Book Review: My Wild Family by Laurent Moreau

The cover and the title made me anticipate a story about animals, but much to my delightful surprise I found My Wild Family by Laurent Moreau to be a book about what makes each and every one of us special. The narrator describes each member of her family and puts a picture of the animal she feels best represents their personality within the confines of daily life. She tells us her brother is strong; we find her brother on a school playground with his peers except he is a glorious gray elephant!

I have to admit it took me a minute to grasp the person being described was an animal. I had to flip back to the beginning and find the animal being described and then I had an "Ah-HA" moment. Clever. The vivid colors and the scenes kept me grinning like a fool as I kept reading this book. How great to think of my family as animals---oh how my brain was already thinking of how to use this in the classroom....

In the classroom: (My favorite part)

Run to your nearest Dollar Store and buy a pack of cheap paper plates! Now, read My Wild Family to your classroom; make them identify the author and illustrator of the text (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6.) " With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear" (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7.) This ensures your students become familiar with the animal being a representation of a member of the narrator's family.

Enlist the help of your librarian and allow your students to go to the library to select a book about an animal they believe they are; thus, answering the last question the text asks, "What makes you special?" 

On Sale Date: November 3, 2015

ISBN: 9781452144238

Publishing Party for the Jedi Knights

  The opportunities at FKE for my boys  have been wonderful. We had Parent Teacher Conferences this week and I'm pleased to announce they are both passing 3rd & 4th grade. Thank GoodNESS!

Last week they had "Publishing Parties!" Each boy had to write their own story, illustrate it and publish it. It was pretty exciting! Obe Wan wrote about a golden retriever and an adventure in the woods entitled, Strange Dog.

J-Bird wrote a story about golden retrievers as well. I truly think my boys need a puppy. The old lady just isn't up to the snuff little boys need around the house. Sigh. I'm not sure I'm ready for that one!

J-Bird entitled his book, Dogs On the Run. He actually selected a spiral bound cardstock paper book to transfer his story on to. It was very professional looking.

Both boys are loving Floyd Knobs Elementary and so do I. God has a plan---sometimes it isn't what we think or what we plan, but it usually works out in our best interests.

Book Review: Need by Joelle Charbonneau

There are books that stay with you days, months and sometimes the rest of your life. I am a vivacious reader and find that most times I remember the gist of a book, but not always the minute details found within the numerous pages. With this being said, I must say that NEED written by Joelle Charbonneau has seeped into the very soul of my being. I will no longer consider the Internet a friendly environment for anyone I even remotely care about. It is a scary void of unknowns and can creep into the most innocent of lives.

A social media site has entered into the lives of Wisconsin's Nottawa High School students. It is a place where members invite members and NEEDs are obtained. It is a simple website. It merely asks you what do you NEED? It defines needs versus wants. It has clearly stated rules and regulations---this is the fine print with a large box you check with your mouse before even reading the details because you just want to move on to the next screen. We've all done it. Who reads the terms? Who actually scrolls through all the legal jargon? No one--especially when you can get a new Iphone, a laptop, or even a kidney. This is what Kaylee Dunham needs for her brother to live--a new kidney.

This is Kaylee's story, but is told from the perspective of multiple NHS students as they explain their requirement and the justification behind what they are doing  in order to get what they NEED.  The uncomplicated NEED website spirals out of control as the membership starts to decline, the NEEDs rise and the demands are met. The website is clear in stating it is the decision of the person to accept the fulfillment request--nothing is given for free. When Kaylee turns to the authorities for guidance the site is conveniently down making her look the part of the fool.

As innocent as this website looks, the death toll starts to rise. Innocent lives are lost due to the denial of the self proclaimed innocents. Over one winter break the lives of the NHS students are shattered because of social media. The question Kaylee must discover is who is behind NEED and what must she do in order to take it down before it destroys more lives.

Full review can be seen at Booksandwhatnot.com

ISBN: 9780544416697

For Sale: Nov. 3, 2015

Dressing up is not just for kids!

So, for a Mom whose children go to an elementary school that DOES NOT allow any sort of Halloween activity I dressed up three times in ONE week. I must say also that Amazon Prime does lie during its busy season and the 2 day shipment is only valid when you don't HAVE to have something on time! HA! I ordered a Pilgrim costume as I was dressing up as Abigail Williams, Puritan Girl accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, and NEEDED a costume by last Thursday when I was going to FKE to read MY story. HA. It showed up at 10 a.m. the day I was already up at the school reading! HA! What a mess. SOOOOO, I ran all over the big city of Louisville desperate to find a costume and the best thing they could get me...a nun costume. Whatever am I gonna do with that? Yep, stay up until 2 in the morning sewing a costume. Did I mention I was supposed to make 48 cupcakes that evening....not be sewing a costume. I did find a bonnet, but the store wanted $9.99 for it. HA! I'm not paying that price---I can make that. FAMOUS LAST WORDS.

Not at all attractive and makes me
look like the size of a boat house, but it worked! 

Thanks to a mattress cover found at the Goodwill for $2.49 and this blog--The Waag Blaag--I was able to create a costume for Ms. Abigail Williams. I had to make a mad dash to Wal-Mart at 8 p.m. when I realized I didn't have any ribbing and I didn't have interfacing. AHHHH. I also had to make the collar twice because I made the head opening WAY too large. Nothing is simple. By 11 p.m. I was cursing the fact that I didn't buy the TEN DOLLAR bonnet. OMG. What the heck was I thinking?


I read "The Legend of Spookely the Pumpkin" to all the K, 1 and 2 graders. I reenacted Abigial's story for the EXCEL classrooms. What a fun day!

I'm pretty sure the staff thinks I'm insane or the best volunteer ever.




Earlier in the week I went to Borden elementary and read "Two Little Witches" to several classes there.

On Friday, I went back to FKE and was the mascot for the morning because they were having career day! I even had Firefighter Klein escort me around to protect me from all those little hands! I had fun dancing and being obnoxious! Thank goodness my boys are good kids and enjoy their crazy mother! HA!

Hillcrest Neighborhood, Louisville, KY HALLOWEEN HAUNTS!

On my way to an appointment this week I drove through this amazing neighborhood. I knew I had to fit in a run, so I figured after my appointment I would retrace my steps and jog through this neighborhood. They had selfie opportunities throughout the neighborhood, but I refrained as I was a sweaty mess. Here is what I saw on my C25k RUN---which I might add was one of the best miles I have run EVER--I ran a 9.15 min. mile. Unheard of. I'm so glad I was entertained on my run! I need to run somewhere like this more often....

Colts Game Pics!

Merry Christmas to our family! 

We bought eight tickets--four for our neighbors and four for us! We bought four tickets four rows up on the 40 yard line and 4 tickets up in the horseshoe section (located above Prince Charmings head.) Obe Wan and I volunteered to stay up in the horseshoe section and little J-Bird and PC stayed down below. PC and J-Bird couldn't quit grinning like idiots. It was SUCH a fun day to see both boys grinning like fools. Although the Colts lost to the Saints it will be memories will all have and hopefully can cherish. 

We drove up EARLY Sunday morning to Indianapolis---home of the Colts! Jen & I were in one car so we could talk/gossip the whole way and the boys all rode in the van. They have two boys; one is 17 and the other is 12. We truly enjoy their family and the three youngest hang out all the time together. We went to Palomino's Resturant for a Colts Brunch. It was yummy! They showed us around town: Pacers Stadium, Hard Rock Cafe, Veterans Memorial and a lot of homeless people. It was enjoyable. Very similar feel to downtown KS City. 

  And then we went to dah, dah, daaaaa--Lucas Oil Stadium. It was awesome!

We were early so we got to watch #4 Adam Vinatieri warm up his kicking leg. We got to see the General Manager schmooze with some people ALL BECAUSE WE WERE RIGHT DOWN IN FRONT!!!!
 Obe Wan and I did just fine from up above. We were directly over the entire field, so I thought we had better seats. We got to watch #12 Andrew Luck throw balls into the middle of NO where. It was awesome! What you don't get to see on the television was (I believe) the most exceptional for the boys to see---the entrance, the pregame events and the sounds in the stadium!

Thanks to our neighbors for orchestrating this event---I don't think we would have ever bit the bullet and bought such amazing seats. 

Book Review: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

As we creep closer to Halloween I was intrigued by the title of Jennifer Donnelly's newest YA novel, These Shallow Graves, and wanted a good bone chilling novel to keep me awake at night. Although I enjoyed the book I am glad to say I won't be left with nagging or reoccurring nightmares. Instead, I am left with a sense of relief to know the innocent lives lost in the telling of the story get their due diligence in the end.

We start the story with three people digging up a corpse--apropos to the title, however it isn't the literal grave that Donnelly wants her readers to grasp, but the figure of speech. We all are subject to 'digging' our own graves and as the plot thickens we see how narcissist people can become.

Covered in dirt and standing with a shovel above a grave is our protagonist, Josephine Montfort. Jo is a 17 year old girl living in 1890s amongst the upper echelon in New York City. She is covered head to toe in dirt, but we are not told why, intead being transported to the past unveiling why our lovely and innocent protagonist is standing at a graveside at 2 in the morning. Jo's Father has been murdered; his partners in his shipping company have been murdered as well and it seems the business has been compromised by mysteriously missing shipping manifests. Compelled to become a reporter, Jo finds herself yearning to learn the truth of her father's untimely demise, as well as the truth to the shipping business.

Much to Jo's chagrin this is not the time when a young lady can ask questions or go anywhere without a chaperone. Jo is at the mercy of 1890 and has to discover how to illicit answers without shunning her family or herself. Thanks to her intelligence, wit and charm she manages to befriend a Newsie who has connections throughout the city. This friendship quickly evolves into a romantic relationship which will epically fail due to their lineage.

The historical aspect of this novel was compelling as was the plot development and characters. I felt like a winner because I knew who did what before Jo did, but that isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book. It was accurate in its depiction of the time and allowed for me to create beautiful images of the story as I read. Well, some not so beautiful as New York has a lurking evilness to its West side with its pick pockets and ladies of the evening--some of these settings allowed for great characterization to develop.

Out last week: Oct. 27, 2015

ISBN:9780385737654