One Struggling Reader and His Kindle

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Look what we bought the Kiddo. A Kindle!

kindle with special offers

Yay!

I’m sure he wanted this primarily so he could show off at school. Some of his classmates got Nooks for Christmas. I said I’d be happy to buy him a Kindle but it would be the basic, no frills, no Internet, made for READING, Kindle.

He loves it.

Kindle are great for struggling readers. You can read all my reasons HERE.

The first book we purchased for his new device was Monster by Walter Dean Myers. It has a reading level of 670L or Grade Level Equivalent of 7.1.

Monster Walter Dean Myers

He is already 25% into and enjoying it very much.

~ Jenna

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Books for Imaginative Young Readers

Do you have a young reader at home or are you a teacher, librarian looking for some great titles? Well here are a few for you.

I think they would be great for young girls who are advanced readers. They are free of swearing and sexual references. Of course boys will love them too. I’ve read them all and loved each one.

The Humming Room

humming room ellen potter

This is a retelling of the classic The Secret Garden. The author, Ellen Potter, does a great job. I loved trying to find the parallel elements between the original and this one. Very cleverly done. Girls will love it.

The Children of Green Knowe

children of green knowe

A boy is sent off to live with his great-grandmother who lives in a giant house in a flooded land. He discovers mysteries in the walls and clues about the children who lived there many years ago. At times he even hears them and sees their toys move.

Oh – love this story so much. It could be a little spooky to some readers, but the way the authors delivers the elements just made it magical.

Night Camp

night camp lc evans

A spooky graveyard. A creepy basement. A pair of coffins. Thirteen-year-old Shane Andrews hates summer camp. When his parents allow him to choose, Shane decides to pick the worst camp he can find. Night Camp must be terrible. For one thing, activities take place at night and campers sleep during the day. That can’t be good, Shane reasons.

… do you see where this is going? The kids think the camp is run by vampires! Oh so much fun!! My son read this when he was ten and loved it. I’m sure both boys and girls will enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping.

~ Jenna

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Get That Rock Star a Hairnet

Another post from the old blog – but a good one.

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My husband and son both have colds. Our house is sniffle central.

The hubby has had his icky cold for over a week now. Yuck. I’m not sick, but I am sick of listening to all the sniffling. I asked if he wanted some cold tablets. I’d bought some with the ‘good stuff’ in it.

Pseudoephedrine works well to relieve congestion. It’s also one of the ingredients in Meth. You have to ask the pharmacist for this medicine. They keep it behind the counter.

Eeek.

My husband turned down the cold meds. He said it was too close to bedtime and he didn’t want to be up all night or have anymore freaky Meth dreams.

Apparently the last time he took this cold medicine he dreamt that he was back working his factory job.

factory workers

The line shut down for no reason and Judas Priest came out on the floor to play a concert for the workers.

Judas Priest

Yeah, probably a good idea to skip the cold meds just before bedtime.

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Stop the Junk!

I have to admit, I am reeeeeally bad about checking my mail – my snail mail. My family can go an entire week or two and never open the box. Bad I know. Once, the mail carrier had to leave a note in the jam-packed box saying he wasn’t going to deliver anymore until we cleaned it out.

Oops.

fish mailbox

I’m also very bad about opening mail once it’s in the house.

There’s just so much junk mixed in with the letters and bills. Actually, let’s face it, who writes letters anymore? People don’t even send birthday cards – they just post on your Facebook page. 90% of what does come to the house ends up in the recycling. Yes, I’m a good recycler, but come on. I don’t want this stuff in the first place!

I came across this article yesterday and thought it was a really good one. Steve Pavlina has rounded up ways to cut down or stop the vast amounts of mail you have delivered to your home or business.

How to Reduce You Mail to Almost Nothing

My husband and I used to be on an ‘Opt Out’ list for credit card applications. We must have reached the time limit because they are rolling in again.

Steve did a very thorough job in this article. He talks about coupon packets, charity mail, working with your bank, using e-statements, etc. It’s a really good article. Take a peek.

I plan to go through his list and try a few. My mailbox is full of junk and I’d like it to stop. That way I won’t get another nasty post-it note from my mail carrier. :-)

stop it image

~ Jenna

If you are interested in reading more about the environment, I came across these interesting books:

How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything

A craft book for you crafty people: Eco Craft: Recycle Recraft Restyle

and just for fun…

10 Ways to Recycle a Corpse: and 100 More Dreadfully Distasteful Lists

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A Conversation Between A Mom and Her Son

One day I was driving my son to school – or practice – or something. He was about six at the time.

We drove past a local park and I commented on the men painting the water tower.

water tower

My son – “They are going to paint it white and then blue.”

Me – “Oh really, who told you that?”

My son – “My friends.”

Me – “Did they hear about it at school?”

My son – “No, they saw it on Oprah.”

~ Jenna

Hey gang. I updated my About Me page. I added new tidbits and a section for my Works in Progress. Check it out.

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Cucumber Pasta Salad

Some of you saw this recipe on my old blog. I thought I would share it here as well.

Trust me, you’ll love it and if you bring it to a picnic or family gathering, everyone will be asking for the recipe. It doesn’t contain any mayo so it’s great for outside events. You have to make it in advance – so no last minute scrambling. I’ve tweaked this recipe to suit my taste so feel free to change it up to fit yours.

cucumbers

Cucumber and Pasta Salad

1 lb penne pasta – boiled, drained, and rinsed with cold water
3-4 cucumbers – peeled and sliced into half moon shapes. I use 7 or 8 cucs – love my veggies!
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt – I use a little less
a dash of pepper
2 T. of prepared, plain yellow mustard

In a large bowl with a tight fitting lid, coat the pasta with the oil. Add all the other ingredients and stir or cover the bowl and shake to mix. Refrigerate for at least eight hours. Shake the bowl occasionally to distribute the flavors. I have to use two bowls with lids. Don’t use plastic wrap – you need to shake the bowl.

This makes A LOT of salad. You can cut the recipe in half if you want to. Shaking it from time to time is important. I usually make it after dinner then shake it every half hour before I go to bed. Then in the morning I’ll do the same right up until the time we need to leave for the event.

I’ve had leftovers of this salad in my fridge for up to a week – stays yummy!

Enjoy.

~ Jenna

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