The Giver - Lois Lowry

I am not entirely sure,

how it is possible,

that I have never read

The Giver.

I'm serious.

Isn't this book on like

every middle school reading list?

And yet,

I never read it.

I don't believe I was ever interested

in reading it either.

But then the last couple weeks,

I keep seeing a preview

for the movie.

(Yeah, it's a movie now)

And it looks pretty good.

But since books are always better,

I had to read it.

And I'm glad!

I really enjoyed this. 

I'm even ok with the

what-happened-to-them

ending.

And now, 

I look forward to the movie.

Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop - Patrick Allen

A lot of what I've been reading recently

is about reading.

I've noticed the last few books 

I've read

talk about getting students to choose

their own reading materials. 

In Zambia,

I met a teacher 

that did not have reading groups

but instead conferred with her students.

Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop

follows this premise.

Allen shares his experiences

as he improved his ability to conference

one-on-one with his students.

He spends some time explaining his purpose

or philosophy for conferring. 

He provides examples and strategies. 

What I really loved,

was how he related a lot of his thinking

to developing students' metacognition. 

The strategies and routines he sets up

help students become better

readers, writers and thinkers.

Now, 

the challenge lies,

in getting schools and teachers to see the benefit

in conferences over the 

group sessions where students

are not reading for themselves.

The Theatre Calls

Anyone who knows Ethan,

knows he's not very athletic.

He has Development Coordination Disorder.

Basically, 

he has poor motor skills. 

He enjoys playing football (soccer)

but knows he's not very good

as he tends to skip

instead of run

and is starting to notice

this.

I often worry about his confidence.

This summer,

Ethan attended a theatre camp

at the Living Arts Centre

in Mississauga.

In the last two weeks,

I've seen my son grow

more than I have in the last 8 years.

He is confident and proud.

He sings, dances and acts. 

His lack of coordination doesn't seem to

matter here.

Everyone made him feel welcomed.
They complimented his dancing
and acting skills.
They loved his enthusiasm.
He would practice his songs
and lines each night.
And on the day of the show,
he was fantastic!

Thank you Living Arts Centre for a
fantastic summer camp!

Writer's Workshop - Summertime

List 6 things you are going to miss about summer.

Ethan and I head back home

next weekend.

I can't believe our vacation

is almost over.

We've had a great

summer vacation. 

Summers home are fabulous.

There's so much to see and do.

So here are some things

we will miss about this summer.

1) Going to baseball games

With Scott home this year

we were able to go to a 

couple of games.

And while we hoped to go to more

with us leaving, 

we're done for this summer.

2) Seeing this girl

She lives here.

We don't.

So summer coming to an end

means it will be another year

before we see her again.

3) BBQ with the family

Again,

since we don't live here,

we cherish the BBQ

with cousins.

4) Going to museums

We've gone to a few this summer

and had a great time

at each one.

5) The Nisbets

It's not often

we get the three generations

together.

6) Being a tourist in your hometown

We went for a boat ride.

Something I probably wouldn't normally do.

But being a tourist 

is a lot of fun.

We've had a fantastic vacation this year.

And while we're sad to go,

it that time of the year,

we need to head back home.

And start planning next year's

vacation!!

Kiss of Midnight - Lara Adrian

I've had this book

on my TBR list

for quite sometime.

But I never got around to reading it,

until now.

And once again,

I'm wondering why I waited.

So, the storyline here,

is eerily similar

to my beloved

Black Dagger Brotherhood series,

and for the most part,

I'm ok with that.

There are others out there

who call it a blatant rip off.

Lucan is a vampire.

A Breed vampire.

A Gen One vampire.

He is the leader and his quest is to destroy their enemies,

namely the Rogue vampires. 

Gabrielle is a photographer.

She's never felt like she belonged anywhere.

One night,

Gabrielle witnesses a grueling murder

and her life spins out of control.

She's introduced to the world of vampires

and meets Lucan.

Just like the Brotherhood,

the Breed protect one another.

They fight the evil us mere humans

cannot see.

And when they bond,

they are mated for life.

Despite the similarities,

this is one series I shall continue with.

And I won't wait as long to read the next one.

The Enchantress Returns - Chris Colfer

Last month,

I read and fell in love with 

The Wishing Spell.

Chris Colfer

did an amazing job

of bringing fairy tales to life.

So,

of course,

I had to get the second book in

The Land of Stories.

In The Enchantress Returns

the evil enchantress,

the one that cursed Sleeping Beauty

is back.

And she wants revenge!

Part of her plan

is to kidnap the granddaughter

of the Fairy Godmother. 

However,

she ends up kidnapping Charlotte,

Connor and Alex's mother instead. 

Now the twins must find their way back

into the Land of Stories

and find a way to save their mother.

Colfer brings up our favourite characters

from the first book.

Red Riding Hood is still as shallow as ever!

But he also introduces us to new ones,

and gives them their own stories.

Have you ever wondered why Cinderella's

stepmother was so mean?

Maybe she was just misunderstood?

Wonder why the name Beauty

is used twice?

I mean,

there's Beauty

from Beauty and the Beast

and then there's 

Sleeping Beauty.

Hmmmm.....

could they be related?

Once again,

I was transported into a land of stories

and loved Connor and Alex's adventures. 

Writer's Workshop - My Favs

Create a list of your top beauty must haves.

For people who know me,

know I have a love for

handbags,

shoes,

earrings,

and necklaces.

And because I'm always wearing these

it's assumed I wear a lot of makeup,

But I don't.

I'm a lipstick and eyeliner girl.

That's it.

Pretty simple.

So Mama Kat's prompt

really got me thinking.

What are my beauty 

must-haves?

1. Anti-Breakage Serum

Earlier this summer,

I had long hair,

and loved my flat-iron.

My hair,

however,

was not as much of a fan.

This stuff is amazing.

It makes your hair soft,

prevents split ends,

and you'd never know

your hair doesn't like humidity!

2) Body Shop Lip Butter

A couple of years ago, 

Scott was travelling to SA

and I asked him to pick me up some lip balm.

He came home with Lip Butter instead.

And I have to say,

I love it even more.

3) Lipstick

Like I said,

I'm a lipstick girl.

Right now, 

MAC's Dare You

is my favourite.

4) Nail Wraps

Jamberry Nail wraps

are my latest obsession.

I LOVE these.

I love manicures,

but the polish always starts to peel

within a few days.

These, 

not only last,

but they come in so many amazing

styles, colours and designs. 

They've even started a 

Style Box!

I may be simple in taste 

and beauty products,

but trust me,

when I find something I love

it's amazing!