T-Shirts For A Book Lover

I was browsing google for more fun literary quotes and I started finding the coolest things. I will introduce you to the sites one at a time so you don't get overloaded :) Check back in a few days for another one.

I found heaps of cool T-shirts on http://www.giftsforageek.com/designs/book_geek
Disclaimer: The images you are about to see may offend you, but I promise that at least one person you know will think they are hillarious.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mothers day is coming up... Just sayin'

I Win!

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't remember ever going to a concert until I was a teenager. So when the youth group and Jr youth group were going to a free concert 2 weeks ago I had my doubts as to whether Gwen was ready or not.

I was right. She wasn't. We ended up spending a couple hours sitting outside the church that was hosting the concert while the others saw Aaron Shust

I hear he was good :)

 

Anyway, this led to a moment of panic when she overheard me telling someone that I was going to a Casting Crowns concert. I quickly assured her that mommy wasn't about to jeopardize the opportunity to see Casting Crowns live by trying to take her! As much as I love doing things with her... this was my thing :). She was more then happy to stay with my mom and dad.

So my dad picked her up and all the kids I was watching left 10 minutes early yesterday! I am not usually a concert person. Cities and large crowds are not my cup of tea, but I had SO MUCH FUN!!



 I took one picture with my phone, but the rest of the time I decided to just enjoy the moments. You know what I mean? Sometimes we are so busy posting to facebook and tweeting and blogging that we forget to live the moment.

I really loved the variety of people I saw there. There were 10 year olds sitting in front of us and adults in their 60's behind us and every age in between. I sat next to Dana who thinks that EVERY Casting Crowns song is her favorite... Every song that came on she would lean over and say "I love this song" which is completely understandable because I like them all too!

The most exciting point in the night came at intermission though.

When we first sat down we were approached by a World Vision worker (if you don't know about world vision, check them out here) asking if we wanted to enter a drawing for a free kindle. World Vision people tend to make me a little nervous because we sponsor 2 kids through Compassion (If you don't know about compassion look here. Or wait for me to write a long overdue post about our Compassion girls) and so we really cannot afford to sponsor any through World Vision.

Of course I entered the drawing. I always do, even though I never win.

Except this time I DID WIN!!!! I won a free Kindle! Wow!

     

Now I have the original NOOK and the Kindle 2nd addition. What does someone like me do with both? Why, I compare them of course! When I decided to get a NOOK I read every review comparing it to the kindle that I could find. How many of those people do you think were actually hold both devices in their hands??

I'm sure none of them were, but I am. I'll let you know what I think :)

Just Another Day In Paradise- With Flowers For Mommy

Jubilee Duggar

I have loved watching the Duggar family from their very beginning on television. I watched the documentary "16 children and moving in" where they were living in a tiny 3 bedroom house and wearing out-of-date hand-me-downs and I was intrigued.

I'm not obsessed. I don't feel the need to watch absolutely every episode on the night it's released, but I think I have seen every episode. I love that it is an interesting and entertaining show that Gwen and I can watch together. I mean... well, we watch mythbusters together too because we both love to see things blow up, but we learn more from the Duggars. I will never make some of the choices that they make, and they would never make some of the decisions I do and that's ok.

Anyway, I just watched the episode where they found out that baby #20 Jubilee Shalom, died in the womb at 17 weeks and my heart broke for them. I don't care about the controversial issues. No one should have to face losing a child. Pregnancy is such and exciting time. Full of dreams and hopes and expectations. I don't care what anyone says, a baby captures your heart as soon as you are aware they are there.

In the past when someone close to me lost their little boy I didn't know how to express how devastated I was for them and I regret that I didn't just go over to pray with them and tell them how sorry I was. In her interview, Michelle said that having people who had celebrated Jubilee's conception, with them to mourn her short life was important.

So I have learned from the Duggars once more. If I am ever in the situation again, I will know what to do. Perhaps not what to say, because what do you say, but I will know that it's ok to reach out to them in love and sorrow.

How Was The Movie- Hunger Games

OK. My friends know that they can pretty much count on me to not like a movie if I love the book it's based on. I get very attached to silly things like story lines and characters and when they get 'cut' from the movie I tend to be a little critical.

There are exceptions. I was very pleased by The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe, and the first two Harry Potter movies. I even enjoyed the Percy Jackson movie, although I thought it was a little racy considering the age group the books are intended for.

So please take that into consideration when I tell you that I saw the Hunger Games last night and, well...

It could have been worse

It could have been better, too

The books started out right up my alley. Fast paced and not overly descriptive. Science-fiction-y with strong main characters. I little like City of Ember, meets The Blue Sword, meets The Blending (Except much more well written then the Blending!).

I read the first book in one day... I read the next one, Catching Fire, in less then a day. They were well organized and well thought out and highly entertaining. Forcing teenagers from 12 different districts (like colonies) to enter into a drawing and if they are chosen they must travel to the capital city (that doesn't offer up any of it's children, by the way) and enter a playing field specifically designed to be lethal. Once there they must kill each other. The last kid breathing wins and doesn't have to work for the rest of his or her life.

You may have noticed that I didn't mention reading the third book, Mockingjay. I read it, but it took me a few days. It was very good, but the main characters were a little annoying to me in the third book.

So. The Movie.

Woody Harrelson was a pleasant surprise.

District 12 looked absolutely nothing like I imagined it, but we didn't spent much time there, so it wasn't a big deal. I liked all of the actors/actresses they picked for main parts except perhaps Gale. He's supposed to be a teenager!

I forgave them for that bit of bad judgement when I saw who they cast for the part of Cato. Even though his character is nasty, I was sad that he wouldn't be in the second movie... He would've been a great Gail, in my opinion.

Almost everything was created very similar to the way it was described. They really didn't play up the cuddly/kissy stuff enough to make the uncomfortable relationships believable for the next movie. So I'm interested in how they are going to pull it off. And some of the action/fight scenes were done with way too much shaky camera footage. Was so they didn't have to put a lot of effort into them??

The crazy dogs near the end were better then I imagined though. Just really cool.

The end result is that, surprisingly, I liked this movie. What did you think?

Just Another Day In Paradise- With Jelly Beans During School

Oh For Reading Out Loud!

I have never been a big fan of reading out loud.

I know what you're going to say. I have preschoolers in my house (full of books, by the way) almost 60 hours a week and I am using Sonlight curriculum to homeschool my daughter which is entirely literature based.

I had read Gwen The Secret Garden and Treasure Island before she could crawl, and Charlotte's Web before she could read. I do a storytime at the Way Station once a month and read to the kids at church all the time. How can I say I don't like reading out loud?!?!

Well that is my confession today. I am a fast silent reader. I like to find out what is going to happen and I like to find out now. When I read out loud I stumble over the words and inflect the wrong parts of sentences because my eyes and brain are traveling faster then my mouth!

When you were in elementary school (or for those of you with elementary age kids) do you remember using a piece of paper to help you keep your place on the page? I don't... but that is what I do now! And let me tell you. That was very hard to do while holding an infant and a big heavy book in my lap. 

Some of you may know of my love of normal, rectangular bookmarks. Well, now you know why I like them. If I'm not careful Gwen gets frustrated and takes the book away from me and reads it to herself!

Talk about embarrassing!

So why do I read to the kids so much? Well, because I like the results of my continuous reading.

When little boys stop running around and choose to cuddle up with me and a book, I am filled with happiness.

When they sit down by themselves voluntarily and 'read' a book it makes everything worth it.

When Gwen and I sit quietly on the couch, porch, or blanket in the yard for an hour or more, each engrossed in our own book, I know I've done something right.

When Gwen is not doing what she is supposed to and I find her reading instead... Well, that's a little annoying. But seriously, reading is possibly one of the best things she could be doing while hiding from her responsibilities. The only thing that might be better is if she was cleaning :)

When a child runs up to me, book in hand, light in their eyes, and says "Miss Colleen, did you know...." My cup runneth over.

Does that sound extreme? Yeah, well, I AM extreme when it comes to books and reading. And I hope each and every child I come in contact with leaves with a little book excitement in their veins. 

Another Trip to the Bookstore

Another trip to the bookstore. Another day when I got home and kicked myself for being able to spend so much money in so short amount of time. I want to share with you one of the books I came home with yesterday.

Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis and Beth Clark

I haven't read this book, but I have heard so much about it. It is the amazing story of a young girl, fresh out of highschool, who goes on a short mission trip and is called by God to make it her life.

I will let you know how the book is... or better yet, watch some of her YouTube videos and buy the book yourself! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfXgCx3f_1c&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqaphcYWBEQ&feature=related

Obviously, I have no Idea how to get the YouTube videos to play here on my page :( Sorry!

Fun Stuff

Anyone else having unbelieveably wonderful weather??

Date A Girl Who Reads

A friend posted this on Facebook a few months ago and I LOVED it. I was going to share it with all of you right away, but I was a mess right then and I forgot. I found it here

A Girl You Should Date

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

– Rosemarie Urquico –

I had no Idea at the time I first read this that it is a response to "You Should Date An Illiterate Girl" which (for those of you who have a young reader peering over your shoulder occasionally while you are reading like I do) I believe should be rated R for language.

Happy reading :)

Spiritual Sunday- Be Still

"Be still and know that I am God"

Psalm 46:10

Is it safe to say??

I went into this winter dreading all the snow shoveling, salting and dressing in several layers, boots, hats, gloves, etc.. Last winter was excruciating. Going out at 5 am to shovel enough of my driveway so that parents could pull in and have a path to get to my front door at 6:30 to drop off the kids was the bane of my existence.

And of course, I was always worried about kids being sucked in and lost! LOL!

I've been afraid to comment on our mild winter this year for fear of jinxing it, but after the 70 degree weather we had yesterday I'm going to risk it and say

HOORAY!!!

We had a tiny bit of snow back in Jan. Enough so that kids could go out and play, but not enough to cause me back pain.

Gwen is that bit of black and pink on the ground by the tree... laying in wait for winter animals.

I am really living in the wrong climate. I know that ALL of our winters are mild compared to the ones further north, but I am a summer/warm weather/no shoes kind of person. I'm not sure I'd survive a 'real' winter and I'm sure I don't want to try!





Just Another Day In Paradise- In The City

Guilt

So many of the Homeschool Blogs I follow have really incredible areas set up for the kids. Some have entire classrooms, or corners with posters and desks and computers. I did try to have a space like this for my child with a desk and dollar tree posters. It didn't work out. She did not want to work there :(

So... we are back to what we had before that. A desk near the printer for computer work and a couple loaded bookshelves in our home library.

We do most of our work at the kitchen table next to our white board and world map.

Is it ideal? No, of course not.

Do I go through moments of guilt? Yes, occasionally.

Do I think it's effecting her education? NOPE. If it's changing anything, it's that the kids I watch are soaking up more advanced learning by listening to and watching what she is doing.

So, while it's not what I would like it to be... It works :) and if it's not broke, why fix it?

Bye Bye Birdie

When I was in highschool I was involved in the play two years in a row. It was a wonderful experience. I would love to say that it was enlightening and empowering... but lets be honest. I have no acting, dancing, or singing skills. So I was an usher the first year and stage crew the second year. LOL!

I've been to a few plays in years since I graduated. There were a couple times that people I knew were in it and I just had to go. This year was one of those years because the older sister of one of the kids I watch was in it (she was wonderful by the way). My mom thought that maybe Gwen would like to go with us and I thought Sure! At eight years old she'll only last an hour or so. Then I'll have an excuse to leave early. Not that our high school doesn't put on AMAZING musicals. The talent in that school and the level of commitment from the teachers is incredible. They never fail to impress. I simply am not a musical person... and the seats in that auditorium are painful to sit on after about an hour.

Little did I know that she would LOVE IT!!! It was a LOOONNNNGGG play lasting more then 3 hours and she was engrossed the whole time. Laughing and keeping up with the plot and everything.

It took me a very long time to get those songs out of my head when I was an usher for Bye Bye Birdie... But I have a feeling it will take even longer now with Gwen humming them as well!

I just hope this doesn't mean that she's going to want to see musicals all the time now!

Spiritual Sunday- Patience

Are you going to see The Lorax movie??

 

“They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!”
― Dr. Seuss

Keeping To The Schedule

As always with preschoolers, our days run more smoothly if we stick to our schedule like glue. Not that silly Elmers glue, I'm talking heavy duty Gorilla glue. Does it always happen? Of course not! If 'stick to your schedule' was the first thing I learned about preschoolers, then 'be flexible' was the second thing. It's not always possible to be exactly on schedule. There is only one of me and there are 5 of them in varying ages. I try my best though.

So we have been continuing our Friday trips to the Library... just every other Friday instead of every Friday. We stop at the playground nearby to 'get our runs and yells out' if it's decent outside and make it in time to pick out some books before the story time for 3 & 4yr olds.

Today we came home with quite a haul, as always.
Books
          
Movies
  
and an audio book


They also painted a picture of The Cat In The Hat and Thing One and Thing Two... because today is Dr Seuss birthday. You might think that they would want to borrow Dr Seuss books on a day like today, but I'll be honest with you. Since I have 20 Dr. Seuss books and another 5 Cat in the Hat Bright and Early books for Beginning Beginners in my home library we would've had trouble finding ones we don't have out of the small selection that hadn't already been borrowed.

It was a very successful outing :)

“Think and wonder, wonder and think.”
― Dr. Seuss