Bookworm: I Just Finished... The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto (12/5/15)

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

I really enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie, and The Five People You Meet in Heaven is one of my favorite books. Still, I hadn’t read a Mitch Albom book since (not quite sure why). When I read the description of the book, it sounded unique, so I knew I had to give it a shot. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is narrated by Music. The book tells the tale of an extraordinarily talented musician, Frankie Presto, who rose to fame in the mid-1900s. It combines narrative of Frankie’s life story (told by Music) with narratives from famous musicians who were affected by his greatness. The tale was completely unique, but it did seem reminiscent of Forrest Gump in terms of style. I enjoyed the trip through music history, and the way it weaved itself with the story of Frankie’s life, which was engaging enough in and of itself. I would recommend this book to Albom fans, music enthusiasts, and pretty much anyone looking for a fresh, engaging read.

Bookworm: I Just Finished... Room (11/12/15)

Room by Emma Donoghue

Holy crap! This book was good. I was going through a period where I was reading a lot of books I liked, but none that I loved. This book changed that for me. Room is a novel told from the point of view of 5 year old Jack. Jack’s entire life has been spent in an 11x11 room where his Ma has been held prisoner for seven years. Jack’s incessant questioning felt pestering at times, but it only helped add to the suspense of the book. I don’t want to give much away as far as plot goes, but Room made me laugh, and, at moments, made my heart ache. It brought up so many talking points in regards to child development, the parent/child bond, etc. To me, a book feels completely satisfying to me when it’s difficult to put down, sparks an emotional reaction, and leaves me thinking for hours, and even days, after reading. This one nailed it.

Mama Blacksheep: Halloween Series 2015: Trick-or-Treating

So this was my plan…

We invited our nieces to come trick or treating with us. I thought it would be super cool to have some fun Halloween crafts to keep the kids busy until trick-or-treat time. I did some research (I love my research) and found the cute, easy ideas above.

Did we do any of them? Nope.

It was a Saturday, and the weather was relatively mild, so the kids wanted to play outside. When we did go inside to feed them, the kids were far more interested in playing in the boys’ playroom than eating pasta and painting. While I would have chosen the latter, I thought it was cool that the kids didn’t need any planned activities. They were perfectly fine spending time together and coming up with their own fun. This is certainly not going to change my love of a plan-- I know if I would have had no activities on deck, they would have been complaining of boredom-- but it did teach me something. Sometimes it’s refreshing to go off the script and let events unfold organically. Sure, I could have stopped the kids from playing, and I’m sure they would have loved painting toilet paper roll Frankensteins, but I didn’t need to. It never hurts to have a game plan, but sometimes trying to hard to adhere to the agenda can hinder the magical moments that happen if you just let it be…

And, of course, trick-or-treating with cousins and neighbors was a blast!

Bookworm: I Just Finished... Girl, Stolen and The Infinite Sea (11/4/15)

Girl, Stolen by April Henry- Girl, Stolen is a young adult novel about a girl named Cheyenne, who is accidentally kidnapped when her stepmother’s vehicle is stolen from a drugstore parking lot. Her captor, another teenager named Griffin, did not realize she had been laying down in the backseat when he lifted the car. To complicate matters further, Cheyenne is suffering from pneumonia (she was at the drugstore to pick up her antibiotic), and she is also blind. This book wasn’t on my must read list, but I was looking on my classroom bookshelf for something to read, and I remembered that several of my students had read this title and loved it. I can understand why they did. It’s an easy read with lots of suspense. Even though I could tell it was meant for teenagers, it was interesting reading a story from the point of view of a character who is blind. I would recommend this book for teens and also for adults who like a quick, entertaining read.

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey- Even though I loved The 5th Wave, I was stalling on this book. I think I was starting to feel worn out with the dystopian genre, but I started reading and read 150 pages in the first day. I don’t want to talk too much about plot and spoil the first book in the series for those who still want to read it, but, much like Catching Fire, The Infinite Sea is an awesome sequel.

Mama: Halloween Series 2015: Halloween Treats

I have two toddlers and a full time job, so I wasn’t looking to go crazy when it came to Halloween. Still, I wanted to make it a fun day for the kids. Both boys have harvest parties at school, and we are hosting my nieces and some neighbors for trick-or-treating.

I spent some time researching some easy, affordable Halloween treats that would make the kids smile and make it look like I put in some effort without having to go overboard. After checking out several ideas, I decided on Frankenstein pudding cups and candy witches’ booty (hats and broomsticks).

Here are the links to the original posts:

Halloween Pudding Cups

Witches' Hats and Broomsticks

Here’s what went into each:

Frankenstein Pudding Cups (I made approximately 36)

• small plastic cups (I used the 5oz ones from Party City)
• instant vanilla pudding (I used 10 boxes of Royal brand)
• 1 gallon milk
• 1 package of Oreo cookies
• green food coloring
• black sharpie marker

I started by drawing the faces on the cups. I did this while watching a Sister Wives episode I had recorded. Using a sharpie marker, I drew eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth on the small plastic cups. Hint: be sure to leave some space between the top of the eyebrows and the rim of the cup. This will allow space for the cookie crumbles on top.

The next step was preparing the pudding and filling the cups. I made the pudding in batches, whisking together two packages of pudding mix, 3 cups of milk, and 15 drops of green food coloring in each batch. When it was completely mixed (approximately 45 seconds-1 minute), I used a ladle to scoop the pudding into the cups. I did not fill the cups completely; I filled them just enough to cover the eyebrows.

At this point, the cups can be refrigerated to let the pudding set (3 hours in refrigerator) and the crushed Oreos can be added right before serving.

In this case, I added the Oreo crumbles right away. Since they were going to feed mostly toddlers, I figured softer cookie pieces wouldn’t be a big deal. I took a risk crushing the Oreos in my Ninja because I was worried the cream filling would create a paste. I am happy to report that the Ninja worked awesome crumbling the Oreos down so well that they could be easily scooped onto the tops of the pudding cups.

The cost for the pudding mix, milk, and cookies was $7.59. I spent $3.99 on the package of 88 cups, so this particular project used less than half of that. I also spent $2.99 on a variety pack of food coloring, but only used about a third of the green. Because the cups and food coloring can be used in the future, this was relatively inexpensive, and oh so cute.

Witches’ Broomsticks (makes 35-40)

• 1 bag Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups
• Pretzel sticks
• Icing (optional)

Even though easy, these were the most difficult of the three snacks to make, and that was only because it was hard to stick the pretzels into the peanut butter cups smoothly.

I started by unwrapping the peanut butter cups. Then, I snapped off about an inch off the end of each pretzel stick and twisted it into the peanut butter cup. You don’t want the peanut butter cups to be melty, but it is a bit easier to insert the pretzel if they are not cold. Hint: To make the pretzels easier to insert, consider using a point object (I used a bamboo skewer) to create a pilot hole before pushing in the pretzel. You might also use a small dab of icing as a glue at the insertion site.

I spent about $6 to make almost 40 of these. When finished, I still had leftover pretzel sticks and icing.

Witches’ Hats

• 1 package Keebler grasshopper cookies
• 1 tube of orange or white icing
• 1 bag of Hershey’s kisses

I started by unwrapping the Hershey’s kisses and laying out some of the grasshopper cookies.

I then added a black bean sized dollop of icing to the bottom of each Hershey’s kiss and placed them on top of the cookies.

I applied some pressure to the Hershey’s kisses to cause the icing to peek out from under the brim, making it look more like a hat. Super easy!

These cost about $7 to make approximately 40 hats.

All three were approved by my taste tester, Chace, who took his job very seriously. :)

Mama: Chace's Summer Fun List

Sometime around Memorial Day, we were sitting outside on the deck and Chace was starting to get antsy and bored. I set him up with some paper, markers, and stickers to see if getting a little artsy would keep him entertained. As he was drawing, we were talking about fun things we could do while I was home with them over school vacation. I got the idea that we should create a bucket list of ten things he wanted to do over the course of the summer. We decided to call it Chace’s Summer Fun List. He came up with the ideas on his own, I wrote them down, and he added some flair with drawings and Jake and the Neverland Pirates stickers. We posted the list on the refrigerator to help remind us of our goals.

Now that summer has come to an end, I thought it would be fun to post Chace’s ten bucket list items and some pictures to go with them.

Swimming at Auntie Kristen’s- We checked this item off several times over the summer.

Color- This item cracked me up because it’s so simple, but that’s the great thing about kids, isn’t it? While we didn’t have one specific coloring day, Chace did get to spend a lot of time coloring this summer. He colored with me, he colored with Andrew, and he colored with Auntie Marissa, even trying to pass her masterpieces off as his own.

Visit Uncle Tom’s House- We also visited Uncle Tom’s a couple of times, but our first visit in early summer was truly the most relaxing, fun day.

Splash Pad- We took our first visit of the season to the splash pad at Don Ball Park in Derry on 6/30. It was Andrew’s first time being able to enjoy the fun. We followed up with a couple more visits. What a nice, clean, fun place to spend a couple of hours.

Mall- One of Chace’s favorite rainy day activities is going to the mall to tear it up at the food court playground. I’m not gonna lie, this is kind of a parent’s nightmare. It’s usually crowded and hectic and oh so loud, but he loves it. We visited the mall a couple of times this summer, but Chace thought it was especially cool when he got to go with Daddy.

Paint- We crossed this activity off our list on 7/1 when KK and Corynn joined us on a rainy day in the basement art studio. The kids had fun painting rock monsters. They killed time while their monsters were drying painting $1 wooden masks from Michael’s and some plain computer paper. It was an awesome, inexpensive, creative day that the kids enjoyed.

Beach- With a string of 90 degree days coming through, what better way to stay cool then by taking a trip to the beach on 7/21. I took the boys along with our next door neighbor, Josh, and his two daughters, Molly and Ari. We didn’t have a bad time. The ocean water was, albeit cold, the warmest I had felt it in years. But for some strange reason, the sun did not shine at the beach that day. It was chilly, barely breaking into the seventies. As typical with young kids, you never know what you’re gonna get. Both of the boys enjoyed the water, but they also decided they hated sand. Still, we spent a couple hours there and then headed home where I sweated my ass off unloading the car in 90 degree heat. Oh, the irony…

We also spent a couple of days on the coast of Maine with Grammy and Papa during our very first family vacation. It was beautiful! I only wish I took more pictures.

Fish- When Chace first added fish to the list, I thought he meant he wanted to go fishing. Upon further discussion, he corrected me, and told me that he wanted to “go see the fish.” Meaning, he wanted to go to Bass Pro Shops and check out the huge fish tanks. This is one of his favorite Sunday morning activities with Dave.They made a couple of trips to check out the fish this summer.

Froyo- It’s no secret that both of my kids love froyo. One of our favorite rainy day activities is hitting up the play area at the mall and grabbing a treat after. We did this a few times this summer, but we were also able to sneak in a trip to Sweet Kiwi as a whole family. The kids loved that daddy could join us. Actually, we all loved it!

Cowabunga’s- Because we’re human, we did not complete all ten of our list items. Cowabunga’s was the one we missed. While I’m bummed we did not fully reach our goals, we sprinkled in some other fun outings along the way, stopping at Santa’s Village and Clark’s Trading Post during our Maine/White Mountains vacation and visiting Barnes and Noble on a couple occassions. I could not have asked for a better summer with my boys. And, as for Cowabunga’s, this just gives us a starting point for our first school vacation week. :)

Bookworm: I Just Finished... God Help the Child and The Giver (October 2015)

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

The first thing I have to say about this book is that I truly enjoyed it, but the second thing is that it still felt a little off to me. Off is the worst word possible to describe what I mean. I guess, oftentimes, when I read a book I totally love, I can’t find anything to critique. This book didn’t feel like that for me, and yet I can’t pinpoint exactly what it was about it that made me feel that way. Okay, enough with my completely vague babbling. God Help the Child centered around Bride, a young, beautiful woman who is finding success despite being raised by her mother, Sweetness, who showed her little affection as a child because of her blue-black skin color. The novel is shaped by many events, the largest being a beating Bride receives when she visits a woman she put in jail by testifying that she was abusive. Also significant is the abandonment Bride feels after her boyfriend leaves her unexpectedly. The shifts in point of view and the use of both first and third person help in elevating Morrison’s characterization. The creation of such distinct, believable characters is this book’s greatest strength. The overall themes of child endangerment and the power of the past are strong as well, making this a book I would recommend.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This is a book I’ve always known I should read, but for whatever reason I avoided it. This year, one of my students kindly asked, “You’ve never read The Giver? And you call yourself an English teacher?” That was the catalyst I needed. I found the book on the shelf in my classroom library the following week and started reading. I was not disappointed. The Giver is awesome. It is set in a community far into the future where Sameness has been embraced. Sameness meaning that members of the community have their lives completely structured and planned, and all share this same path. They are matched with spouses, jobs, children, etc. and completely deprived of basic pleasures. This way of living is designed to eliminate pain, and, ultimately, the human condition. A book I would recommend for readers of any age, The Giver’s message is so strong, and it creates so many powerful discussion points, that I can understand why my student was shocked I hadn’t embraced it yet.

Things I'm Obsessed With... 9/30/15

The Real Housewives of New York City- I’ve probably turned off several readers just by mentioning trashy reality TV, but, to quote BRAVO’s Andy Cohen, “here’s what…” This season was awesome. I consider myself a bit of a Housewives connoisseur, and there was a bit of everything that makes a stellar season. There needs to be drama to keep the show from getting dull, but there wasn’t anything super heavy, which I loved. The return of Bethenny had me super pumped because I love her smart, sassy commentary that is usually right on the money. The cast members who have been around for years were each experiencing a new beginning, which felt more honest to me and also provided tons of entertainment. I mean, LuAnn’s “Be cool…” line, was epic as far as I’m concerned. The mix of the veterans with some of the newer cast members was fun to watch. And, to be honest, they seemed to have a blast together, despite the intermittent fighting.

The Countess is on fire this season.

Lasting Line Eyeliner- I like cosmetics, but with young children and a love of sleeping until the last minute, my makeup routine is pretty simple. I like to spice it up a little bit for a night out on the town, but my typical go-tos are bronzer, eyeliner, and a little mascara. Because most of my products are hand me downs from my mom, I’ve tried many different brands of eyeliners. There are none I would say I dislike, and there are several that I thought worked really well, but there is one in particular lately that I’m loving. Lasting Line long-wearing eyeliner by bareMinerals. I never take my makeup off at night, and I wear so little that mine has usually worn off my morning, but this stuff is no joke. I’ll shower when I wake up and go to put my makeup on and will still have miraculously smudge free, lined eyes. It goes on easily and consistently, and I just love it.

Hot Fries- I cannot believe that I have written a few posts about my obsessions without mentioning my ultimate guilty pleasure-- hot fries! These things are the balls. They are nice and hot so I can’t eat them as fast as regular chips, which is great because chips are a big weakness for me. The crunchiness is perfect for the munchies; and, at 99 cents a bag, you can’t beat the price. What I especially love is that even if I binge and eat the whole bag, it’s a bit over 400 calories. That’s a lot, but eating a bag of Doritos or other chips will set you back a lot more than that. The best part is that I’m the only one in my house who eats them, so it’s a snack I never have to share (or hide).

Whine About It Wednesdays- Don’t tell Dave, but I have found my soulmate, and his name is Matt Bellassai. Matt is a BuzzFeed employee, who has become well known for weekly videos where he gets drunk and his desk and complains about stuff. I actually enjoy his videos so much that I only allow myself to watch a couple of new ones at a time because I don’t want to run out and get depressed. Somehow I feel like oh-so-quirky Matt would totally get that. Some of my favorite episodes feature rantings and ramblings about co-workers, roommates, and the worst people to text with. Check him out; you’ll thank me later.

DIY: $1 Side Table Upcycle

Dave found this super cool table laying by the roadside while he was on his way to a job. He tossed it in the back of his work van and brought it home to see what I thought. I immediately loved the style of the piece and the detail of the studs on the drawer.

The table was a little bit wobbly, but Dave noticed when he grabbed it that it had a few screws loose. He tightened them, and we were happy to find that the piece was pretty sturdy. I had a vision immediately of using a slate blue color with some sort of pop. I picked out two colors from our paint shelf and painted stripes of both on a scrap piece of particle board to see how they looked in reality. I liked the result, and went ahead and started on the drawer first.

We took off the knob and popped out the metal studs. I sanded it by hand and then used painters tape to paint the two outer slats blue and the middle slat a cool burnt orange color. We changed the knob to a metal pull we had on hand and used a wire brush on the studs before nailing them back in.

For the frame, I used an electric sander and then wiped the entire piece down with laquer thinner. We then applied two coats of the slate blue, and I’m totally loving how it came out. I’m thinking about using it as a new nightstand for Chace, but the size of it is so great that it could also function well as a side or accent table in a living room.

I couldn’t be happier with how the final product. Since the table was found on the side of the road, and  we used a drawer pull that we had on hand, the only cost was the paint. The blue and the yellow/orange were purchased off the “oops” shelf at Home Depot for fifty cents a piece, so the entire project only cost $1. That I can totally dig.