Well we've cleared out our house and are getting ready to officially move out! We check in to the hotel tomorrow and fly out on Thursday. I have loved living in Hawaii and will truly miss all the friends we have made here-you know who you are! At the same time I am excited for this new adventure in our lives and all that comes with it. I just hope that we will enjoy living in Las Vegas as much as we did Hawaii! We hope you all have a fabulous New Year and I'll post again once we are settled in Vegas!
Christmas Eve 2008 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
On Christmas Eve my parents, Paul, Brian and I went to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl! It was Notre Dame vs University of Hawaii. We had excellent seats-row five on the 20 yard line. We had a great time and couldn't have asked for better weather...how many people can wear shorts to a football game on Christmas Eve and still be warm?
Here is a picture of one of the touchdowns right in front of our seats.
Here is a picture of one of the touchdowns right in front of our seats.
Another shot of our fabulous view...
Me and Brian
The rest of the gang....
Our Christmas was unconventional this year since we are down to the wire with our move...we have to be out of our house on Tuesday....but we were still able to have fun in our own way! The Big Island
We decided to make one last trip to another island before we move away from Paradise! Brian, Paul, my parents and I went to The Big Island for a few days. Here are some highlights of our trip.
This is the first hike we went on. We hiked across the lava and up to a nice lookout. It was called Pu'u Huluhulu.
This is the first hike we went on. We hiked across the lava and up to a nice lookout. It was called Pu'u Huluhulu.
Help! Paul is being sucked in by the lava! Someone rescue him!
You can't see me very well, but I am behind my dad inside a lava tube. We decided to turn all our flashlights off and see who would turn their light on first. Paul decided this would be a good time to try and scare me. I could hear him moving around and figured he was doing something sneaky, so I started waving my flashlight around in the air, and I struck gold! I hit him right in the head. Serves him right! Lucky for him my flashlight was plastic!
This is another hike. This one is called Kilauea Ike. We started out in this gorgeous lush jungle...
and hiked down into this "lava pool". Apparently a lava flow from 1959 created a lake of lava that eventually sunk back down into the earth, creating a bathtub ring as it slowly cooled. We walked across this "lava pool" and climbed out the other side of the forest, which was spared from the lava because of the pooling effect. There is still steam coming out of some of the vents. It was pretty cool.
Finally, this is a picture of the active part of the volcano. It was really cool to see at night, because the red lava really spewed out like fireworks. Unfortunately, getting a good picture was a huge challenge. Once it got dark, I guess our camera couldn't find anything to focus on so all our pictures came out blurry.
Brian's Graduation!
Yay! Brian graduated from BYU-Hawaii on Saturday! He has worked very hard these past few years and it has finally paid off! We are so proud of him! Here is a copy of the insert part of his announcement. I thought it turned out pretty nice.
Here he is on graduation day! Check out that huge grin on his face!
The ceremony was very nice. We were a little worried as the weather put a huge wrench in our plans...long story, but the power went out during BYU-H's celebratory dinner that was supposed to be Thursday, but due to the weather got changed to Friday. Since we were at the dinner, Paul picked my parents up from the airport and tried to take them to Turtle Bay. Unfortuntely, they got caught behind the power line that fell in the road. I believe they were stuck for about 5 hours or so. But, thankfully it all worked out and my parents got a nice tour of what Oahu looks like in the dark! Unfortunately I do not have a good picture of everyone (Bud & Marge, Brian's parents, my parents, and Paul-although I'm not sure he counts because he conveniently showed up all sleepy eyed right as the ceremony ended)! ;)
I speak for everyone when I say that we are all grateful for Brian and his accomplishments! Congrats!
Something to be grateful for...
Well, guess what?? We are pregnant! We just went to the doctor today! I am hesitant to post this on my blog, because we've been trying for what seems like forever and it's still really early (part of me feels like I might jinx it), but I just can't keep it in anymore!
The baby is due July 26th! We are so excited. Here is the picture from the ultrasound-the head is the circle shape on the left of where she drew and the body is to the right. Above the baby is what turns into part of the placenta. The coolest part was that we got to see the baby's heartbeat. A little blinking or flashing spot is the only way I can describe it. It was amazing though-I loved it. And I was especially grateful that Brian was able and willing to go with me. He's going to be an awesome daddy.
The parents to be....
The parents to be....
So, even though it's December I wanted to say that we really had something to celebrate this Thanksgiving. We found out the day we went on the cruise, and so it made the cruise even more enjoyable and gave us another reason to celebrate. Our prayers have been answered and we couldn't be happier. I am so grateful for the wonderful parents we both have and the examples they have been to us. I am grateful for Brian and how wonderful and supportive he is. I couldn't have asked for a better husband and father to be. Congrats Brian! I can't wait to start this new adventure with you!Goodbye Dining Room Table
Well we sold our first piece of furniture today-our dining room table! I miss it already. It was one of my favorite items, and I was sad to see it go, but what can you do? Oh, in case you were wondering, eating dinner on a nightstand really is as awkward as it looks.
Cruise vol. 4 "Summary"
The cruise was jam packed with things to do! We played a variety of board/card games in the game room, played hide and go seek, lounged around the pool, played some arcade games, and tons of other stuff I can't think of right now.
Destiny, Paul, Kevin, Missi, and Aunt Dorinda played Family Feud and won! Brian and Paul entered a rock climbing race too. There was at least one show every night after dinner. The love & marriage show is always a hit, and the comedian one night had us laughing so hard Marge had to use her inhaler! There is an ice skating rink on board as well and one night the ice skaters put on a show as well. It was really cool.
Oh! How could I forget?? The Quest! The Quest is a game where they divide the audience into different sections and one man/woman represent your section and have to do or get all kinds of random things. Kevin and I were the representatives from our section and we were pretty bad. We had to dance certain dances (like the Macarena, electric slide-apparently there is a new Superman song and dance that I was not aware of)......we had to get random objects-Kevin had to get two women from the audience to give him their bras and he had to wear them on his head (this was an adult show).......Uncle Wes and some other guy had to hold hands and skip.... Brian, Paul and some others had to do the Moulin Rouge can-can topless. Anyway.....
Here Paul, Kevin, and I are hanging out at the sports court side of the top deck of the ship. I think this was after a lively dodgeball tournament! Kevin has the pictures of that, so if I don't ever post any, it's his fault! It was a tournament and "Team Awesome" consisted of Brian, Kevin, Paul, Destiny, and two strays that joined. It was pretty fun to watch.
Destiny, Paul, Kevin, Missi, and Aunt Dorinda played Family Feud and won! Brian and Paul entered a rock climbing race too. There was at least one show every night after dinner. The love & marriage show is always a hit, and the comedian one night had us laughing so hard Marge had to use her inhaler! There is an ice skating rink on board as well and one night the ice skaters put on a show as well. It was really cool.
Oh! How could I forget?? The Quest! The Quest is a game where they divide the audience into different sections and one man/woman represent your section and have to do or get all kinds of random things. Kevin and I were the representatives from our section and we were pretty bad. We had to dance certain dances (like the Macarena, electric slide-apparently there is a new Superman song and dance that I was not aware of)......we had to get random objects-Kevin had to get two women from the audience to give him their bras and he had to wear them on his head (this was an adult show).......Uncle Wes and some other guy had to hold hands and skip.... Brian, Paul and some others had to do the Moulin Rouge can-can topless. Anyway.....
Here Paul, Kevin, and I are hanging out at the sports court side of the top deck of the ship. I think this was after a lively dodgeball tournament! Kevin has the pictures of that, so if I don't ever post any, it's his fault! It was a tournament and "Team Awesome" consisted of Brian, Kevin, Paul, Destiny, and two strays that joined. It was pretty fun to watch.
This is the sports court area of the ship. There's mini-golf, in-line skating, ping pong, a basketball/volleyball court, and a rock climbing wall.
Here Brian and I are at the front on the ship!
I'll post more later...I've spent way too much time already! In summary, it was a blast and I recommend going on a cruise to anyone who wants to know. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!
Cruise vol. 3 "St. Thomas"
One of our four stops was St. Thomas. The beaches were gorgeous, and the ocean seemed less salty than here in Hawaii.
Here I am enjoying a Banana Daiquiri!
Here Brian and Kevin are playing with the camera. It has this feature where it will take the left side of a picture and then save it so you can move and re-pose and take the right half.
The view
In St. Thomas we all rented this taxi for the day and our driver took us all over the island. In this picture (left to right) you can see half of Uncle Wes, Steve, Bud, Carrie, Marge in the yellow visor, cousin Missi in the sunglasses, Destiny, and then Kevin.
Let the goofballs loose for 5 minutes and this is what happens!!!??????!!! Their poor wives....
Here I am enjoying a Banana Daiquiri!
Here Brian and Kevin are playing with the camera. It has this feature where it will take the left side of a picture and then save it so you can move and re-pose and take the right half.
The view
In St. Thomas we all rented this taxi for the day and our driver took us all over the island. In this picture (left to right) you can see half of Uncle Wes, Steve, Bud, Carrie, Marge in the yellow visor, cousin Missi in the sunglasses, Destiny, and then Kevin.
Let the goofballs loose for 5 minutes and this is what happens!!!??????!!! Their poor wives....
Cruise vol. 2 "The towel creatures"
So every night the stateroom attendant comes to turn down your bed and put chocolates on your pillow. They also fold the towels in different ways to create little creatures on your bed! Here are some that we found in our room.
A lobster
A sting ray
I couldn't figure this one out; maybe because I'm too ordinary!!! A bunny? Not really something you'd find in the ocean??
This was my favorite-a monkey! It cracked me up when I walked in the room to see this hanging above my bed!
P.S. Don't expect this kind of service when you all come visit me!!!!
Cruise vol.1 "The Stateroom"
Well, as I'm sure you all know, we went with Brian's family on a cruise to the Southern Caribbean over the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a fantastic time, and it went by way too quickly! Here are some pictures of our stateroom.
This is our room looking from the bed.
This is the view from our balcony!
This is our room looking from the bed.
This is the view from our balcony!
This is the vanity! I got really used to this! It sure beats sitting on the floor to blow dry my hair and do my makeup!
This is the view of our room as you enter the door.
What part of Thanksgiving are you?
Dang, I didn't realize I was so boring!!!! ;)
You Are Mashed Potatoes |
 Ordinary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You're the glue that holds everyone together. |
Twilight Review!
Okay, so it's 2:50 am and I just got home from seeing Twilight with Keli and Marj. I loved it-of course! I was disappointed that they cut out some parts...they definitely needed another hour to cover everything (like the proper passing of time/falling in love) as well as the book did. But isn't that always the problem with turning books into movies??? Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie, and I like the guy they picked for Edward (I liked everyone, really).
For those of you who see it, I need you to tell me if that was Stephenie Meyer in one of the scenes in the cafe. It was a really quick shot, but I swear it's her. She's sitting at the bar in the cafe about mid-movie, just before the waitress talks to Bella's dad about catching the animal that's killing people (I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the books).
For those of you who watch 24, did you notice that Bella's mom is Nina from the first season of 24? It's probably a good thing she didn't have a huge role b/c I have a lot of bad feelings toward Nina.
Well, I need to go to bed! I don't think I'll be able to sleep, because I drank a lot of soda to make sure I'd stay awake!!!! If I'm lucky, I'll get 2 hours of sleep........
Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie and Marj is hooked now, so the night was a success! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I want to read all your reviews when I come back!
For those of you who see it, I need you to tell me if that was Stephenie Meyer in one of the scenes in the cafe. It was a really quick shot, but I swear it's her. She's sitting at the bar in the cafe about mid-movie, just before the waitress talks to Bella's dad about catching the animal that's killing people (I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read the books).
For those of you who watch 24, did you notice that Bella's mom is Nina from the first season of 24? It's probably a good thing she didn't have a huge role b/c I have a lot of bad feelings toward Nina.
Well, I need to go to bed! I don't think I'll be able to sleep, because I drank a lot of soda to make sure I'd stay awake!!!! If I'm lucky, I'll get 2 hours of sleep........
Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie and Marj is hooked now, so the night was a success! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I want to read all your reviews when I come back!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Twilight!
Well, I have been struggling with a huge dilemma the past few weeks. Twilight comes out Friday, but I'm not able to see it b/c we are leaving for our cruise that day. (Trouble in paradise, I know). So, Amalie mentioned there is a midnight showing a few weeks ago and I have been going back and forth about it. So today Keli finally talked me into going to see the midnight showing Thursday night (even though I have to work the next day and immediately after work go to the airport)! I bought the tickets already so there's no backing out! Now I am very excited and hope that my Twilight-rush will last until I sit down on the plane.
I hope you all are having a good week and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I hope you all are having a good week and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Christmas Stamp Camp
So, Amy, Keli, and I went to another Stamp Camp yesterday! It was so much fun, and I made so many cute things! I actually went to one with the Relief Society a week or so ago, and a different one last night. Man, I am going to miss these when I move! I hope I can find someone who does this in Vegas!!! Anyway, here are some pictures:
This one says "Christmas Blessings" on the right side-another one of my favorites. We outlined the edges with watercolor crayons and blended it in with some kind of an aqua pen.
Here is Keli making the pink and gray ornament card!
These are the two I made before at the RS activity. I especially love the ornament one!
This is a little blurry but it is a little goodie bag that has Hershey Kisses inside. The stamp on the pink paper says "'Tis the Season".
This is a cute Santa goodie bag.
Here is Amy coloring the snowmen on the blue card.
This one says "Warm Wishes" on the bottom.
This one says "Christmas Blessings" on the right side-another one of my favorites. We outlined the edges with watercolor crayons and blended it in with some kind of an aqua pen.
Here is Keli making the pink and gray ornament card!
These are the two I made before at the RS activity. I especially love the ornament one!
I had so much fun making these. It is so relaxing and enjoyable. I love all the cards so much, it will be difficult to part with them because they are all just so cute!
Marj, I can't wait for next time so you can come with us!
Marj, I can't wait for next time so you can come with us!
A teacher wears many hats. Today: Glorified Sheep Herder
Okay...funny thing happened at school yesterday. If you are a teacher, or have experience in the schools herding little kids like sheep, you will think my story is funny. If, however, you are a parent, try to see it from a teacher's point of view-and don't judge me because you don't know what it's like. ;)
So we had a fire drill today-we have one every month. My classroom is the absolute farthest away of all the classrooms, so we are always the last class to line up when there's a fire drill. There are two fire lanes that go down the left and right side of the school, and we walk up the right side all the time. We never go left.
So the bell is ringing, and the line leader starts walking and obviously isn't thinking and starts walking down the left fire lane. By the time I make sure all the kids got out of the room and shut the door, the class is long gone going the opposite way they are supposed to. I know that if we go this way, 1. it will take much longer, and 2. we will have to cross the whole school's traffic (900 kids-my school is huge) to get where we are supposed to line up. So I am yelling at them to stop and turn around, but of course there is a huge mass of kids, so no one can hear me. I am running and yelling, yelling and running, for the kids to stop. I finally chase them all down, get them all to stop, turn them all around, and we finally start going the correct way. Now someone else is the line leader. Problem solved.
So then we are walking towards the parking lot where everyone is already lined up and waiting. Every class has a designated parking stall to line up in. My new line leader (and the rest of the class) walk towards the wrong part of the parking lot-again, the complete opposite direction! So I start yelling again, and of course the WHOLE SCHOOL is already lined up and waiting for us......
So now that the kids are all in the correct parking stall, you'd think the chaos would be over...NOPE! Not yet! They have to line up in abc order (just like they do for lunch every day!!!!) so I can easily tell who is here and who isn't.
You'd think I'd just asked them to do it blindfolded! They just stood there, "What do we do now?" and I'm yelling "You get in number order!! Now!!!! Do it!!!!" (still in front of the whole school, don't forget!) I am so embarassed b/c we are ssssooooooooo late and I am yelling like a giant doofus in front of the whole world. I rarely yell but this time I sure did.
It was so bad that I overheard one of the kids in my neighbors class ask his teacher "What is taking so long??"
So when we got back to class I told the kids that I was so mad I couldn't think of the words to say. So as I was trying to think of something to say, I just busted up laughing! We were able to joke about it, but needless to say we will be practicing our fire drill every day next week!
So we had a fire drill today-we have one every month. My classroom is the absolute farthest away of all the classrooms, so we are always the last class to line up when there's a fire drill. There are two fire lanes that go down the left and right side of the school, and we walk up the right side all the time. We never go left.
So the bell is ringing, and the line leader starts walking and obviously isn't thinking and starts walking down the left fire lane. By the time I make sure all the kids got out of the room and shut the door, the class is long gone going the opposite way they are supposed to. I know that if we go this way, 1. it will take much longer, and 2. we will have to cross the whole school's traffic (900 kids-my school is huge) to get where we are supposed to line up. So I am yelling at them to stop and turn around, but of course there is a huge mass of kids, so no one can hear me. I am running and yelling, yelling and running, for the kids to stop. I finally chase them all down, get them all to stop, turn them all around, and we finally start going the correct way. Now someone else is the line leader. Problem solved.
So then we are walking towards the parking lot where everyone is already lined up and waiting. Every class has a designated parking stall to line up in. My new line leader (and the rest of the class) walk towards the wrong part of the parking lot-again, the complete opposite direction! So I start yelling again, and of course the WHOLE SCHOOL is already lined up and waiting for us......
So now that the kids are all in the correct parking stall, you'd think the chaos would be over...NOPE! Not yet! They have to line up in abc order (just like they do for lunch every day!!!!) so I can easily tell who is here and who isn't.
You'd think I'd just asked them to do it blindfolded! They just stood there, "What do we do now?" and I'm yelling "You get in number order!! Now!!!! Do it!!!!" (still in front of the whole school, don't forget!) I am so embarassed b/c we are ssssooooooooo late and I am yelling like a giant doofus in front of the whole world. I rarely yell but this time I sure did.
It was so bad that I overheard one of the kids in my neighbors class ask his teacher "What is taking so long??"
So when we got back to class I told the kids that I was so mad I couldn't think of the words to say. So as I was trying to think of something to say, I just busted up laughing! We were able to joke about it, but needless to say we will be practicing our fire drill every day next week!
I guess it was one of those days.....good thing I'm able to laugh about it! Hope you did too!
8 Things Addition
Well, I guess I got a little carried away with my 8 things post and it came across to some that I just can't wait to leave Hawaii. However, the tag asked me to come up with 8 things I was looking forward to, and that's just what I came up with. ;)
Anyway, I am adding to my 8 things tag to make up for it!
8 Things I will miss about Hawaii (in no particular order):
1. All the friends and wonderful people I have met here
2. The small and awesome ward (I'm still bitter about the whole missing ward camp thing)
3. The fabulous beaches, palm trees, honu, the beautiful hikes, and crystal clear ocean
4. Going to Book Club every month
5. All the Stamp Camp Parties
6. Teaching the YW
7. Being able to say Aloha at church
8. The smell of fresh flower leis
I'll have you know that this list only look me less than 5 minutes to come up with and the other one took like 45 minutes! So, I hope this remedies the false impression I gave earlier!
Anyway, I am adding to my 8 things tag to make up for it!
8 Things I will miss about Hawaii (in no particular order):
1. All the friends and wonderful people I have met here
2. The small and awesome ward (I'm still bitter about the whole missing ward camp thing)
3. The fabulous beaches, palm trees, honu, the beautiful hikes, and crystal clear ocean
4. Going to Book Club every month
5. All the Stamp Camp Parties
6. Teaching the YW
7. Being able to say Aloha at church
8. The smell of fresh flower leis
I'll have you know that this list only look me less than 5 minutes to come up with and the other one took like 45 minutes! So, I hope this remedies the false impression I gave earlier!
8 Things Tag
Ok, so I was tagged by Sara, so here goes:
8 TV Shows I enjoy watching:
1. Prison Break
2. Heroes
3. CSI (the original mostly, sometimes NY; I can't stand the guy on Miami)
4. Lost
5. 24
6. Law and Order (any of them)
7. America's Funniest Videos (guaranteed laughter)
8. The Suze Orman Show
8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Work, tried to re-teach double digit subtraction (for the millionth time) to kids who said they "forgot how"
2. Went to the post office
3. Played Settlers of Catan (yes I won)
4. Watched Prison Break
5. Online check-in for the cruise
6. Got a good's night sleep (thank you NyQuil!)
7. Read from my book (Emma)
8. Started my lesson plans for the cruise
8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Our Thanksgiving Cruise
2. Brian's graduation/my parents, Brian's parents, and Bud and Marge coming to visit
3. Not having to store sugar and flour in the freezer to keep out the bugs
4. Being able to shop at Target again, paying normal price for fruit/milk/groceries, etc...
5. No more gecko poop!
6. Visiting my sister in Pensacola
7. Going to China (hopefully sometimes next spring/summer)
8. Being able to drive more than 30-40 consecutive miles without going in circles
8 Things on my wish list:
1. To be pregnant (no, unfortunately this is not an announcement!)
2. That I will stop sneezing and coughing
3. a Wii
4. Someone to grade my school papers for me
5. AC
6. Someone to buy our Santa Fe
7. 24 hour fitness
8. To be able to come up with something to put for #8 ;)
8 Things Brian did yesterday:
1. Worked
2. Came with me to the post office/Walmart
3. Helped make/clean up dinner
4. Homework
5. Gave me the "welcome home hug/kiss"
6. Helped me find batteries for the mouse to the computer
7. Made sure I took my medicine
8. Did the dishes/brought in the trash
8 People I am tagging:
1. Jill
2. Keli
3. Kelly
4. Stacy
5. Janine
6. Krystal
7. Heather
8. Anybody else who wants to do it!
Aloun Farms
We went on a field trip today to the pumpkin patch. Even though field trips are stressful for teachers, thanks to the helpful parent chaperones I was able to enjoy the kids. The only thing I'd change is how sticky and hot it was! Of course I can't post pictures of the kids, but here are a few of the pumpkins-the closest thing to seasons we have here!
Dezi's Blanket
When I was in NM this summer I got fabric to make Dezi a stripped rag quilt for his 1st birthday. Then during one of our conversations Keli randomly mentioned that she wanted to learn how to sew, so I invited her over to help make it so she could learn. Here are some pics:
Isn't the fabric adorable?
Keli ironing...Close up of the surfboard/palm tree fabric.
An action shot...
Here is a really short video of Keli sewing!We had a good time developing our talents, being creative, and just having fun! After we finished, Keli took the blanket home to clip the edges and wash it so it would fray. She is busy getting ready for Dezi's 1st birthday party, but when she updates her blog you can check it out for a picture of the finished product! http://thedelizfamily.blogspot.com
Thanks Mom and Jill for teaching me how to make it and helping pick out the fabric!
Thanks Debbie McArthur for your help and for letting us borrow your machine!
Thanks Keli for making it! It was much more fun than it would have been doing it by myself!
Thanks Mom and Jill for teaching me how to make it and helping pick out the fabric!
Thanks Debbie McArthur for your help and for letting us borrow your machine!
Thanks Keli for making it! It was much more fun than it would have been doing it by myself!
Banned Books Week
So Brian and I went to the library the other day. I guess the last week in September is "Banned Books Week" and so I took some time to look at the display they had up. It was very interesting to read about it and the reasons why certain books are challenged.
I have read some books that instantly lowered my IQ (the most recent one was "Blubber" by Judy Blume, which I read to find out why it was on the list), and parts of some books are written poorly (like the grammar in the Junie B. Jones books-as a teacher I physically cannot read those books out loud without correcting them). I also don't like the behavior in Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but does that mean they deserve to be banned? As a teacher, I ask myself, "Which is the lesser evil? A poorly crafted book or a child who hasn't found anything he likes to read?"
There were a lot of books on the most frequently challenged list that really surprised me. Of Mice and Men, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Giver, the Harry Potter Series, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Twilight are just a few.
In grades k-2, kids learn to read; after that, they read to learn. We cannot let kids become dependent on others for information. If we shelter our kids to the point of removing Huckleberry Finn because of racism, how will they learn about history and learn from others' mistakes? Kids need to learn to make their own opinions and assessments of the world around them, and how will they do that if creativity is pulled out from under them?
As long as parents teach their kids the difference between reality and fantasy and make sure what their kids are reading is age-appropriate, I don't see the harm. Anyone have any other thoughts?
I have read some books that instantly lowered my IQ (the most recent one was "Blubber" by Judy Blume, which I read to find out why it was on the list), and parts of some books are written poorly (like the grammar in the Junie B. Jones books-as a teacher I physically cannot read those books out loud without correcting them). I also don't like the behavior in Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but does that mean they deserve to be banned? As a teacher, I ask myself, "Which is the lesser evil? A poorly crafted book or a child who hasn't found anything he likes to read?"
There were a lot of books on the most frequently challenged list that really surprised me. Of Mice and Men, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Giver, the Harry Potter Series, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Twilight are just a few.
In grades k-2, kids learn to read; after that, they read to learn. We cannot let kids become dependent on others for information. If we shelter our kids to the point of removing Huckleberry Finn because of racism, how will they learn about history and learn from others' mistakes? Kids need to learn to make their own opinions and assessments of the world around them, and how will they do that if creativity is pulled out from under them?
As long as parents teach their kids the difference between reality and fantasy and make sure what their kids are reading is age-appropriate, I don't see the harm. Anyone have any other thoughts?
Halloween "Stamp Camp"
Amalie invited Keli and me to a "stamp camp" and these are the cards we made! It was so much fun! These kinds of things help me relax and just really enjoy myself. Thanks Amalie for inviting us, and thanks Keli for going with me!
Paul's Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage
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