J-Bird, theactualperson has a YouTube Channel

Now, I think it takes a village to raise children these days. ESPECIALLY with Social Media. SO, I must tell you J-Bird has created his own YouTube Channel. Please let me know what fun things he posts on the Internet. I told him the whole world sees these and once it is online, it is forever online. (God help us.)

J-Bird blows it up!

 Mimi called me on the 3rd to wish us a Happy 4th! She was reminiscing about when her little boy used to stay inside and watch cartoons with his Mimi because fireworks petrified him. I fondly remember those times. He wanted nothing to do with the lights and the loud boom.

This year was the first year where he wanted to light the whole world on fire. He was a grinning fool. The neighbor kids came over and he kindly shared. (I think he was afraid of my wrath if he didn't.) I stayed out of it as I didn't want him to share, but he did the right thing. Good for him! I bought the fireworks for J-Bird, not his friends. Sigh!

We invited another soccer family over on the 3rd for dinner and drinks. We all enjoyed having a display of Fountains being lit up for our enjoyment. Obe Wan just watched and talked politics with Prince Charming and Andy. It was quite amusing to listen to their conversation. Obe Wan thinks fireworks are a waste of money. Such a fiscally responsible young man! :)

Placing a cheap Place, Show, Win Bet at Churchill Downs

 Okay, so we went to Churchill Downs when our Rose Hill family came to visit. I'm not going to lie....I truly like watching the horses and the thrill of placing a bet! I won't go too often as I'm already I may gamble away our house. HOWEVER, I usually place $.50 to $2.00 on a bet. I'm not losing the big bucks any time soon.

I usually place a $2.00 bet for a Win, Place or Show. This means whatever horse I select has to come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. This is a total of a $6.00 bet. I usually let the Jedi Knights pick a horse and place money for them to. Obe Wan is more cautious with my money whereas the J-Bird would bet the car! Apparently, I was feeling brave. I was going to up my bet to $20 TOTAL dollars! I told the lady at the gambling window---$20 Place/Show/Win for #3. He was picked to win and the odds were 2/1. She tells me my total will be $60. WWWWWWHAT? Yep, when you say $20 it means across the board unless you specify differently.

You can only imagine how intent on that race I was. WOWZERS. #3 stayed in the last freaking place till 2 seconds before the race was over and pulled ahead and won it all. DARN. Why didn't I bet $1000????

I won back all my expenses for the day, including lunch and the general admission tickets. All in all a valuable lesson was learned. I had a good, no great, day at the tracks!

Ms. America Reviews: One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn

Mary Downing Hahn is an author I quickly give to any Middle School student asking for a ghost story or wanting to be scared by a wicked (evil) story. I never hesitate as she has never disappointed. Her newest book, One for Sorrow: A Ghost Story, can fall onto the genre of Fantasy as well as dabble in the area of Historical Fiction. The flu epidemic of 1918 was a reality for the United States and, thanks to flu vaccines, one our young readers are not well acquainted. Within 24 hours of flu symptoms, its victims were dead. A simple black wreath would adorn the front door of the deceased allowing neighbors to know the house was in mourning. A tragic time in our country and one not taught often as it was shadowed by the oncoming of World War II.

One for Sorrow gives us Annie, an only child who has recently moved to a small town. Annie is immediately greeted by Elsie who demands instant friendship. At first Annie is appreciative of the friendship until she realizes Elsie is a social outcast and not liked by anyone. Elsie is mean to Annie, but has instilled the fear of God in Annie if she vacates the friendship. The other girls, lead by Rosie, play the games Annie likes and seem to be having fun, but Annie knows better than to leave Elsie despite her mean spirit until the week Elsie is missing from school. Annie flees the friendship, joining the other girls performing an alliance in the taunting and cruelty towards Elise.

School is soon cancelled due to the outbreak of Influenza and the girls take advantage of this by attending wakes of those who have passed enjoying the free cakes and cookies. It isn't until they go to the wake of Elsie when Annie discovers she is being haunted by Elsie's lost soul. Annie is taken away to an insane asylum in hopes of removing Elsie from her life, but instead she does mean and cruel things to poor Annie.

In the classroom:

Middle School girls beware! The sorrow left in Elsie's soul by the mean girls is enough to make anyone second guess their decision to say mean things to a person. Even if you think the mean things, I warn you not to act on them. Poor Annie has to live with the things she did while being a part of the 'in' crowd.

Ghost stories allow creative writing to occur while also allowing Common Core to be met and all in the month of October! Read aloud passages from the text: especially the part where Rosie has made up a jump rope chant rhyming In FLEW Enza into the art of jumping between the ropes. If you miss, the flu has got you and you are dead. What chants can your students incorporate into a unit of social studies?

A Neighborly Trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN

You can never go enough times when the price is $27.99 with free parking, all you can drink FREE Pepsi products, free sunscreen and FREE WI-FI! Woot. Now I must tell you the above rollercoaster, named the Thunderbird, is an amazing steel roller coaster. When it is Monday in the beginning of June there are hardly ANY lines. You can ride this coaster NINE times in a row without any wait. When you do this, make sure you have trashbags in your car so when your neighbor kid starts puking you don't have to use your Eddie Bauer MOM backpack as the puke bag to avoid having puke in the car. Just a helpful side note from our time at Holiday World. :)

 J-Bird got over his fear of coasters. He rode every one at Holiday World. My boys are growing up!

Special K does not like fireworks!

One year ago Special K was okay with the fireworks. This year Not SO MUCH. It is horrible. The fireworks make her shake something fierce. I will stay inside with her tonight. Poor thing.

God Bless America.
God Bless the freedom we have in this nation.
God Bless our government and our elected officials.
God Bless the Veterans who have fought for us.

And God Bless the Fireworks companies who make me want to blow up my money.

Happy 4th of July 2017!

Ms. America Reviews: You May Already Be A Winner by Ann Dee Ellis

Ms. America’s Review:

Olivia Hales’ Merry-Maids-uniform-wearing mother is screaming at her to get out of the pool and help her find her sister, but Olivia is lost in a daydream. She can escape all of her loser moments because She May Already Be a Winner. Ann Dee Ellis has created a realistic world of middle school angst in her debut middle grade novel.

Olivia is stuck in the Sunny Pines Trailer Park watching her youngest sister, doing the laundry, making dinner, and trying to keep up with school while her mother goes to work every day. Her father has left the family and is living in Bryce Canyon working as some type of forest ranger, or so we conclude from daily emails Olivia sends him. Olivia wants to go back to school as she fondly watches her neighbor leave for school every day, but she knows she must be responsible for her sister and even her mom.

One morning Olivia is told by her mother that she must return to school. The truancy office has sent a notice. Olivia has missed half of the year and is behind in all of her class work. Her teachers try to reach out to her, but she is used to being independent, and she fears they are merely judging her and her family. Making matters worse her five year old sister who adores her manages to get kicked out of daycare, and Olivia is forced to offer her mother help again. She will take her sister to middle school and hide her in a janitor’s closet. When one afternoon during passing period she goes to check on her sister and give her a snack to her horror she discovers her sister is gone.

Olivia tries to maintain hope and dignity throughout the book. She is unaware of her mother’s choices, but refuses to let her mom shoulder them by herself. Her unfailing devotion to her family made me want so much more for Olivia than her parents were providing. I want to foster every Olivia out there. Olivia is a strong person and one who I kept hoping would finally become a winner. You May Already Be a Winner is a powerful book for those of us who have Olivias in our lives and want to help both the child and the parent.

In the classroom:

Like many students I have encountered through my years in the classroom, Olivia is a person I admire. Her undying hope is a mystery to me, even as my heart was breaking for this lovely young lady. She is the silent student in the classroom who has too many burdens to bear at home to do her homework. Students like Olivia have hope because sometimes that is all they have to hold on to.

As a teaching tool I would take an excerpt from this book, making students read it and decipher its “deeper meaning.” I especially liked when Olivia’s male teacher tried to relate to her and she became rude and mouthy to him. She even goes so far as to comment on his hair. She wasn’t like this throughout the book. Why is she lashing out at this teacher who is trying to help her and offer an escape?

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You May Already Be a Winner by Ann Dee Ellis (Dial Books | 9781101993859 | July 11, 2017)

Firepit in retaining wall project part 357

 Well, this weekend I dug out the cinder blocks and started over. It looked too trashy for what I already have going on. Each day the boys (all three of them) have had to help me with this project. On the left side was 3 rose bushes I tore out the summer we moved in. I never filled in the holes and because of my laziness this ground cover took over. It was deep and thick. It had roots dug into the lava rock. OMG. I never want to see lava rock again.

On the right side of the firepit I want to do a water feature. I just haven't figured out if I want another pond or a pondless feature. All these choices. In the mean time, Prince Charming ordered Dri-Lock paint to fix the fountain out front. It is beautiful and working like a champ. As I went to get the hose to fill up the front fountain I discovered we had a visitor to our yard! A MOLE.....now, Special K (the Golden Retriever) have been digging under my tarp of dirt and I couldn't figure it out. When I lifted the tarp to back fill the firepit a baby mole came running out. Prince Charming stepped on it and it was dead. The trap we set by the hose caught Mama or Daddy Mole. We reset the trap and we will see if we get any more. I'm really glad Special K didn't get the mole. Those things are nasty.