52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 21

Ethan and I hopped on a plane

and returned to Lusaka
Thursday morning.
Friday morning,
Scott and I hopped on a plane
to Cape Town
to celebrate Mel's
40th birthday.

Scott & Mel

Friday night,
we went to The Reserve for dinner.
Mel had masks for everyone
and boas for the ladies.

Scott & I

Gary & I

We had a great dinner.
Gary introduced me to
Red Bull & Champagne.

Red Bulls all lined up.

There was good food
and great drinks.

Chocolate infused tequila

My collection

It was Fashion Week in Cape Town,
so we were entertained with a fashion show,

before the dancing began.

Saturday,
we headed for some wine tasting.

Happiness is celebrating a mate's birthday.

Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

When I read

Jamie Wasserman's

Holding Back the Day,

asides from loving it,

I noticed a bunch of references

to Peter Pan.

So of course,

I had to read it.

Do you know,

I have never read

Peter Pan?

Seriously.

I don't even have the kids version

for Ethan.

I know the story,

just have never read it.

So I owe a one

Mr Wasserman

a huge thank you

for inspiring me to read this book.

I loved it!

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 20

This weekend,

I went to my parents' flat

to sort through some of the stuff I have stored there.

They're moving

and I wanted to sort through things

that they will now need to store in their new place.

It was a trip down memory lane.

I like to deny my age,

however there's no denying my decade 

with this prom dress.

I did decide to go a little sexier

my graduating year.

And what would a trip down memory lane be

without a memory of the first gift Scott ever gave me?

We had just started dating

and hung out one Sunday in downtown Ottawa.

We passed a new shop, Zone

(I wonder if they are still there)

and took a look inside.

I saw a flower vase I thought was pretty.

The next day

one of my courier guys came with a package for me.

Yup, the vase.

A few minutes later,

another guy came me with some flowers.

I knew he was a keeper.

Happiness is a walk down memory lane.

Ethan's First Football Match

Scott loves his sports.

I figured he'd be the one to take Ethan to all kinds of games.

But instead, 

I got to be the first!

Faiza and I 

were the ones to take Ethan to his first ever

baseball game.

Now Rehanna and I got to take him

to his very first football match.

Scott's a Liverpool fan.

Had some mate growing up

that was a fan,

and he then became one too.

So when I learnt 

that there was a "friendly" match

between Liverpool and Toronto FC

I just had to go!

The three of us

along with 33,084 others

attended Ethan's first football match.

Ethan kept telling me

all week that since we were in Toronto

he'd be cheering for Toronto.

Rehanna convinced him to cheer for Liverpool.

That is until Toronto scored.

Then Ethan was all about Toronto.

But when Liverpool scored,

Ethan decided to support them both.

I would never have thought

that Torontonians

could be this worked up over football.

You would have thought we were in Europe!

At one point,

I didn't want anyone to know

we were Liverpool supporters

for fear of getting heckled!

With all the red,

it was hard to tell which were Toronto fans

and which were Liverpool fans.

But we did have fun.

Thanks Rehanna for sharing in one of

Ethan's firsts.

The End of an Era

When my parents immigrated to Canada

they moved to Toronto and bought a condo.

At the time, 5 Parkway Forest Drive

was considered high end.

Almost every member of my

extended family has a memory

of Parkway Forest.

I was born there.

1617 was my home,

even when I no longer lived there.

When my dad's siblings moved to Canada,

each one spent some time in 1617.

One uncle even lived in 1614 for some time.

Another uncle lived in 807 for many years.

When I was an infant

my dad would bundle me up

in the winter,

put me in the stroller

and put me on the balcony.

I needed fresh air,

and there was a view

(and no smog).

The wire was not there back then.

My parents have sold 1617.

In August they will move into a new flat.

This is the end of Parkway Forest.

It is the end of an era.

The Vincent Brothers - Abby Glines

I really enjoyed

The Vincent Boys.

So when I learnt

there was another book,

I had to get it.

The Vincent Brothers

picks up six months after

The Vincent Boys.

Ash and Beau are madly in love

and even though Sawyer gave them 

his blessing

it still hurts.

Lana is Ash's cousin.

We met her in the last book.

She's been in love with Sawyer

for as long as she can remember.

She's come to spend the summer with Ash,

to get away from her divorcing parents,

but also in hopes to get Sawyer to notice her.

I loved The Vincent Boys.

I really liked The Vincent Brothers.

When we first met Sawyer,

he was a real, down to earth, good boy.

Ok, so we don't like good boys,

we tend to go for the bad boy,

like Beau,

but I wasn't happy with the way Sawyer changed.

There's bad boy,

then there's dumb ass.

And Sawyer was a dumb ass!

I also didn't like how

Lana let him treat her like dirt

and was so willing to forgive each and every time.

I did love the ending.

A little of Beau's story from the previous book

came back.

And there was a great ending.

The last chapter jumps

four years ahead

where everyone is happy.

Yes mushy.

I'll admit it was a cheesy

happy ending

and I loved it!

Enchantment - Charlotte Abel

I've almost reached my goal 

of reading 50 books this year.

Yay me!

Enchantment was another one

of my wonderful free Kindle books.

It's a story of 16 year old

Channie Kerns.

She's a witch,

and lives a sheltered life 

in her community of witches.

Channie's magical name is

Enchantment,

and just as her name implies

she's able to enchant others.

Her father, magical name Money,

accidentally causes the death of the son

of a powerful witch, 

so the family flees to Colorado.

There, Channie's parents see

the influence their daughter has on boys,

and decide to change her name.

With the help of black magic

her new magic name is Chasity.

Turns out,

it's a curse.

Chasity now zaps any boy that looks at her,

or anytime she is attracted to a boy.

Channie meets Josh

and she's determined to break the curse.

While it's a sweet story

it lacked a lot.

But it is a YA book,

so for your young teen

who's into magic,

she may like it.

Holding Back the Day - Jamie Wasserman

I need to thank Jamie Wasserman.

I read his book Blood and Sunlight

back in May

and was underwhelmed by it.

Somehow

he came across my blog

and took no offense.

Instead he offered me his second book

Angel Moon

with no strings attached.

He said if I didn't like it

I should be honest.

Well I really liked it.

He then gave me 

Holding Back the Day

and I was blown away.

I don't even know where to begin.

First off,

whoever wrote the book jacket

did a terrible job.

I'm sorry.

But I got confused by the description.

Is it a story about Claire and her Grandmother?

I'm guessing from the description that Jack is a vampire

but what does Matt have to do with it all?

So let me explain to you

what's fabulous about 

Holding Back the Day.

The story is written in three parts.

Jack and Millie

is part one.

It goes back and forth 

between present day

and 50 years ago

when Jack, a vampire,

meets and falls in love with Millie.

Present day is Claire

and her relationship with her grandmother, 

Millie,

whom she admires so.

Part two

is all about Jack and Matt.

We learn about Jack and how he became a vampire.

We also learn about Matt,

and how he's not so dull

and is crazy about Claire.

Part three is

Claire and Jack.

And what you think will happen

doesn't.

And you're not as disappointed as

you thought you'd be,

And it's not because it's predictable,

because you don't feel the same way 

as you did at the beginning of the book.

Just as Claire grows

and learns about herself,

you do too.

Jack is no Brother

(for all my BDB mates)

but he's just as hot as John Mathew

(because you know he's my favourite)

and just as messed up as Vishious.

So,

Thank you Jamie Wasserman

for letting me into your world.

I can't wait to read more.

The Vincent Boys - Abby Glines

This was a really sweet book.

I know that sounds lame coming from me,

but I'm not sure how else to describe it.

There was no gripping storyline.

There are no vamps.

This is not dystopia.

And yet,

I truly loved this story.

The Vincent Boys 

begins with two 10 year old cousins,

Sawyer and Beau,

discussing how their best mate,

Ashton,

is starting to change.

Will her becoming a girl

change their friendship?

Sawyer and Beau Vincent 

are cousins.

Beau's the black heart, bad ass cousin.

Sawyer is the all American.

Fast forward to senior year,

Sawyer and Ashton are an item.

But Beau has always loved her.

Sawyer is away for the summer.

Beau and Ashton haven't spoken in years,

but decide to re-kindle their friendship.

And of course,

they fall in love.

The Vincent Boys

is more than the story

of the love triangle.

Yes, Ashton must choose between them,

but at the same time,

Beau is torn.

He loves Sawyer

and would never do anything to harm him.

But who does he love more?

Sawyer or Ash?

This was a sweet,

innocent story

with an interesting twist.

It was a free Kindle

but I just learnt there's a second book.

And let me tell you,

I have no qualms about buying

the next one.

52 Weeks of Happiness - Week 19

Growing up in Ottawa,

meant summer vacations 

usually meant going to Toronto

to visit family.

I have a huge family.

Lots of cousins.

And I enjoyed seeing them.

Over the years,

we grew apart.

And then we started getting married.

And then we started having children.

And so now our kids

are growing up knowing each other.

I love 

how Ethan looks forward 

to visits to Toronto

because it means he'll get to see his cousins.

I hope they continue

to be friends

as they grow.

Happiness is hanging out with your cousins.

Guitar or Piano

Ethan wants to learn the guitar.

I want him to learn the piano.

This weekend,

we went to visit my brother-in-law's studio.

Ethan picked up a guitar

and began strumming.

Not banging,

actual strumming.

So I'm thinking,

maybe he should take up the guitar.

It also means,

I need to buy him a guitar.

Angel Moon - Jamie Wasserman

Back in May

I read Blood and Sunlight

and was less than blown away.

Jamie Wasserman

offered me the second book in the series

with the thought that maybe

he'd get me to like the series

a bit better.
And who am I to turn down a free book?
Especially one with vampires!

 So...
you're probably wondering,
was this more my type of book.

Hell yes!!!!

Blood and Sunlight ended with the death of
Lucas (the wannabe vampire slayer) and his dad.
Lucas' younger sister, Kirsten,
was hiding in the closet.
Melanie and Keenan take a liking to her.
They want to protect her.
They visit her every night
and read her bed time stories.
To Kirsten,
they are
Angel Melanie and Angel Keenan.

Here's what I loved.
The story introduces Kirsten
and quickly jumps 10 years ahead.
She is now in college and obsessed with angels.
It's interesting to read
because you know they are vampires
but she sees them as angels.
Melanie and Keenan stopped visiting her 10 years ago.

At the end of each chapter
Wasserman goes back into the past
and shows us Melanie's growth.
What kind of vampire she has become.
How her love for this child made her make
some unwise choices.

As Kirsten tries to learn more about angels
and her angels,
those close to her end up dead.
Their bodies drained of blood.
Will she learn about her angels?
How will she react?
Will she accept them for what they really are?
And can Keenan accept Melanie?
Full of flaws and all?

Apparently the last 2 questions
will only be answered in the next book
due.....
when?

The Ultimate Guided Reading How-to-Book - Gail Saunders-Smith

I feel with my recent books 

I've been reading

people are going to think 

I'm a horrible teacher

since I'm reading all these 

"how-to-books".

I loved the last two books I read.

They gave me some new ideas 

and insights.

And since

Guided Reading is one of those

things every teacher 

teaches differently,

I thought I'd see some other options.

Last year,

the school I worked at 

was very strict with the way they wanted

guided reading done.

This year,

I met a teacher who doesn't do groups.

Instead she sits with each child

and they read what they are reading.

Children develop reading skills 

at different rates.

The idea of guided reading

is for the teacher to work with small groups of children

to target their specific needs and strengths.

Some of the points looked at are:

* Getting to know your students as readers

* Making the most of group instruction time

* Organising groups by readiness levels

* Selecting text appropriate for the abilities of the students in each group

Commercials

I don't think I've ever realised

the power of advertising

until this trip home.

Ethan's not usually exposed to

tons of adverts.

He's been bombarded by them now.

Some aren't too bad,

others....

yikes!

I went to give Ethan his breakfast this morning.

He was having Cheerios.

"Wait!" he yells.

He needs to check the box before he eats.

Why?

Well, the advert says you need 

oat fibre

and he wants to check the box to make sure it has

oat fibre.

Yes, my son is concerned about his cholesterol.

"Mama, do you have a Gold Mastercard?"

I beg your pardon?

Well, it would seem

if you get a Mastercard Gold

from the Bank of Montreal

you can travel.

Now!

For free!

Well, at least according to the advert.

When you sign up, you get 1,000 free miles.

Then there's McDonalds.

Ethan gets one trip to McDonalds

and one to Burger King

each visit.

That's it.

We're home for a month,

we're not here to eat fast food.

Ah,

but the advert makes you think we should go there everyday.

Thanks alot McDs!!!!

My son loves to dance.

He's got great confidence

as he believes he's a much better dancer than he really is.

He loves watching breakdance as well.

In comes Coke.

They have some advert

about sponsoring a dance camp or something.

Am not sure exactly what it's all about.

What I do know,

is a kid drinks some coke

and he breakdances.

So, of course,

Ethan now thinks he should be allowed to drink Coke

because it will make him a better dancer!

Just another week and a half left

and then we return to the land

of non-commercialism.

I think I will make it!