Grateful Wed and MORE

Greetings, Earthlings. Sorry I've been away for days and days! Labor Day week-end got me, then I went out of town for the day yesterday to do the extreme make-over on my bedroom (ie trip to T.J. Maxx). I had some other errands to run, etc, so it made for a full day. Remember readers, i live in a SMALL town, and it's over an hour to the nearest Target, etc. I needed to stock up on some fruits and veggies because the local grocery store has been very low on such since the gas prices have been high.

So I know you all have an opinion on Sarah Palin and this whole situation. All I can say is let's keep the family in our prayers and trust that God has a plan for them all.

This week-end, we plan to show the children the tapes of all the candidate speeches (and it may be neccessary entertainment if we're stuck inside from Hurricane Hannah). I'll be interested to see their responses to the candidates. If any of you have good suggestions for sharing the political process with your children, please, please share! I want them to be lifelong voters and involved citizens, and it all starts with understanding the process.

Grateful Wed:
1. I'm grateful for our youth leader at church. I know she works hard to plan lots of fun stuff for the kids and situations like Hurricane Hannah can throw a real wrench in a lot of her hard work.
2. I'm grateful for the ol' Doppler radar. I remember being a kid at the beach and waking up one morning to major winds and a weather forecast that predicted a hurricane was imminent. WE drove home with water over the road. This advance notice is a good thing. See how it helped Louisiana this week.
3. I'm grateful for my friend, the artist. When my writing discipline is waning, I'm inspired by her painting productivity.
4. I'm grateful for the routine of everyone in school.
5. I'm grateful for ibuprofen.
6. I'm grateful for coffee and diet coke, my self-medication of choice for my self-diagnosed ADHD.
7. I'm grateful for you, my faithful readers.

I have two new books to recommend. One is HANNAH DIVIDED by Adele Griffin. Set in the 1930s, a young girl shows a remarkable gift for numbers and has the opportunity to leave her family farm for a special school in Philadelphia. As you can imagine, not everyone understands the value of such a chance, but her dear grandfather does. This book is wonderful to share with children (recommended for 8-12 year olds) as a reminder of all the opportunities they have today. The 1930s America setting is rich and interesting. BTW, this book was nominated for a number of awards a few years ago. The Penderwicks beat it out for the National Book Award that year.

The other book is NO MORE DEAD DOGS by Gordan Korman. When I was at Chautauqua, at least a half dozen people recommended this story, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The lovable and hilarious protagonist refuses to give a favorable book report because he's tired of reading books that end with dead dogs. His refusal gets him kicked off the school football team, where he was something of a hero, and subsequently infuriates many of his friends. But he doesn't budge because he's had it with the dead dogs. Check it out.

Have a great week.