October 2008

American Born Chinese

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Printz Award Challenge /

I am not a huge graphic novel fan but I do appreciate them because they are quick reads. I read American Born Chinese in less than an hour. Liz read it last weekend – twice. It was good. I liked the lesson of the monkey king, so did Liz.

But then again, Liz IS a huge graphic novel fan. And that’s one of the reasons why I selected the Graphic Novel project from DonorsChoose. There’s a lot of value in getting kids hooked on a story through graphic novels. Not all kids are immediate readers. Some kids are visual. And, I have to say, having some visuals when trying to get kids to read Red Badge of Courage is probably a damn good idea. Go donate $1 to the project (or more if you can) – Red Badge of Courage is worth reading and if it takes some graphic novels to teach the story, then I can support that – can’t you?

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Cinnamon Gardens

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Feminism, Fiction, From the Stacks Challenge, Queer, Women /

It took me far too long to read Cinnamon Gardens – too many distractions in my world on top of it not being a page turner. It’s not bad, the characters are pretty darn interesting, it just wasn’t compelling.

I like the dual storylines – the older man, the young girl – I didn’t expect to like the jump back and forth but I did. And, I liked the ending for both of them.

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links for 2008-10-10

Daily Dose /
  • Overwhelmed moms confess | BlogHer
    If one of the names you answer to is "mom," chances are good that you live a decent portion of your life feeling overwhelmed. As if the responsibility of caring for another person's (or people's) every need isn't enough, you most likely also have a house to maintain, bills to pay, perhaps a job to go to or a business to run, a blog (or two or three) to keep up, a partner to cheer on, organizations to volunteer for, classes, activities or meetings to attend or to shlep kids to, and the list goes on and on and on.
    (tags: mom parenting stress)
  • Are You Depressed? Do You Know Someone Who Is? | BlogHer
    There is a difference between feeling depressed, and being clinically depressed. We all feel depressed from time to time. But, how do we know when our feelings of anxiety or sadness, has crossed into something more serious? That's what Depression Screening is all about, and October is Depression Screening Month.
    (tags: mentalhealth depression depressionscreening)
  • How Much Do You Tell Your Kids About the Financial Crisis? | BlogHer
    there has been considerably more economic sky-falling. Parents are having dinner-table discussions with their kids about what this means for them. Instead of just steering kids away from designer clothes and purses, many parents are considering cut-backs of a more drastic nature, ones more noticeable to kids. So, parents wonder, how much information is too much? How do you paint a realistic picture of the situation for your children, without creating fear?
    (tags: parenting economy money rocksinmydryer)
  • Need Advice? Ask the Internet! | BlogHer
    Often when I speak to friends and they pour out their heart to me, I try to remember to ask if they want advice or for me to just listen. My natural inclination is to try and fix things but that is not what everyone wants. Others do and sometimes it is easier to get advice from an impartial stranger rather than from a friend. That's why newspaper syndicates created advice columns. And now that tradition carries over into the blog world.
    (tags: advice internet)

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links for 2008-10-09

Daily Dose /
  • Foreclosure Pets: Furry Victims of Financial Crisis | BlogHer
    As capitalism implodes, a related item in today’s Denver Post caught my eye. Apparently, Greeley resident Paula Harding could no longer afford the vet bills for her sick 15-year-old dog and, after trying OD him on anti-anxiety pills, she shot him. (Ironically, The Humane Society offers euthanasia starting at $35 and Harding is being held on a $5,000 bond.) This sad story is yet another facet in this desperate financial crisis and a new term is born: "foreclosure pet."
    (tags: pets economy foreclosurepets)
  • October 11th Is National Coming Out Day | BlogHer
    Saturday, October 11th, is National Coming Out Day. National Coming Out Day has been celebrated every October 11 since 1988, as a way commemorate the first March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, which was in October of 1987. The primary goal of National Coming Out Day is to gain visibility of GLBT people in the communities we live in, and to promote awareness of GLBT issues. Cities across the country are holding events to celebrate the day.
    (tags: glbt nationalcomingoutday HRC comingout)
  • Another Way to Get Your Brown Rice: Gluten-Free and Nutritious Brown Rice Tortillas | BlogHer
    On Sunday I wrote about how brown rice has been added to the list of whole grains and urged BlogHer readers to eat more brown rice. Today I'm back with another idea featuring brown rice. Brown rice tortillas are a lower-glycemic index alternative to corn or flour tortillas, as well as being a perfect idea for anyone who needs to avoid gluten in their diet.
    (tags: brownrice glutenfree kalyndenny)

links for 2008-10-09 Read More »

links for 2008-10-08

1 Comment / Daily Dose /

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An oldest child update

2 Comments / Family Funk, Kid Talk /

I’d better hurry and update you on the goings on of the oldest child, the one I tend to call the bad daughter, before her siblings arrive at O’Hare in a few hours.

First, she is getting married (and if Prince J was here, he’d be yelling PATRIARCHY – darn I love that boy.) The date has been set. March 21, 2009. A location has been chosen. It will be an outdoor wedding, at some place in Monks Corner, SC. (I’ve got a link here somewhere and I’ll post it another time.)

They’d planned to do an indoor wedding at this place but the stuffed dead animals were a turn off. Apparently they aren’t thrilled with a full sized dead bear being in all of their wedding photos?

Also, her bank hasn’t failed and they’re doing a thriving business due to MY poor bank’s failure.

And, she tossed in the fact that she had a abnormal pap smear a few months ago that she completely forgot to mention, and was heading to the doctor for a colposcopy this afternoon. My kids never tell me anything important.

Oh, one more thing about the wedding – she’s not having anything pink. Weird. This is the bad daughter who loves, loves, loves pink. She’s thinking “olive green”? The kid has gone nuts. Patriarchy does bad things to people. Remember that.

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DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge

3 Comments / Community Chest, Daily Dose, Family Funk, Kid Talk /

You may have noticed the new widget in my sidebar, or maybe you saw my post on BlogHer on Wednesday? The DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge stuff? Maybe I even sent you an email about it?

Don’t pretend like you haven’t heard about this. You have. Now it’s time for you to DONATE and BLOG about it yourself. Or maybe even created your own giving page for the challenge.

I created a giving page that features five projects, from five schools, from five cities where our kids have gone to school.

There’s a school in Fairfield California. Jenn and Chris both went to school there.
There’s a school in Burlington NJ. The actual school Jenn graduated from.
There’s a school in Anderson SC. The actual school Michelle attended.
There’s a school in Gainesville Fl. The actual middle school Michelle got suspended from – twice. Hah.
There’s a school in Evanston Il. Prince J, RJ and Liz attended Evanston schools now.

Donate – even $1 will help these classrooms, these teachers, these kids. And in most cases, kids who attend those schools in years to come.

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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Pox Party

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

Darn “Now Reading” plug in is not finding books automatically so I have to enter each one and it’s driving me nuts. Boo, I hate it when a plug in stops working.

Back to Octavian Nothing: Pox Party – MT Anderson is excellent, as usual. A little wordy for a YA novel but I think it’s important to BE wordy when you’re talking about these types of experiments. I was a wee bit depressed to have predicted the direction the experiment would take when the “College” landed in financial trouble. Blah.

Considering just how many books I’ve read about slavery… it’s refreshing to see something just a little new and a little different. Now to find time to read the next one.

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links for 2008-10-01

Daily Dose /
  • Eight Year Old Girl With Anorexia Stalked By Paparazzi | BlogHer
    Shortly after her eighth birthday, Dana’s eating habits changed. At first she ate a bit less. Then she gave up sweets and then junk food. But soon she was eating so little that her parents had her admitted to a pediatric ward. Then she is admitted to Rhodes Farm Clinic for a 12 week treatment program…where she was stalked by cameras tracking her recovery. What’s wrong with this picture?
    (tags: eatingdisorders paparazzi news reporters privacy kids)
  • Optimism, Pessimism or Realism: How Do You Look At The Economy? | BlogHer
    I think I cycle through the three states. At times I am optimistic that for all our faults, problems, mistakes and folly – the American experiment, still young, remains resilient and we will make our way through. At other times my cynicism about the havoc wreaked by politicians of both parties in cahoots with greedy corporate overlords and the dire straights we as citizens have allowed them to put us in by not exercising our right to provide oversight means that we deserve every ounce of hurt that is coming our way. Neither view, however, is realistic or terribly helpful so I too try to chart a middle path. This is a wake up call that we must all work harder to be involved, to understand the situation, to push our representatives to act in our interest and to prepare to deal with the real consequences of what's ahead.
    (tags: economy optimism pessimism realism)
  • In Search of Cinematic Spinsters and Unmarried Women | BlogHer
    I never intended to be a Spinster. I thought that I would get married. I never for a second thought of myself in the image of an "Old Maid." Hair in a bun, sucked up cheeks and bifocals. I'm older and a wee bit wiser. I have removed the last of the illusions of finding Mr. Right or "the one and only." I have even moved pass finding a somebody to love. I accept that it may or may not happen.
    (tags: spinsters unmarriedwomen movies)

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