Mountain Trails
Mountain trails, swinging bridges, log bridge, waterfalls, creeks, rock climbing, and crawdads are plesannt memories of the hiking world of my younger days. I can remember hiking with my husband and children when the kids were younger (and so were we). Of course, picnics were also a part of the festivities. We usually had a […]
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s “Batman: The Killing Joke”
This week I am reviewing something a little different, but that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on: Batman: The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore (illustrated by Brian Bolland). This is perhaps the most legendary graphic novel of all time, so when a friend picked up the deluxe edition recently, I just had to […]
A New School Year
It’s a new school year, which makes this a perfect time to establish good interactions with school staff. I am encoring a series of articles I feel are important iin this endeavor. One of the most profound statements concerning children and their needs is attributed to Hillary Clinton. She simply said, “It takes a village […]
Roseanne Montillo’s “The Lady and Her Monsters”
For this review, I am stepping away from fiction and taking a look at Roseanne Montillo’s The Lady and Her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Real-Life Dr. Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley’s Masterpiece. In this book, Montillo examines various cases of human experimentation and corpse mutilation throughout the 1800s, as well as the effect these […]
Teaching the Value of Respect Using the Holidays
The 4th of July offers a great venue to teach your child to respect their country and the symbols that represent it to us. Explain to your child what makes America so special, and how we show our gratitude for the privilege of living within her borders. Look at an American flag together, pointing out […]
Cow Violence
Today, I’d like to address a serious problem currently plaguing our world. I am disturbed by the growing epidemic of cow on cow violence. This type of senseless behavior is udderly irresponsible. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but the simple truth is that problems in bovine interpersonal relationships have been churned to the surface. […]
Tomatoes and the 4th of July
July 4th is definitely the time for home grown tomatoes. I remember waiting for the juicy fruit to ripen, with many trips to the garden to see if that would be the day I could finally eat the luscious, juicy, ripe, tangy, succulent tomatoes! One thing I knew for sure was that the 4th of […]
“A Child’s Work Is Play”
“A child’s work is his/her play.” As parents, grandparents and caregivers, we strive to create opportunities for our child to meet his/her maximum potential. To this end, assist your child in creative play, as the more creative the play, the greater the intellectual growth. Encourage creative play through “play schemes.” “Play schemes” are defined as […]
Memories of an Older Jefferson City
Sometimes I get so caught up in my daily life, I forget to remember! When I get into that mode, something usually happens to kick me back to those wonderful times, stored in my memory banks. Times when life was a little more leisurely, and not so fast paced, zooming by like a whirlwind. That’s […]
David Hair’s “Mage’s Blood”
This week I am reviewing a book I picked up on an impulse buy, and I consider it one of the best purchases I have made this year. David Hair’s Mage’s Blood is the first book of the Moontide Quartet series. Obviously, this means that the series has four parts and is vast in scope. […]
Father’s Day
Father’s Day is coming! The day to celebrate our love for our fathers. If you celebrate with your father, or the father of your children, you will make memories. And if your special father was not with you, then you will be remembering. Maybe you will make memories and remember. That is where I find […]
Computers
Remember when computers were seen only in futuristic sci fi movies? Wow, do things change. They are now an essential part of our daily lives. We cannot live without them. It is amazing how our language has evolved through the years due to this phenomena. Not too many years ago, a window was simply something […]
What Is Paddleboarding?
Asked: I hear paddle board this and paddle board that. My grandchildren do it too. Ok, What is it? Answered: Paddleboarding is a new water sport fad that is going on around the world’s oceans and lakes. If you live on or near the lake, you have probably seen it. A person typically stands up […]
Peter Benchley’s “Jaws”
As I was looking for a new read at my local bookstore, I had a nice little internal dialogue, and decided on my next book. You know what I apparently felt like not doing this summer? Swimming. If this sounds familiar, you too have probably read (or at least seen) Peter Benchley’s Jaws. If you […]
Purple Snails
What’s up with the word purple? Come on, admit it. That is a weird word. Say it ten times in a row and tell me you don’t feel like a gelatinous blob speaking some obscure alien dialect or even that your sense of reality might be slipping ever so slowly away. I can see it […]
A Separate View
At what point in early childhood will your child begin to view himself/herself as separate from Mom and Dad, and is it natural? Yes, it is not only natural, but a desired social and emotional development, and you can help guide the new found independence. Your child’s growing independence from the family and interest in […]
