gray boys! Beat Indiana! Can't wait to be lazy with the hub, get some reading done, watch some football and eat good tailgate food!

Have a wonderful weekend!

October Book selection

I added a poll to the side of my blog. Vote between now and Saturday at 3pm to decide which book we will read! I am excited to get started.. I have not had a lot of time to read in September and plan to read a lot this weekend!! If I don't sleep the whole thing away. The kiddo's at school are wearing me out!