I heard alot about this book when the movie came out this past summer.... so I got the book as most of the time, the book is better than the movie.
I am really anxious so see how it all turns out. Each chapter is a differnet age and time for the two lovers, and I don't switch that fast, but each chapter is good in its own way.
If interested... give it a try and read it with me... tell me how you liked it!
Got a question, comment or note to share? Leave a comment!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
7 Halloween NON Candy Trick or Treaters Gifts
In my day, the fear of infected or tampered candy was so big, Halloween wasn't much fun. Oh, for the days when you could eat that carmel apple the neighbor made or those cupcakes or home made fudge! Well, some things you can change, some things you can't. So, why not make a fun "no candy" trick or treat for your neighborhood! Pass the word around to the rest of the families and give a shot to a safe Halloween Trick or Treat night!
You ask, "I am giving to a large number of trick or treaters and one bag of candy handles alot of kids, so how do I have as much of something non-candy?" Here's some suggestions.
1. Party Favors. Look in the party section of the local discount store or dollar store. Those plastic jewlery items, chalks, little hand held games, crayon sets, bubble blower things and so much more! Buy a few of those, and you have a lot!
2. Grain style snack bars or Fruit snacks! No chocolate, candy and less sugar! These are healthy and low sugar and most kids love them as much as candy anyway!
3. School and craft supplies: So many stores now have a $1 Isle - pick up a package of pencil erasers, pens/pencils, tablets, stickers, magnets and other school or craft supplies. Every kid can use a pencil and a Halloween print pencil is so much fun!
4. Accessories - well. these might be more for the little girls, but hair accessories - barretts, pony tail bands, head bands and such are a great treat!
5. Hot cereals - Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat - each box holds 8-10 individual packets of this healthy cereal - and they are sealed closed. These days, they come in fun packages with characters on the front, little games on the back and perfect for breakfast the next morning!
5. Packets of hot chocolate: Again, one box hold 8-10 packets. Some even come with mini marshmallows in them! Perfect for a bed time snack as they sort their Halloween treasures!
6. Juice box drinks. Buy a large, economy size case of box juice drinks- the kind with the attached straw. Great treat and will be loved by all that gets them!
7. Mini bottle of water! You can buy little 6-8oz size of bottled water in a case - something like $4.00 for 24 bottles. The perfect treat for the "melt-down" after that long walk!
Got a question, comment or note to share? Leave a comment!
You ask, "I am giving to a large number of trick or treaters and one bag of candy handles alot of kids, so how do I have as much of something non-candy?" Here's some suggestions.
1. Party Favors. Look in the party section of the local discount store or dollar store. Those plastic jewlery items, chalks, little hand held games, crayon sets, bubble blower things and so much more! Buy a few of those, and you have a lot!
2. Grain style snack bars or Fruit snacks! No chocolate, candy and less sugar! These are healthy and low sugar and most kids love them as much as candy anyway!
3. School and craft supplies: So many stores now have a $1 Isle - pick up a package of pencil erasers, pens/pencils, tablets, stickers, magnets and other school or craft supplies. Every kid can use a pencil and a Halloween print pencil is so much fun!
4. Accessories - well. these might be more for the little girls, but hair accessories - barretts, pony tail bands, head bands and such are a great treat!
5. Hot cereals - Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat - each box holds 8-10 individual packets of this healthy cereal - and they are sealed closed. These days, they come in fun packages with characters on the front, little games on the back and perfect for breakfast the next morning!
5. Packets of hot chocolate: Again, one box hold 8-10 packets. Some even come with mini marshmallows in them! Perfect for a bed time snack as they sort their Halloween treasures!
6. Juice box drinks. Buy a large, economy size case of box juice drinks- the kind with the attached straw. Great treat and will be loved by all that gets them!
7. Mini bottle of water! You can buy little 6-8oz size of bottled water in a case - something like $4.00 for 24 bottles. The perfect treat for the "melt-down" after that long walk!
Got a question, comment or note to share? Leave a comment!
READY Are You A Halloween Fan....
I have never liked Halloween...well, since I have been older anyway. But at the same time, it is a time for fun and games. I normally wouldn't even be thinking of Halloween at this time, but since all the local stores have their Halloween displays up, I guess I have to go along with the crowd on this one!
Printable Games A to Z has some really great game packs you can get that will help you make that Halloween party so much easier. Everything you need for a variety of games is in the pack. One stop shopping! You buy and you print! Right there at home! So take a look and see what you can use! And check out the rest of the party themes - Games A to Z has game game packs for every holiday or party theme! Including invitations!
Printable Games A to Z has some really great game packs you can get that will help you make that Halloween party so much easier. Everything you need for a variety of games is in the pack. One stop shopping! You buy and you print! Right there at home! So take a look and see what you can use! And check out the rest of the party themes - Games A to Z has game game packs for every holiday or party theme! Including invitations!
Who Stole the Halloween Pumpkin Patch!
I am not a Halloween fan, but I do like the harvest-y, fall, autumn-y, country feeling that comes with this time of year. The typical pumpkin patch is here only because of Halloween , but I always enjoyed visiting the pumpkin patch for the above mentioned ambiance and the final notice of "Autumn is here". Last night I went to the local pumpkin patch with my daughter and 7 year old granddaughter, looking forward to an enjoyable family outing.
Used to be that there was a pumpkin patch on every third corner and a few parking lots in between. They were "constructed" out of bales of hay, tons of pumpkins, and yes, with the Halloween theme of spooks, goblins and scary noises. The pumpkins and gourds were so much fun to look at and choose from. A fun, family function and the kids just loved it - their favorite was walking (or I should say running!) the hay bale mazes and seeing what was behind the corners and the finale of each one choosing their favorite pumpkin. Fun, affordable and festive.
Well as usual, all good things come to an end. These days the pumpkin patches are few and far between and what is there is so commercialized and expensive that they just aren't any fun anymore.
We went to this local pumpkin patch last night. This pumpkin patch is the only one in the area. It is on the corner of one of the busiest, most major intersections in town - which means massive traffic and lots of noise! But, oh well, we'll forget about that once in the patch! It was huge with lots and lots of pumpkins....I was full of anticipation for the fun with my girls.
I wish I could say something to it's glory, but unfortunately it turned out to be overly commercialized, over priced and "halloween" ambiance of any kind never entered its surroundings! Wait.. I did get scared when I saw the prices of the pumpkins and the rides! We didn't have an ounce of fun. The only good thing I can say about this pumpkin patch was that at least there was no admission fee and I feel sorry for alot of kids and parents that will miss out on a wonderful family memories.
As we walked in to the patch, we were immediately and massively slapped smack-dab in the face with extremely loud, deafening, screaming, loud, yelling, blaring, non-stop loud music from a local radio station. And not just the screaming from the loud music - we also were subjected without release, to the nagging commercials! I am sorry, but being at the pumpkin patch with the kids for a fun, festive outing is just not the place to have to listen to ads about medications, health and hygeine problems and other "adult" themed commercials. Having to listen to the screaming ads by the local stores and their "percent off" sales, ads for buying/selling this and that and hearing about how to treat restless leg syndrome, depression and other body disfunctions is just not something I want to listen to while at the pumpkin patch with my kids, nor do I want the little ones to hear it. The bit of music was 60's and 70's era, which I grew up in and like, but at mega decibals pounding in my ears, enjoyment never made it past the sound speaker.
The music and constant chatter was so loud you couldn't even hear the person next to you talking so the family outing turned into a personally silent one - if you can't hear the other speak to you, you know they don't hear you speak to them. So everyone just walked around in their own silence. There goes the fun and enjoyment of hearing the squeals of excitment from my grand daughter when she saw a huge pumpkin or one of a different color or shape and the "WOW! Look how HUUGGGHHHH this pumpkin is!" and I missed that fantastic smile and twinkle in her eyes!
Trying to make the best of it, we walked around in this huge area, in our own silence, hands over our ears, in search of the perfect jack-o-lantern, pumpkin carving
pumpkin - a round, orange, clean, no spots pumpkin with a nice stem for the handle... a round, orange pumpkin with a nice stem? A round, orange pumpkin with a stem? A round, orange, pumpkin...an orange pumpkin?
Used to be that there was a pumpkin patch on every third corner and a few parking lots in between. They were "constructed" out of bales of hay, tons of pumpkins, and yes, with the Halloween theme of spooks, goblins and scary noises. The pumpkins and gourds were so much fun to look at and choose from. A fun, family function and the kids just loved it - their favorite was walking (or I should say running!) the hay bale mazes and seeing what was behind the corners and the finale of each one choosing their favorite pumpkin. Fun, affordable and festive.
Well as usual, all good things come to an end. These days the pumpkin patches are few and far between and what is there is so commercialized and expensive that they just aren't any fun anymore.
We went to this local pumpkin patch last night. This pumpkin patch is the only one in the area. It is on the corner of one of the busiest, most major intersections in town - which means massive traffic and lots of noise! But, oh well, we'll forget about that once in the patch! It was huge with lots and lots of pumpkins....I was full of anticipation for the fun with my girls.
I wish I could say something to it's glory, but unfortunately it turned out to be overly commercialized, over priced and "halloween" ambiance of any kind never entered its surroundings! Wait.. I did get scared when I saw the prices of the pumpkins and the rides! We didn't have an ounce of fun. The only good thing I can say about this pumpkin patch was that at least there was no admission fee and I feel sorry for alot of kids and parents that will miss out on a wonderful family memories.
As we walked in to the patch, we were immediately and massively slapped smack-dab in the face with extremely loud, deafening, screaming, loud, yelling, blaring, non-stop loud music from a local radio station. And not just the screaming from the loud music - we also were subjected without release, to the nagging commercials! I am sorry, but being at the pumpkin patch with the kids for a fun, festive outing is just not the place to have to listen to ads about medications, health and hygeine problems and other "adult" themed commercials. Having to listen to the screaming ads by the local stores and their "percent off" sales, ads for buying/selling this and that and hearing about how to treat restless leg syndrome, depression and other body disfunctions is just not something I want to listen to while at the pumpkin patch with my kids, nor do I want the little ones to hear it. The bit of music was 60's and 70's era, which I grew up in and like, but at mega decibals pounding in my ears, enjoyment never made it past the sound speaker.
The music and constant chatter was so loud you couldn't even hear the person next to you talking so the family outing turned into a personally silent one - if you can't hear the other speak to you, you know they don't hear you speak to them. So everyone just walked around in their own silence. There goes the fun and enjoyment of hearing the squeals of excitment from my grand daughter when she saw a huge pumpkin or one of a different color or shape and the "WOW! Look how HUUGGGHHHH this pumpkin is!" and I missed that fantastic smile and twinkle in her eyes!
Trying to make the best of it, we walked around in this huge area, in our own silence, hands over our ears, in search of the perfect jack-o-lantern, pumpkin carving
pumpkin - a round, orange, clean, no spots pumpkin with a nice stem for the handle... a round, orange pumpkin with a nice stem? A round, orange pumpkin with a stem? A round, orange, pumpkin...an orange pumpkin? Although I enjoyed seeing the ornamental gourds and pumpkins and the most amazing shapes that the pumpkins had grown in, the reason for a pumpkin patch was sadly lost. Tall, thin, short, fat, narrow in the middle, fat on the ends, various colors on the same pumpkin, pumpkins literally of all variety of shapes, sizes, colors and styles - except a good, round one for carving. They were fun to look at but since the music was so loud, I really had to struggle to hear my grand daughter proclaim in excitement - "wow, Nanny! Look at that pumpkin! It is tall instead of round!" and "Oh my gosh - look at that one! It is red, orange, black, green and brown!" and I almost missed her trying to tell me "These are the funniest pumpkins!!". And of course, I missed the "choosing" conversation. You know, which one should we choose and why? But the hardest part was finding a round, orange pumpkin with a stem.
Throw in of course, that there are no prices - anywhere. There was one section of small pumpkins that said "$4,$2,$1: you had to use your best judgement as to which price went to which pumpkin and then pay for the size the owner's determined it was. The facility also had several rides, a ballon slide and stuff... I never pay any attention to them as I haven't a clue as to their safety followed by the fact that they are so expensive, pay for a ride for 4 kids and you almost have a day's fare to Disneyland!
Well, we finally found the pumpkin we wanted and walked back to where the sales counter was and got to where we think the line started. This big huge, burly guy grabs the big pumpkin and compares it to what turned out to be the price table - for them, not the customers. He yelled out to the lady at the register, in short-order cook terms (like they used to say in diners sometimes, "give me a covered dog and make it cry!" - which means a chili dog with oninon) and said it at the speed of an auctioner - something about the description of the pumpkin, and mentioned the price as $10 and how many or something; made no sense to us! But good grief! I could have got it for about $6 at the grocery and not been so beat up from the horendous music and had more fun!
Throw in of course, that there are no prices - anywhere. There was one section of small pumpkins that said "$4,$2,$1: you had to use your best judgement as to which price went to which pumpkin and then pay for the size the owner's determined it was. The facility also had several rides, a ballon slide and stuff... I never pay any attention to them as I haven't a clue as to their safety followed by the fact that they are so expensive, pay for a ride for 4 kids and you almost have a day's fare to Disneyland!
Well, we finally found the pumpkin we wanted and walked back to where the sales counter was and got to where we think the line started. This big huge, burly guy grabs the big pumpkin and compares it to what turned out to be the price table - for them, not the customers. He yelled out to the lady at the register, in short-order cook terms (like they used to say in diners sometimes, "give me a covered dog and make it cry!" - which means a chili dog with oninon) and said it at the speed of an auctioner - something about the description of the pumpkin, and mentioned the price as $10 and how many or something; made no sense to us! But good grief! I could have got it for about $6 at the grocery and not been so beat up from the horendous music and had more fun!
We had chosen 2 small ones that we were sure were the $2 size and a $2 carving knife. This huge guy cries out to the register, something about 2 and 4 and another one and some kind of brand of knife. This guy is on one side, we in the middle and the cashier on the other side and that loud, blarring music all encompassing. The register lady called out twice, "Say again?" and "What was that?" The music was so obnoxiously loud we didn't even hear the total and had to ask twice. My daughter paid and I'm standing there thinking "Hum..that sounds rather expensive for a couple little pumpkins" and started adding in my head as we walked away. I also noticed that once they had her money, they distracted my daughter, handing her coupons for the christmas trees they will be having and a coupon for this and another one for that. Does "kick-back" ring a bell? Yeah, it did to me. Anyway, I then asked my daughter - "did they charge you $2 or $4 for those little ones?" She looks at her recipt and sure enough, not only did they charge $4 each for the $2 pumpkins, but they charged $6.99 for the $1.99 knife! She went back to get her money back, they argued with her about it until she presented the pumpkins again then walked the burly guy over to where the knives were to point out the price on the box. Was she apologized to? No, just picked up the refund they dropped on the counter to her and then directed their attention to the next customer.
I decided not to dwell on how horrible the experience was and try to salvage a memory and once at the car, talked with my grand daughter about the pumpkins we had chosen and what plans she had for hers and told her a story about her mommy's first pumpkin and that she called it pumpkin "pouch" instead of pumpkin "patch."
Sorry Great Pumpkin...you're going to have to by-pass this town this year - the pumpkin patches are not suitable for you here! Try again next year!
- -
Got a question, comment or note to share? Leave a comment!
I decided not to dwell on how horrible the experience was and try to salvage a memory and once at the car, talked with my grand daughter about the pumpkins we had chosen and what plans she had for hers and told her a story about her mommy's first pumpkin and that she called it pumpkin "pouch" instead of pumpkin "patch."
Sorry Great Pumpkin...you're going to have to by-pass this town this year - the pumpkin patches are not suitable for you here! Try again next year!
- -
Got a question, comment or note to share? Leave a comment!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
A Wonderful Gift for Baby!
As a grand mother, I've been there, done that! I've heard it all and quite frankly I think that these days, they make "taking care of children" a huge, cumbersome chore, when it is really the biggest blessing you can ever imagine. People want to make new mothers think that they don't know a thing about being a mom and that they must listen to them and also because of that all mightly dollar. If they can convince you to buy something because it "is best for your child", their profits go up!
Well, I say pacifiers are okay for kids, as long as you - the mommy - use the same intelligence you use for the rest of your life. Common sense. A pacifier is a form of security. It is also something for teethers to gnaw on instead of their fingers or something "else". Your job as mommy, is to "teach" your child when and where to use the pacifier, not just sit back and let them do what they want or worse, tell you what they are going to do with it!
Anyway, off my mommy soap box! I found this site and thought these are the cutest things and I wish I'd seen them long time ago! My little 18 month old grand daughter is already off pacifier's or I'd be ordering!
What what a great gift - baby shower, first stocking stuffer - or just that special item from grandma! They are so cute and quite the eye-catcher and sure to bring smiles to all!
Check it out.... Personalized Pacifiers
Well, I say pacifiers are okay for kids, as long as you - the mommy - use the same intelligence you use for the rest of your life. Common sense. A pacifier is a form of security. It is also something for teethers to gnaw on instead of their fingers or something "else". Your job as mommy, is to "teach" your child when and where to use the pacifier, not just sit back and let them do what they want or worse, tell you what they are going to do with it!
Anyway, off my mommy soap box! I found this site and thought these are the cutest things and I wish I'd seen them long time ago! My little 18 month old grand daughter is already off pacifier's or I'd be ordering!
What what a great gift - baby shower, first stocking stuffer - or just that special item from grandma! They are so cute and quite the eye-catcher and sure to bring smiles to all!
Check it out.... Personalized Pacifiers
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