Christmas Links
Ugly Christmas Lights - Submissions welcome. Some of the pictures are a riot. Blog Nod: BusyMom
Best Christmas book ever - Harvey Slumfenburger’s Christmas Gift
Extreme Christmas Lights - Blog Nod: Grow a Brain
Archive for December, 2006
A Neat Space Shuttle Connection
Last January, the boys and I went to the 2006 Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day where we got to hear astronaut Robert Curbeam speak about his experiences in space. His presentation was awesome and included a short video of his last space shuttle trip. The kids in the audience got to ask questions like how they sleep in space (Curbeam said that was the hardest thing to get used to). Following his presentation he autographed pictures for us. He was sweet as can be and I (still) can’t believe he’s older than me - he looks SO young. E has his picture framed and hanging on the wall.
Yesterday we were watching the news to see if the shuttle had launched and B said, “Hey, that’s the astronaut we saw speak in Hilo!” Sure enough, it is. E is particularly thrilled that he “knows” one of the astronauts on this most recent shuttle trip.
Judging a Book by its Cover
How many of you pick up a book based on its cover? How many of you have put a book back on the shelf based on its cover? C’mon, now, raise your hands. I certainly have! The cover design is HUGE for a book. Waiting to see the cover art is one of the hardest things about writing a book. Will the publisher get it right? Will the cover suit the story? Or will they completely miss the mark and put, say, a tightwalking poodle on the cover of a romance novel?
Well, Penguin Books is changing some of that cover fear, albeit for already-successful authors. They are offering six different classic novels with a bare bones blank cover. Readers can design the cover of their dreams - and even submit them to the gallery. What a creative idea – and a great gift! It looks like these are only available in the UK so far, but maybe the trend will make it across the pond.
Blog Nod: Write Now is Good via psfk
I am SO curious!
Occasionally a spammer will coerce me into opening a message with a subject line that sounds like a work-related message. Today, I opened one. All it had was a link and these words:
Annie was driven forward onto the floor with the burning stack of paper under her.
If there had been, Annie had chowed them down on her last binge.
Paul flicked it and saw a neat shed addition which ran the length of the house on its windward side.
I don’t dare click on the link, but I am SO curious to know exactly what they are selling with this jumbled set of words!
Need a Fun Birthday Party idea for a Teen/Tween?
I got a great message yesterday from a lady who attended one of my workshops at the Home = Ed Conference in California. Brilliant!
Diversity
In California, we lived in a very rural area that unfortunately offered little in the way of diversity. Here, every time we go out we hear someone speaking in a different language - tagalog, Tongan, Hawaiian, Japanese. Though I don’t know the ethnicity of the doctors we’ve seen in California, or of those we’ve seen here for that matter, the cultural difference between here and there is apparent in the names of our doctors. I’m reminded of this every time I have to write an apointment on the calendar!
Our California doctors:
- Dr. Hunt
- Dr. Davidson
- Dr. Eldred
- Dr. Williams
- Dr. Hoag
Our Hawaii doctors:
- Dr. Ichishita
- Dr. Hirata
- Dr. Hirinaka
- Dr. Fujioka
- Dr. Nikaitani
- Dr. Oka
Library Tuesday
B loves his library job and is thriving there. He was “promoted” last week from reshelving in the children’s section to reshelving in the young adult section. Watching him grow from this experience has been bittersweet for me though. I love that he’s so capable and enjoys his adult co-workers and that they like him. But I know that this is the first step on his path out into the world and I miss him already!
On Tuesdays, he works a full day so it’s quiet around here. E and I will usually do some baking (today, cookies and spiced almonds) and play a game. E will read, I will do some work. But we really miss B’s presence. This was very evident last week when B came home. The two boys plopped down on my bed and each asked the other about their day, then they took turns offering a complete rundown. It was the sweetest conversation and I was content just to listen to these boys talking to each other like two friends. Of course, soon after they returned to arguing over who ate the last graham cracker, but it was nice while it lasted.
Great Game - Cranium’s Family Fun
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, my family played a game from Cranium called Family Fun - once was not enough. The kids asked for more and we didn’t mind complying!
To play, two teams work cooperatively to reach the finish line first. There isn’t a limit to team size, though you’ll need a minimum of four people total to play. To reach the finish line, teams must complete a variety of challenges* in four categories: Creative Cat, Word Worm, Data Head, and Star Performer. Teams draw cards that instruct them to do activities such as drawing (with eyes closed!), acting out scenes, humming a tune, performing a stunt, answering trivia questions, or solving word problems. Because of the variety of challenges and the team aspect, this game is one that works with a wide age range – 6 year olds can easily play alongside 60 year olds.
If you’re looking for a good family gift, I highly recommend this one!
*Warning: Many of these challenges will induce uncontrollable laughter. Really.
