Mom Monday - Lawn Ornaments

     So, I was recently on the receiving end of some parenting criticism. Now that my kids are older and play dates are few and far between, I rarely receive outright criticism from other parents. Someone recently made repeated comments about my sons' bikes and skateboards being all over the front lawn and how they should be disciplined in the same way that this person was taught to keep bikes and things put up - by throwing them away.

Lovely, yes!

     Ummm, okay - maybe this person had very little freedom or fun in life but I'm okay with it. No, I don't enjoy stepping over bikes or having to move skate rails off the driveway before I can park, but every time I see those things I am reminded of wisdom handed down to me by older generations. To those who want to raise kids in sterile homes and pristine yards where lawns are for looking at know this: 

Love them enough to let them? Yes!

     I do enjoy seeing my kids put their things in their places. However, the day that the bikes and skateboards are no longer strewn about, will be a sad day that my children have grown and no longer feel that freedom to hop on a bike, pedal away and back, hop off and run in the house to tell me about their adventure.
      I am thankful that I have healthy children that can ride things on two wheels, hop on skate rails, and shoot hoops. I am thankful that I live in a place where a bike left in a yard remains a bike left in a yard and not a "missing bike". Most of all I am thankful for the women who passed down advice like, "I know they are giving you trouble today, but be thankful that they are healthy enough to dish it out!"



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A little genre help, please?

Okay, I know I should be studying for finals, but I need a little down-time and this is where I go. I have been checking out a new genre of YA - graphic novels. One of my son's has been borrowing and buying Anime comics lately and having me take him to B&N to pick up more. I go along with it and chalk (is it chalk or chock?) it up to being a phase and hey - it's reading for fun and that's what it's all about, right?

from Manga site

So, we got really confused at B&N - what's the difference between Anime, Manga, and Graphic Novels? I know the first two have a definite Asian style and content. I've seen Graphic Novels based on American & European romance recently, but what about Anime & Manga? Something about one is made into film and one is strictly book-form?  I need some help here.......

from Anime site

And what's with the girls in these books? Ugh! 








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Would you believe....

.........someone actually stole my son's copy of The Hunger Games at school? We've been passing around a set with friends and family and now my with only a few days left in April, my son will end 6th grade on a sour note on reading.
      Since he's a reluctant reader, I was pretty happy to see him take an interest in such a thick book. As for the content, he's got me to have a never ending discussion with about the brutality in it and as he's moving into 7th grade, so I thought it would be a step up in reading challenge material. Funny how a certain other student suddenly has a copy with his name all over it in Sharpie. I have this overwhelming urge to wear a pinkish wig, chartreuse lipstick and outfit and walk by his desk  and wish him, "May the odds be ever in your favor....."

------------evil, I know--------------

Klaatu barada nikto

Finals are here and it feels a lot like this.........

Leaving the world as you know it

And everything in your life stands still until you take those  all-encompassing, comprehensive finals

And just for fun:

at least Helen didn't run a way screaming, and trip!

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As soon as finals are over, I've got some really cool stuff to share -we'll talk about creativity: where it comes from and where it goes.....

Have you hugged your metaphor today?

I love metaphors! Love, love, LOVE them!

They are everywhere - in movies, works of art, music, poetry, writing. There's something about sharing that creative image or scoopful of words with the writer and fellow readers. I love to watch a movie and pick out all the metaphors....."see the character open the unexpected present? That's symbol of the sacrifice someone is going to make for him later in the show....."  I must really be annoying to watch movies with!




What about similes. Similes are like windshield wipers on a stormy day - revealing what you couldn't see without them, like a thesaurus of the middle of your brain-a paper copy of your descriptive thoughts and interpretations, like an image played out with interchanging scenes all depicting the same meaning - a busy person compared to a "bug on a hot rock"

So now that we have a simile for similes, here's a simile for metaphor - It's like a supersized #3 cheeseburger meal at McDonalds given to you on a day when you've had plain oatmeal for breakfast.

Those who master similes and metaphors are the most creative and thereby most desired people to listen to: Jesus, Spielberg, Gaga, Shakespeare: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate:" – William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18

What's a metaphor for metaphor?

Have you hugged your metaphor today?

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Do people just need a little "bling" to get them to read?

     In 2012, it's all about the ebooks!  Yes, we love giving/receiving Nooks and Kindles at Christmas. Seems like the trend in ebooks has come full circle and become a contributor to literacy rather than a destroyer. I am one of those "love the stink of  paper books" nerds - yes - that be me! But, I do read ebooks as well - even on a  21/2" cell phone screen at times.

     The news lately has been sharing some info gathered by the Gates foundation about trends in reading. Here I was last week lamenting the loss of print encyclopedias, when surveys were being tallied showing that since the ebook's release, people are reading more and buying more books and not just ebooks. The survey says that people who read ebooks are also buying more print books.

 Looks like we've got our jelly for our peanut butter (oh yeah, that calls for a Peanut Butter Jell-ay dance!)

   


Now if I could just figure out how it can benefit the job market for future librarians - anyone?

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Like what you see? Vote for me!

     I have been invited to participate in the Independent Book Blogger contest. I entered in the Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy category. They could send this Montana-girl to New York!

Rizzoli Bookstore, New York source

So just a little "clicky" on your part  and I could be on my way to hob-nob with other book bloggers in the Big Apple at the BookExpo America blogger convention! Can you imagine the book stores they must have? Holy stacks, Batman! Voting April 10-23rd. You must be a member of Goodreads to enter (super simple registration - it's a personal online book list site).

Vote for this blog for the Independent Book Blogger Awards!
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Dystopia - where did it start?

      Everybody loves a catastrophe - why is that? Why is it that most of the hit movies in the past few years have been about surviving major changes in things like environment, alien invasion, government restructuring, etc. For some reason it really gets peoples attention and gets people to read and buy movie tickets.
    Previously, I linked to a YouTube video  made by a high school student about the Hunger Games .  I found that video after I made this one for my Technology class. Eerily similar. I got stuck using MovieMaker on PC rather than the fancy-schmancy Imovie on the Mac - hence the distorted sound. If it bothers you, turn it down and just enjoy the video. It was a challenge to make, but oh, so cool!


 Introducing my "get kids to read by hooking them on a genre" video:

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Which ability would you choose?

Heros fangirl here. I just finished watching the entire series (took months, but oh, so worth it!)

     The most amazing thing about the show came afterwards. Being the curious cat that I am, I was looking up the cast list to see where I had seen a cast member before and what do I find? An entire list of cast member abilities! What an inspirational treasure for paranormal/fantasy fan. Someday, I'm going to write a paranormal novel using an ability that will knock your socks off.

     For now, I pick "superspeed" - what mother wouldn't? To see the entire list with photos, links, and Wikis go here.

And  now, the (nearly) never-ending ability link list:

Abilities

From Heroes Wiki

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Ability absorption	Ability replication examples	Activation & deactivation	Adoptive muscle memory examples
Alchemy	Alejandro's ability	Body insertion	Clairsentience examples
Clairvoyance examples	Cloaking	Cloning examples	=Disintegration
Dream manipulation examples	Electric manipulation examples	Electronic communication examples	Empathic mimicry examples
Empathy examples	Enhanced hearing	Enhanced memory examples	Enhanced strength examples
Enhanced synesthesia examples	Fire breathing	Flight examples	Freezing examples
Gravitational manipulation	Healing examples	Healing touch	Heat generation
Illusion examples	Impenetrable skin	Induced radioactivity examples	Intuitive aptitude
Invisibility examples	Lie detection	Magnetism examples	Melting
Memory manipulation	Mental manipulation examples	Metal mimicry	Microwave emission
Mohinder's ability examples	Persuasion	Phasing examples	Plant growth
Poison emission examples	Precognition examples	Precognitive dreaming	Puppet master examples
Pyrokinesis examples	Rapid cell regeneration examples	Sedation	Seismic burst
Shape shifting examples	Shattering	Sound manipulation examples	Space‑time manipulation examples
Spontaneous combustion examples	Super speed examples	Supercharging examples	Technopathy examples
Telekinesis examples	Telepathy examples	Terrakinesis examples	Underwater breathing

Weather control

See Also:

Abilities with Multiple Users

Ability Development

Ability Extension

Ability Heredity

Ability Immunity

Ability Loss

Ability Theft

Brain Examination

Brain Penetration

Eye Alteration

List of Abilities

Paradox

Prophecy

Rift

Simultaneous Abilities