BearPong!

I found the best game ever for summer  :)

It is called BearPong and is a giant version of Beer Pong.   If anyone knows us, well you realize one of us is awesome at it and one is not - you decide.  Ok, I did try to win some random machine at the Food Festival in Cleveland and failed, twice.  I didn't even get a sticker :( 

Wedding Gowns = ?

A common question I have been asked is if I found a dress yet and it is always difficult when I answer! I found two dresses that I absolutely loved.   They are complete opposite of each other, one being a mermaid and the other being a ballgown.  What to do, what to do...  As with any decision I have to make I always number my choices and then say pick 1 or 2, flip a coin, or do a poll.  Yes, very scientific I know! In this case I asked my friends, some telling me which one they liked or either saying both gowns look great.  Geesh, could this have been any easier?  Nothing with me is...

I asked the simple question, posted some pictures, and decided to let complete strangers on a wedding board tell me the honest truth.  They have no idea who I am and I knew their opinions were based strictly on which one fit my body type more and which one I (vainly) looked better in.  I would have thought the ladies were going to say things like, "Ew, you look gross in this one; U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi; Get a haircut you hippie!"  The last line about a hippie was just something I made up, but I would have loved to have seen it.  (:  

Because I'm a teacher  my logical thinking order blossomed into a "teachable moment" because I knew I liked both dresses ... ask several places, add them up, do some math, present it as a lesson, give bonus points if someone figured out the ratios, and wa-lah decision is made.  At least for now.... 

Step 1: Add up all the opinions of complete strangers and my friends
Step 2: Write it on paper using a tally system
Step 3: Re-write it on a white board because it always looks better - in red
Step 4: Add all the tally marks up and check my work
Step 5: Do some math! Create ratios using total amount of opinions for each dress and total opinions all together. (:
Step 6: Percentages are just another step to reaffirm a decision. Check work from start to finish again.

 33% to 67%  Pretty sure there is a clear decision! 

Do you want to know which dress I picked? 

Well I think I'm going to keep it a secret, even to my bridesmaids!

  PS.  When Britt and my friends read this (Britt especially) they will text, reply to this post and then wonder which one for the next year!

R.L. Stine

“R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series”

Do you remember R.L. Stine?  My favorite were the pick your own adventure ones where you have 3 choices and then move your character throughout the book.  I always took the wrong turn and was ate by dogs or turned into a Vampire.  Yes, I am that person.  

Another flashback is to the Are You Afraid of the Dark?  show.  Well on the Hub they have R.L. Stine's show that is just like it - The Haunting Hour.   Love it!   You can look here for more information.  We had the chance to watch the show Grampires from The Haunting Hour.  The kids loved it!   It was a great show to watch, especially around Halloween.  With the "Frankenstorm" breathing down out necks and the end of the 9weeks, we decided to take a small break and watch Part 1.  Do you know you can do many activities with this?  Think 4Squares, writing prompts, active discussions, etc.   Check out the video below!

 

I was selected to be a MommyParties host as part of a promotional program with MomSelect. All opinions are my own.

For the birds...

I am a Pinterst addict.  I was beyond excited when Google Play Store finally got the app, now I'm getting an iPhone and will have to learn how to use it all over again!   Ahh!

I found this on my homepage from one of our followers, a good friend of ours who rode the bus with us for 10+ school years and was in my little brothers grade.  It is called "10 habits for a well-run home."

Hold the bus!  There are actually well ran homes?  Lets look at the 'helpful hints' they gave us and see how well we fare!

1. Wake up early
2.Go to bed earlier
3. Evening Preperations
4. Institute meal planning
5. Do 1 complete load of laundry a day
6. Finish dishes before bed
7. A place for everything, everything in place
8. 5 min. bathroom cleaning per day
9. Bedtime routine
10. Do not say yes to new requests

For day to day actions, I failed miserably.  Being an overachiever naturally, I laughed hysterically when I read the article and told myself they were trying to make us strive to be the perfect housewife and mother.  Who finds time to do all of this?  Although they are great ideas and if used correctly would make life easier, they left out big aspects of every day life!  What about play time with your children or animals?  Teaching socialization skills and active play are a big part of molding a child.  When I was in HS I remember my mom doing many of these, but life is chaos and will always remain so. Also, waking up early is for the birds :)

If life was not filled with chaos I  would not know what to do!

Ah! Cows are taking over the world!

Cows are trying to take over the world! But how would these normally docile creatures do such a thing? Only Jimmy Tatley, a fourteen year old boy from Golthwaite and his faithful, clever sheepdog companion Flossy can find out and stop them in time to save everyone from becoming the bovine’s slaves. This is not without its perils and comical consequences however. Of course, they get a little help on the way from some unusual characters, the avians and not forgetting those mysterious agents ‘The Masters’. 

This book honestly did make me giggle. When I see a cow they are usually slowly chewing their grass and walking around at a leisurely pace.   Within the humor presented in the book, it made the reader have a great message when finished - You can always make a difference!  I loved that the bird, Robin, demonstrated over and over again that being small is a moot point when dealing with situations he was faced with.  I'm not entirely sure what was in the water at this small village, but it would be extremely interesting to see!  'The Masters' is an interesting group.  At first I was thinking it was just a general term for humans, but then was surprised when I read it.   It reminded me of the movies Cats v. Dogs and how they lived in a world that was completely secret from us.  This book is a great mix of humor, wonder, and action.  It is a piece of creative writing that children will love.  Many activities can be made out of it in a classroom too :)  Be sure to like the author on FB because he travels to many schools and most likely has many ideas to offer as well!

• Creative Writing activity dealing with another animal that they could see try taking over the world
• Study of descriptive words
• Book project dealing with art 
• etc.

 This was a great easy read and children of all ages can read it, with or without adult assistance.  Remember, if it is on an EReader they can automatically use the dictionary while coming across an unknown word.  Check out the Book Blog for more info!

Buy this book on Amazon  B&N  Kobo !

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Flashback Friday!

This is amazing ... I think this picture is from 2002/2003 school year in the commons area of the HS.

L-R: Trista, Britt, Bri, Laken

"Revenge of the Vegetarian"

The author, Jim Tilberry, has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, while taking humorous jabs at a variety of easy targets.  Get a silly lesson on how to deal with meat eaters in social situations.  Read hilarious interviews with famous dead vegetarians such as Gandhi, Socrates, and Ben Franklin.  You'll even get a comical look at how the English language would change if an overly zealous vegetarian politician got his way. 

The book also poses a lot of "what ifs."  What if there was a "Vegetarian Olympics"?  What if vegetarians ruled the country?  And what would a vegetarian horoscope tell you about your future?  Also you'll learn some laughable techniques meat eaters can use to more easily quit their carnivorous habit. 

"Revenge" pokes fun at vegetarians, vegans, liberals and conservatives.  But it pokes the most fun at meat eaters.  This short entertaining book is ideal for any vegetarian or vegetarian wannabe with a sense of humor.

"Revenge of the Vegetarian" is a paperback with just 70 pages.  It’s a very quick and easy read.

This book was a wonderful read, much different than the other books regarding vegetarianism. One thing I noticed about this book was the choice of font and spacing.  It made it exremely easy to read and would be great for all ages.    As a Special Education teacher I always look at this to determine if the font can cause confision or is to closely spaced.  This book is neither! The book is binded (put together) to last, especially if children are constantly flipping though it.  I loved the 10 Great Reasons to Become a Vegetarian, mainly #7: 

7. It's easier to pick up women. When you're at a bar or party, tell the women you just met that you're a vegetarian because you care about animals.

Revenge of the Vegetarian is on Amazon for $11.95.  

This is a great addition to any classroom to promote differences and understanding, as well as having for ones own library. 

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

"Super Born: Seduction of Being" R/GA

"Super Born: Seduction of Being" 

 Keith Kornell

When I first saw this book cover I immediately thought it was about a blonde who fought against criminals.  My second thought after that was maybe it was about a girl who used masks and followed along the lines of 50 Shades of Grey.  

This is the actual synopsis from Amazon: An evolution in the female superhero, Super Born: Seduction of Being is a romantic satire based on a quirky journalist's search for a reluctant Super Woman. She is a single mother with thirty years of normal existence before super powers begin to show themselves and complicate her life. As she searches for her new place in the world, a crowd of "others" search for her as well. Told from both the journalist's and superhero's point of view, Super Born is a flowing unique read.

 Whew - I love being right, well at least some part right! I can not say enough how much I enjoyed this book.  Finally we have a superhero that is like a normal person.  The story really starts when a Doctor believes the woman who will be a Superhero lives in Scranton, PA.

Side note, did you know that city workers in Scranton, PA had their pay cut to minimum wage?! Yes that includes firemen and police officers.  How can you even live on that? It would take a week of working to fill my car up with gas, and I get more than 26 mpg!  The city is obviously being crazy and obviously has no empathy for their workers.  

Back to Super Born... The perspectives of a journalist and of Super Born are used to tell us the story, in a diary type of format.  It goes from how the journalist first gets involved with the Doctor when he believes that their are superwomen located in Scranton due to the high surge of 'radiation' during the Superbowl of '76.  After the radiation exposure, the men go crazy and have a thing called RFD, while some women actually get super powers like Super Born.  She was catching criminals and preventing crimes, which in turn makes people jealous.  While on one side the journalist and everyone becoming her fans on a website love her, their are others like the not so successful superwomen and crime lords that despise her.    Be sure to check out the website  at : www.thebib.org

If you want your own copy, please enter below!

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Funny!