Book Review: Serafina and the Black Cloak

A new Disney book my amazing boss, Ms. Beth, got for me to read! Pretty stoked about this. I'm glad to have a job and feel like I have a task to do everyday! I even had a chit chat with her when I went back to Wichita last week. It was good to know I was doing an okey-dokey job!

  The rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the vines weigh heavily upon the branches of the old trees, creating a canopy of darkness, withholding all light from the paths through the woods, there lies the rumors of creatures who walk the night. The rumors also say an abandoned  village is hidden among the crawling vines, moss, lichens, trees; the villagers would disappear without a trace and without any hope of discovery--dead or alive.

Not too far down the road from this isolated village is the beautiful estate of the Edith and George Vanderbilt, Biltmore Estate. In the basement of this mansion, hidden for as long as she can remember, is Serafina, a young girl whose soul longs to walk amongst the beautiful and exquisite ladies above her. Her Pa, the mechanic of Biltmore Estates, has made a secret home for them in the boiler room. Until recently Serafina was content with her life in the basement being the C.R.C--Chief Rat Catcher--of Biltmore Estates, but one night, while out hunting for rats, she hears the cries of a young lady visitor crying for help. A man answers her calmly stating he will not hurt the child. Serafina follows the sounds only to witness the girl being strangled by the black cloak and within a blink discovers the girl has disappeared. To her horror the man in the black cloak hears her and comes after her. Clawing, biting and kicking for her life, Serafina wins the first round, barely escaping the death of the black cloak, but knows the next encounter might not find her so lucky!

Serafina must tell her Pa about what she has witnessed, but he does not believe her. She finds courage to go upstairs to find someone who will listen to her and discovers Braeden Vanderbilt, a young man who has the ability to speak to animals, but doesn't have any human friends. As Serafina knows in her heart she is something other than human, a fast bond is formed between these two and they know they must solve this mystery! Each night a child is taken; they are afraid they will be next.

Mystery, magic, murder....this coming of age book is a page turner from the very beginning. 

You can see the full review at Books & What Not [DOT]com

The really cool part about this book was the setting! It really is a place in our American history. After finishing the book I went and checked out the website. I think I would like to visit this wonderful place: Biltmore Estates.

Book Review: The Fixer

I am madly in love with the depth of the characters in Jennifer Lynn Barnes latest novel, The Fixer. I found I was still reading at two in the morning and laughing out loud at Asher's sense of humor. Laughing. Out. Loud.  Now, don't misunderstand, this is not a humorous novel; it is about a 17-year-old girl, Tess Kendrick, who is living on a ranch in in Montana when we first meet her. She is maintaining some semblance of high school normalcy. Due to an altercation with one of her teachers, she is sent to the counselor. Tess has been able to manage taking care of their horse ranch, and keeping a secret: her grandfather has Alzheimer's. The school counselor has noticed something is off and calls in 'The Fixer' --Ivy Kendrick. Ivy, Tess' older sister, swoops in and instantly takes charge. Grandpa is shipped off to a treatment facility in Boston and Tess is now living in a two bedroom apartment in Washington D.C. starting at a prep school with the elite children of the bigwigs of D.C.

I was astonished to learn of the depth of political nominations and the prices paid to gain access to the top--the layers kept peeling away. The political scandal is unearthed within the first few chapters with the complexity of the crimes continuously evolving throughout the book. Your word is law in D.C. and the phrase 'I'll owe you' is one you must be willing to ante up on when your card is called. Unlike Tess, the students at Hardwicke Prep School know this as well as knowing Ivy Kendrick is called to resolve issues when a cover up is required. 

To help assimilate Tess into her new life as the fixer's sister, we meet Asher, Henry and Vivvie. Asher is a sarcastic, popular hottie whose wit is met with contempt from the 'I don't give a crap' Tess. He is unfazed throughout and keeps the comments coming. Henry is his best friend and is a no-nonsense hard ass. (Complete opposite of his bf, so this keeps it entertaining!) Vivvie is the first friend Tess meets at the school and is the daughter of the man who has just murdered the Chief Supreme Justice. See what I mean about the layers?

This is the first installment of a new series; the base of these characters promises to be a series worth following.

See the complete review at Books & What Not [DOT]com

Visit to Churchhill Downs, Louisville, KY

                    

YEAH to a Bucket Item crossed off for my StepMom! The Jedi Knights and I took my Dad and StepMom to Churchill Downs for a fun filled night of drinks, races and fun!

It was Twilight Thursday, so it was food truck night and $1 beers! You can't beat that! Obe Wan was the champ for the night walking away with money in his pocket.

It is a skill---gambling that is....and apparently the wise, cautious one is the one to take advice from. I lost money. A lot. A whole $20! WOW. Put me in Gamblers Anonymous asap!

There were nine races the night we went. It was fun to hear the pawing and racing of the hooves. It was like no other sound I have ever heard. It was crazy!

 I learned what a Perfecta, a Trifecta and a blah, blah, blah was! I learned to tip the bookie and wink at him! HA! 

I also enjoyed a Lily. I heard they were amazing drinks and for $10 they should be. I could have drank 10 of them, but all my money was going to the horses. When we went down for the food trucks and cheap beers we saw the horses. They parade before every race. We could see their colors--known as silks. I couldn't stop thinking of my RH friend Becky who would totally appreciate this. I didn't know what to do other than drink!!!

StepMom, Me and the Dad
WOW...I kinda look like him. 

A Day with Friends in Kansas

Well, I have concluded we have four family friends in RH we still miss every other day. (If I say everyday I sound like a loser.....) So, we went to KS last week and I kidnapped several kids to spend the day with us. We had a blast.

I had my two boys and Josh's boy bf with us at the start of the day. We went and picked up three more boys to round out a total of SIX boys with me! We went in to the big city of Wichita to Osage Water Park for a free water fountain park experience. It was lovely. The boys ran amok. They ganged up on these two pieces of poop. It was quite humorous to watch all the boys team up together. It made my heart feel so good after the cruelty J-Bird has experienced here.


Every child was told to pack a lunch so we could eat on the cheap. Traveling with a kid on dietary restrictions isn't fun, so I pretty much threw out the low sodium for the week. Both Gma's monitored the sodium more than I did! HA! Gotta love the grandmas....

After the packed lunch, we headed WAY across town to the Augusta Pool. We went swimming for a few hours.

 At the Augusta Pool we were joined by two other families. This rounded out the day of seeing ALL four families! The boys were in heaven. I was too as I hadn't been able to spend this much time talking with Kim & Sara since we moved. I was pretty stoked as I got to talk without kids interrupting me! 

After the pool, we headed BACK across town to watch 'Home' at the Pink Palace. It was a cute movie about being ostracized from your own kind. 

Sara and her two kids went from the pool to the movie with us. It was delightful. I'm not going to lie. It was the best day I have had in a LONG time. I miss these people. I miss them most days. 

Book Review: Interstellar Cinderella

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

A Cinderella story that does not have a pair of glass shoes? What? In this poetic tale of Cinderella, she has left behind her socket wrench! New York Times best seller, Deborah Underwood, has created a unique story of a Cinderella who has tools and sprockets instead of the normal brooms and dustpans. The four line poems are creative and allow the reader to understand a girl can be anything she desires! AND this Cinderella doesn't want to marry the Prince---she just wants to be his chief mechanic!

Interstellar Cinderella uses a Geom Graphic font, along with muted magenta, silvers and blue colors,  to help create the space-like setting. The life-like illustrations of space robots with the creative use of doodles support the overall interstellar viewpoint.  

See the entire review at Books & What Not

Fire Truck visits the Knob!

Another fire truck you may ask? Yep. I had ALL the windows open in the house and I kept hearing the siren. I looked out the window and saw a fire truck out on the Knob. I saw a girl walking towards a house from the truck with a bucket in her hand. It kinda reminded me of Dorothy from Oz. (I am reading a book right now dealing with the Wizard of Oz--review coming--and I had my mind on Oz....) Curiosity finally got the best of me and I headed outside. I am the local gossip and need to know all that is going on. I go into the front yard and sure enough there is a fire truck sitting in the cul-de-sac at the end of our street. A fire truck with volunteers was coming around the corner with people hopping in and out of collecting money for some cause. I don't even remember what, but we gave money. Since the windows were open I yelled at the boys to come out. They did. They were like "WHAT?!" I said it's a fire truck. Do you want to go see it. They ROLLED their eyes out me. "Uh, no Mom, we have seen them before at the Cub Scout field trip...." Yeah, whatever. So what if I am excited about this kind of stuff.

They suck the fun outta life....

Book Review: Stella Brings the Family

What a conundrum little Stella faces when her class is having a Mother's Day celebration and she doesn't have a mother. Stella has two wonderful parents who tuck her in every night, pack her school lunch and bring her kisses when she hurts herself. When trying to figure out this dilemma, her friend tells her a simple answer, bring them both! Stella decides this is a wonderful idea. She will bring both her Papa and her Daddy to the Mother's Day celebration!

In our evolving societal roles for children, Schiffer allows for her reader to see the dilemma children face with upcoming holidays which are gender specific. Little Stella doesn't have to chose; she gets to bring the whole family. The illustrations by Holly Clifton-Brown enhance the story as well by depicting different ethnicity, genders and settings in Stella's life.  

You can find the complete review at Books & What Not. 

Book Review: Pool by JiHyeon Lee

 Words are not needed in this beautifully illustrated children's book, Pool by JiHyeon Lee. As we approach summer time this books is an emphatic tale of a shy child who meets another shy child at an overcrowded pool. The images express scenes we have all encountered when visiting a public pool--too many people of all sizes and shapes. Our young protagonist is overwhelmed by this scene as shown in the crafted details of his face. Even at a crowded pool, friendships can be found and a summer of dreams becomes reality. The simple pool becomes an ocean full of exotic fish which he shares with his new friend....

The whole review can be found at: Books & What Not

Field Day Fun

Tug of War

End of the school year means: FIELD DAY!

Woot! The Knob school does it differently than Kansas. Instead of getting a partner and walking around the track and having freedom, the entire class stays together for the day. I signed up to be the class chaperon, so I got to hang with the entire class! The 3/4 grade was in the morning and the K-2 was in the afternoon. An all day affair!

Sack Races

Toilet Bowl Races

There were 13 activities/stations for the older group and they had water activities. The little kids only had 9 activities, but longer at each station.

I had spent the last two weeks helping the gym teacher with various activities. The first time up at the school with her was timing kids for fitness activities. This was through a grant with the YMCA.

The next week I helped her sort and deliver Jump Rope for Heart prizes to the school. The raised over $16,000. They do it during their P.E. time and it is a no-thrills affair. VERY different than RH, KS. It was an all-day affair with a D.J. and a fun-filled day of jumping and dancing. This was an activity I looked forward to every year, so, although I am totally in love with their school, I find the P.E. department a bit lacking. No fault of the para.....wait, did I just say PARA? Yep, Yep, I did. In the state of Indiana they do not have certified music, art, computer or P.E. teachers. They have paraprofessionals in these spots. They have a 'Curriculum Development' Certified Teacher over all paras in their certified area of expertise. Zach, who apparently doesn't have a last name, is the P.E.
teacher for our district. He emails out lesson plans for the week on Sunday evening. The P.E. teachers have to do his lesson plans. I was aghast. WOW. I couldn't imagine this. It is like you are a sub for the entire year. You have to know the kids names, do the activities, give grades and all for the pay of a paraprofessional. Interesting.....

I totally digress...so, by getting to know Mrs. P.E. she let me by in charge of timing the stations. I got to blow a siren every time it was time to switch stations. This was P-O-W-E-R baby!

I had a great time walking around blowing this loud obnoxious thing. There were a few kids in Obe Wan's class that about got it right next to the ear drums!

One of the bulleys, Obe Wan's BF, & Obe Wan
Field Day 2015 -- 3rd Grade

J-Birds favorite activity was the arm pit water squeeze! He made sure to get the balls sopping wet and then squeeze them once they were firmly in place underneath his armpits and between his knees. Then he came up to me and told me to smell his pits. He needed some De-O. (I guess this is what they call deodorant....)


Pop, Myra and Prince Charming all came up to the school in the morning. It was odd to see Kansas people on our playground. They wanted to be grandparents that came to the school. This was the first time in 3 years the Christmas Tree Farmers missed out. It was kinda odd. They have always come over for field day.

I realized I had forgot to bring my lunch, so Prince Charming ran and got us Subway. It was nice to have him in town for a few days and I know the Jedi Knights loved having him at their school.

The right mix of overcounter drugs to clear up Poison Oak/Ivy

Isn't that an awful picture? I have gained seven pounds due to steroids. Portland Sister says it is ALL muscle cause I'm on the 'juice.' If only. I have had two rounds of steroids at this point. I am not taking a morning Claritin, a nightly Zyrtec and I'm taking a daily pill for the staph infection that is wrecking havoc on my body. I finally went to my Doctor and stopped messing around with Urgent Care. I had been twice and I wasn't feeling ANY better.

So, long story short: Poison Ivy/Oak is an allergic reaction. You need to immediately start an allergy medicine. Benadryl is short lived and will only take care of it for 4-6 hours and you can only take so many in a day. It is best to take a 24 hour pill. Claritin is a non-drowsy med; whereas Zyrtec is a put-you-to-sleep and stop itching med. It has worked wonders!

My Doc says the amount of poison I have in my body is causing my T-Cells to be low and my immune system is compromised. Really? I can't stop itching the stuff. I did discover I was giving it to myself over and over again and this is why I couldn't get rid of it. I reassured her I had read EVERYTHING on Poison OAK/IVY on Pinterest and I had washed my dog, washed my clothes, have been washing my bedding every other day (which has been a nightmare!) and have played by the rules. She just kept patiently nodding her head at me. When I stopped talking she says--calmly and patiently---what about your shoes?

 Um, yeah. DUH. I hadn't even thought about my shoes. I felt like a DUH and a AH-HA moment all occurred within 10 seconds. After I washed every pair of shoes I thought I may have worn since the outbreak I seem to be getting better. WOW. $100 later.....and I'm scarred for life around my ankle, but hey! I'm getting better.

WHEN YOU GET POISON IVY/OAK WASH EVERYTHING. I have learned Poison Ivy/Oak is a perennial and will forever come back unless you dig out the roots. I have bought some Round up and I have sprayed every third day for the last week. It is dying out and wilting. I keep yelling DIE YA BASTARD at it. I'm not sure if it is helping, but it sure does make me feel better.

Obe Wan's sport may be bowling.

Obe Wan was invited to a bowling birthday party last weekend. The kid killed it. I stayed--over protective, over bearing mother that I am! I took J-Bird and Z2 and we bowled across the way. I knew Obe Wan would be more comfortable knowing I was on the premise.

It must be my Mommy-sense, but I glanced over at Obe Wan's game to see he was kicking butt. The screen was flashing STRIKE. WHAT? No way. Obe Wan's turn and it is showing a strike? Holy cow. So at around the 5th frame the score looked like this:

WOW! I was amazed. Obe Wan was kicking some serious bowling booty! The cool part was the three kids he considered the largest bullys in the world were at this party! So in your face meanies!

My little boy may need to learn some humility, but in the mixed company, I let him be as cocky as he wanted.

My two boys and I took a break after the first game to enjoy some nasty bowling alley cuisine. Don't get me wrong. It was wonderful, but not so much for the waistline! HA! J-Bird kept rolling his ball Granny style as the balls were just too heavy for my light weight. I do find it funny how he stands at the line and bounces, leans, moves his hands, to get the ball to move. AND the funny part, the ball usually rolls the way he is wanting it to.

Obe Wan's best friend was at the party, so after D showed up, he didn't really care if his mom was there until he needed money for the arcade! HA!

The end score was brilliant. I let Obe Wan puff up his chest and walk around like a King for about 15 minutes before I couldn't take it anymore and we left. It was a great day for him and he had bragging rights the next day at school. Some times a person needs an ego boost, and he got his at the bowling alley!

FINAL SCORE: 144

Boom Baby! Summer's Here

WOO-weeeee....it is summer baby! We went to our favorite pizza arcade place---Chuck E. Cheese. I told my WichitaBF if only the place had a beer it wouldn't be so bad. Famous last words...

So great to know the rodent serves a nice tall Miller Lite. You can only have one per visit. Oh Darn! I was fine sitting in the booth reading my latest book to review and sipping on my beer. Am I white trash or what? I figured the boys couldn't leave without my hand stamp, so we were safe. We brought along our neighbor, Zsquared. You can see Obe Wan getting ready to slap his ticket on the table with J-Bird and Z2 in the back ground playing a shoot-em-up game.

The boys each had a 33 tokens. Between the large pizza, sodas and tickets, we were there 1.5 hours. We went out for ice cream afterwards. I was glad I had taken a 2 mile walk earlier in the day. The steroids are not helping the weight gain, but neither is a beer! (Thank goodness they limit you....)

Selfie by 8 year old

This is what happens when your eight year old decides his Dad needs to see what he did for Crazy Hair Day. We are on the home stretch for summer and we are WIRED. Thanks to the school they aren't really helping matters. We have had Hat day and Wild Hair Day this past week. They bring in a dollar to go to a cause and they get to participate in the theme. Obe Wan has brought his dollar to help the cause but he does not want to do such things. He has been super mad about the kids who did participate and DIDN'T bring money. Such the rule follower and kind hearted young lad. Seems like a contradiction in terms. 

This is the face a mother loves when she says, "Smile." Really? Could he not just pose normal? I guess this shows how many teeth he has had pulled and is a perfect picture for the money I will eventually be spending on braces. They say babies are expensive. They obviously haven't raised teenagers. Braces, Uniforms, Team fees, Lessons, name brand clothing, cars, insurance, need I say more????