« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »
It's the Friday night before Labor Day, and ridiculously enough, two DVD players are not enough for seven people. We need two more to accomodate the various age groups that want to watch movies. One for The Sound of Music, one for Saved, one for The Heathers and one for The History of Violence. Word to the wise, don't have your children all spread out, it makes it so they can watch the same movie, and you can watch a grown-up one upstairs.
Mal loves to read. She has poured through many of the typical children's fantasy series- Harry Potter, The Wrinkle in Time books, Narnia, Lemony Snicket. So when I was offered a Mother Talk review for the new James Patterson young adult book, Maximum Ride (third in the series) , I knew who the reviewer in this house should be. Mal's review:
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is the kind of book that hooks you in from the first page and doesn't cease to add new twists and turns to the plot. It is the type of book that could hit the hearts of many preteen readers, boy or girl. Not only that, but it opens younger minds to the worlds of their imagination. The emphasis, however, is on young readers. The author's style and themes are clearly directed towards a youthful (nine to twelve year old) audience, and will most likely not be enjoyable to anyone older than that.Being the third book in a series, it is completely easy to catch up with the story. Within the first couple chapters the author makes sure to catch up the reader so you understand what is happening. However, even though you are caught up to the story, reading the first two books seems useful, so the reader can catch up on details, and more adventure. As it is, this book keeps a reader on their toes, anxious to find more flyboys coming after the story's heroes and how the characters will next outwit the evil white coats.
Maximum Ride is the heroine of the story, and throughout the book it contains the anti-Barbie/ anti-Disney movie of female power, which was refreshing in contrast to the typical message coming out of books and movies directed to kids of this age. Yes, the main character is a girl but the book is so action packed that a boy or girl could pick it up and soon declare it their favorite story. Parents watch your backs though- there happens to be a minor anti-grown up, anti-scientist theme to the story, all fiction of course though.
Jam-packed with good humor and sarcasm, Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, hooks in nearly any young reader and manages to also express some messages about saving the environment. Although I do not feel many readers past the age of twelve or thirteen will enjoy the book, for any reader younger than that it is a fantastic book filled with enough plot twists to keep a mind on the story, and great characters that a child could identify with.
Really puts a kink in my blog, you know? No time to write, much I can't write about.
The political scandal all over the news yesterday? Happening here. I can't write much about it because I don't want to be googled. It's been a rumor or common knowledge here for years, depending on which side of the aisle you vote on. It's sad to me, what self-loathing there must be. But what arrogance to blame others.
My kid is overwhelmed with high school and it's only the third day. The homework is huge. She tripped in front of a cute boy and is humiliated. Last night we went to parent orientation. It was basically Mr. T's message "Stay in school, don't do drugs." Start worrying about college, college, college. I understand being prepared, I do, but I feel like these next three years are being shoved aside and pushed into fast forward with the college cry.
My new work ID looks a before picture of a white Star Jones without the good wig.
We had a great time on our mini-trip. Will post about it when I have time to think.
We have rented a Toyota Sienna for the last week while our van was in the shop. Now that we've seen Paris, we have no interest in going back to the farm. But alas, one income does not provide for car loans.
Mace tried to join a football game with a bunch of older boys at our school picnic. When they tackled him he turned around and slugged one. Maybe not contact sports are in his future.
I realized last night that I will only witness two more of her first days of school. No more "Do you have lunch money? Do you have your pen? Do you know where to go? You'll be fine. Take off some of that eyeliner. Are your shoes comfortable? Have a good day. You'll be fine. Call me when school is over. You look beautiful. Cool. Hip. Intelligent. Talented. You'll be fine."
Waiting for Bert to take her. Telling me to leave her alone. Forcing smiles so I just go away already. That black and white portrait right over her head? Only eight years ago. I have shoes older than that.
*We had a big power outage Sunday night. It was out so long we worried the Popsicles might fall victim and become sticky pools to remind us summer was nearly over. Happily Monday morning we discovered they had in fact had emerged triumphant and whole.
*Saturday night we saw Rescue Dawn. Boy movie, but good. I would be owed two Jane Austen flicks and one slow moving French film about the bleakness of the human condition if Bert had chose this movie instead of our friends.
*Less than one week before Mal goes to school. When touring the high school and looking for her classes, we entered the wrong doors. Two words- Boy's Lockeroom. And there were inhabitants. She asked to change her hair color so none of them would recognize her.
*When filling out forms at her high school, I realized we more than qualify for the Federal Lunch Program, not even reduced but Free. Yes, there is a Free Lunch, especially when your husband is unemployed.
*God bless severance for allowing us to delude ourselves from being faced with that reality for a few months.
*We are going on a mini-vacation tomorrow with a rented car ($300) because our van's gas tank is leaking. Honestly there are days when I think I am being foolish about feeling cursed, and then there are the days that confirm it. It's tempting to just stay home, but these 48 hours having been dangling in front of the children's heads as the promise of Fun for awhile.
*I will haul my ass over to the other computer today and upload Day in the Life photos. No, really.
Your week?
