G: Well "E", It's that time of year again. The last few days of summer break are quickly passing us by (boo hoo!), and on Monday you will have a new slew of kids sitting in your classroom anxiously waiting to find out what they're in for on their first day of school this year. G: Let's see - I bet they're soooo happy summer is over and it's time to start learning again. NO REALLY. *g* I predict that they will be sitting up nice and straight, pencils in hands, notebooks open, quite as can be, ready to write down every word you say. E: Huh? You do remember I teach MIDDLE school? Here are MY predictions. Let's see... * Someone will throw-up from nervousness before period 1 (and of course a custodian will clean it up with that bizzare powdery sustance). * There will be food thrown across the cafeteria in period 3. * The building will smell like milk by period 6. * There will be a minor fight over something someone posted on facebook during period 8 (usually over a girl). * A cell phone will ring in my classroom period 10 (big no-no!) * And during last period (period 11) someone will fart in class and think it's the funniest thing ever. G: Ewwww!!! E: Oh yeah, lets not forget that I also predict that at least a dozen kids will be standing in a line at the office with a slightly bewildered look on their faces calling their parents to come pick them up because they missed the bus. WELCOME to the Middle School. :) G: Sheesh! But even with all that, I can tell you're ready to go back. E: Yeah, I am!. There is a lot of energy at the middle school. You never know what might happen from day to day, and believe me something always does. Now don't get me wrong, It's been an amazing summer (best ever) with the release of THE LOST HEIR and it's success. We did so many activities, spent time with so many great people, visited some really cool places, but, yeah, I guess i'm ready, it's time. I bet you're looking forward to having ME out of your hair! G: NO COMMENT (smiles). Do you get nervous having to talk in front of all those students in your class? I would be! Are YOU going to be the one throwing-up by period 1? hehe E: Nah, I've been doing this too long to get nervous. I guess i'm feeling just excited. I usually have some trouble sleeping the night before. I'm sure some of our visitors can relate. BUTTERFLIES ANYONE? G: Perhaps you have some advice for middle schoolers who might be feeling a little nervous about the first day of school? E: Hmm, let's see... Ok, guys, first off, go to bed earlier each night, starting tonight! Get your body used to getting up earlier so you are not totally in shock when the alarm goes off at 5:00am on the first day of school. G: Whoa, I haven't seen 5:00am in years! Is it even light out? E: Sure, rub it in. Grrr! E: Also, make sure you are fully ready the night before. That means supplies, bookbag packed, any forms filled out, clothes ironed and ready, etc. Don't scramble in the morning! That makes for a bad day. You want to be relaxed. G: Who irons anymore? You're so 1985 Dear. E: Funny! Oh yeah, and boys, shave off the freaky mustache that you have been growing all summer long. Trust me, no 13 year old looks good with a "Trash-Stash." No exceptions! Shave it! Go! Right now! G: I have too agree with that one. Boys, "E" is spot on. Every guy looks much better without it, and my husband is speaking from experience. I think that's why I never see any pictures of him from High School. SAD. Ha ha! Don't worry, "E" I'll never mention your secret teenage attempts at a moustache. I think you had like, what, eight, nine hairs going there? LOLOL. E: :/ G: Aww, ya know I love ya. *g* What about the girls. Any advice for them? E: Girls, use some common sense in the footwear department, would ya please? If you have been wearing flip-flops all summer, what do you THINK is going to happen if you wear 4 inch heels to the first day of school? G: HUH? Hey, I hardly ever wear 4 inch heels and I'm GROWN. Girls, wear flats as long as you possibly can in life. BE FREE. Well, since I ribbed "E" for the Trash Stash, this is where I speak from idiotic experience. I'm terrible with shoes. I buy beautiful shoes then never wear them because once I take them out of the store and want to wear them for real, they magically turn into torture devices. Usually at a wedding or a party or some event I had long anticipated. So I finally get to go, and within half an hour, I've got blisters on my feet, trying to hide the fact that I'm limping and in so much pain that all I want to do is scream. Not fun!!! G: Anything else for Day 1? E: Couple of more things. Bring a pencil with you. Sheeesh! Face facts, people, summer is over, and you will need to write some things down while you are at school. I can't tell you how many students on the FIRST day of school over the years have asked me to borrow a pencil. That makes YOU look like a scatterbrain. Not a good first impression. In-fact, bring 2 pencils! And, by the way, if you are lost or confused about anything on the first day, don't be shy, just ask a teacher for help. We want to help you! It's in our nature. G: That's good stuff "E". While we are on the topic, any sort of general Middle School tips? Not necessarily just about the first day. E: Just a couple of things come to mind. Make a commitment to yourself to avoid GOSSIP right from the beginning of the school year. Nothing good comes from gossip, EVER! Try to get involved in something. Whether it be band, sports, student council, etc.... And DON'T do the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. You're too young. No dating till you are at least 16. Ugh! G: You sound like my Dad!! That was the rule in our family, too - for me and my 3 sisters. E: Now, I may be biased on this one, but you should ALWAYS have a book with you. There is usually some time in the day (for example study hall or homeroom) where you are expected to just sit there and not talk. For some of you who are hyper like me, it can be torture. It feels like you are in prison. Time just creeps along. A good book will save you. You will actually start to look forward to the down time in your day so you can get back to your book. May I make a reccommendation? How about THE LOST HEIR by E.G. Foley! Trust me you'll love it:) G: Pretty slick there, "E." He's right, though. Lots of good books to choose from! E: Also, it's a great idea to keep a DayPlanner handy at all times. Write down all of the important things that must get done and when they are due. I don't know any successful people that don't have some type of DayPlanner. E: Most of all, STOP worrying about what other kids think of you. Who cares! Not everyone is going to like you. So what! That's true for every single person on this earth, not just you, so don't feel bad. It's normal to come across people now and then that we don't really click with. It's ok, don't get bogged down in it. Just move on. Focus on the kids who do like you and forget about those that don't. Remember: Your AWESOME! Just watch Andysun below and he'll tell you all the reasons why!!! (funny!!) Enjoy... Let us know how you're first week of school went. Anything unusual happen that you would like to share? See you next Friday, and Good Luck!
"E" & "G" Foley
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The 1970's was the heyday for the American lunchbox. An era of lunchbox exceptionalism. A time when a kid didn't merely HAVE a lunchbox to transport food. Nay, nay! That would be too simple. A lunchbox was a symbol of adolescent individuality and a commitment to personal freedom. A lunchbox spoke volumes about who you were as an 8-year-old. The right lunch box could either make or break the 3rd grade. That's a lot of PRESSURE on a kid!
My lunch box was Star Wars. I remember it well. I loved Star Wars. THE ORIGINAL! None of the sequal movies could compare in my opinion. I collected all 12 of the original action figures. My brother and I even had blow-up light-sabres that we would hit each other with. Yes, I can still make a Wookie sound:/ So, what sort of a "statement" is an 8-year-old in 1977 making with a Star Wars lunchbox. Hmmm? It said that I liked action. That I sought out adventure. That I was a young boy, like Luke Skywalker that could achieve anything in life, even though I was from a humble beginning. That perhaps I could some day, if I drank all of my Tang, ate my Wheaties every morning like decathalon champ Bruce Jenner (aka Kim Kardashian's dad), and spent the 10 cents to get the secrets of how to look like Atlas and not get sand kicked in my face, that I could get the girl and save the world from turning to the DARK side. OR who knows, maybe It was just the only lunchbox they had left at Woolworth's. The inspiration for this blog came from The Lunchbox Museum in Columbus GA. Adults: do you remember being a part of the lunchbox heyday. Which one did you have? Which one do you wish you had? What does it say about you? Kids: Do you or did you have a lunchbox? Or if all this is before your time, which lunchbox would have picked if you went to school with us in the Groovy 70's? Have a great week everyone! "E" Hi Everyone! Happy Friday again! We had the chance this week to go to the NUMBER ONE rated amusement park for children in America, IdleWild Park. Ever been there? We went with several family members including my 5 year old nephew and 8 year old niece. Neither "E" nor "G" had ever been there before. We got to go on all kinds of death-defying rides (not really that scary) and eat funnel cake. Yuuuuummm! As you pull up to IdleWild, the first thing you notice is how the amusement park is so well laid out, it's all nestled in among the hills and trees of western Pennsylvania. You feel like you are at a camp ground and not a major tourist attraction. Perfect! My kind of adventure! It's a fairly large park with exciting rides for kids of all ages (Even kids in their 40's). The park is broken up into different attractions. There's Olde IdleWild (basic thrill rides), SoakZone (water slides and water rides), Racoon Lagoon (rides for the little ones), Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Of Make-Believe ("G" is a fan but "E" always found him a little creepy!! - sorry:)), Hootin' Holler (old-school type rides - rides that freaked your grandparents out but seem rather low key and tame in todays world), Jumpin' Jungle (rope climbing and swinging), and Story Book Forest (the wee ones get to meet all of their favorite characters from nursery rhymes and traditional children's tales). Come ride the old timey wooden rollercoast with us below...you don't even have to wait in line for an hour... Favorite Ride of the Day!Aside from the 100 year old wooden roller coaster (vidoe above) where I had to hold my nephew down from flying away (no really!), and the funnel cake, I think Story Book Forest was our favorite. You enter Story Book Forest by walking through a giant book! I don't know who those people are?? Then you get to meet all kinds of fairytale characters. It was a blast! Come on - we got to meet the Old Woman who lives in a shoe, Mother Goose, and The Big Bad Wolf who is hiding in grandmothers house. There he is now! Shhhhh!!! Then of course there was The Good Ship Lollypop, Jack and the Beanstalk, Peter Peter Pumkin Eater, Jack & Jill, Snow White, and many more. Oh yeah, and let's not forget about Little Miss Muffet sitting on a tuffet, who only wishes she had some funnel cake (curds and whey - yuck! At least give her some oatbran or something.) It was a unique and entertaining experience. My 5 year old nephew particularly liked the dragon & the giant Jack in the Box. Boys!!! If you're ever out this way, make sure you plan some time for IdleWild Park. Did I mention that they even have funnel cake:)
(Psst! Contest 2 is underway! See the new Contest Question in the post below for another chance to win a free, autographed copy of THE LOST HEIR.) And now, back to our regular programming...
Hiya! Hope this finds you in fine fettle, as our friends across the Pond say. I am sure you young'uns enjoyed your first full week of GLORIOUS FREEDOM. (Do I sound jealous? Cuz I am.) This weekend is Father's Day, a chance to thank our dads for all they do for us and for all the humor they (often unwittingly) add to our lives. My Dad (G speaking) has always been a jokester. My Mom has a bird phobia and it was all she could do to get herself to cook our Thanksgiving turkey each year because it meant handling a whole dead bird. My Dad couldn't resist messing with her on this, of course. When her back was turned to go get the stuffing, he would grab the poor plucked carcass and put his hand in it like a puppet and run around her, making it "fly" around the kitchen while making loud turkey gobbling noises. My mom would run out of the kitchen screaming, and hilarity ensued. My Mom much preferred for him to stay out of trouble and go watch the Steelers game, but nooooo, not my slightly-demented (in a good way) Dad. E's got a Dad story below, but first, take our fun Father's Day poll!
Despite many health challenges, he just keeps trucking along and doing
remarkably well. You'd never know by looking at him how many death-defying things he's had to face. Now, if you were driving behind him putt-putting down the road, you'd realize you were driving behind an old fart, but other than that, my Dad's is still quite spry. He kicks my butt at golf and Scrabble every time. (He plays mean.) But my Dad has got nine lives. Father's Day is kind of sad for him, though, because his Dad died when he was 12. Seeing all that he's been through makes me appreciate having him around. G: My favorite story about your dad, E, (my father-in-law) is when he dressed up as a giant blue M + M for Halloween and took his lil granddaughter trick or treating around the neighborhood. E: Yeah, and we got the pictures if we ever need 'em for blackmail. G: Ha, ha. I thought it was cute!!! E: Yeah, but an M + M?? G: Aw, leave him alone. lol. Dads do goofy things, that's why they're dads, and I guess when they're grand-dads they get even goofier. *grin* E: What about you guys? Got any good dad stories? G: Or what's the best thing about your dad? We wanna know! Hello out there, all you in blog land! TGIF. Well, G & I were supposed to report on the Buckley book together this week, but she doesn't have her homework done, so I'm flying solo here today. G, would you please explain to the class why you are unprepared today? G: Er, um, uhh ...sorry, Teach. You know I've got a good excuse! E: Yeah, I suppose. Two sets of page proofs arrived on your desk this week. G: That's right. My fiction-reading time got taken up by doing the final corrections on my adult novel as well as both of us doing our final read of The Lost Heir. E: If you guys are unfamiliar with the term "page proofs" or what writers used to call "galleys," these are the typeset pages where you get your last chance to fix any mistakes, typos, etc. before the book goes into the final step of binding and so forth. We are getting really close to The Lost Heir being "born"! Anyway, onto the book discussion of the week... (And further down, we'll fill you in on the fun stuff we got to do last weekend.) The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley kicked off in 2007 with Book 1, THE FAIRYTALE DETECTIVES. It is recommended for kids 2nd Grade & Up. In this story, Sabrina (age 12) and her little sister Daphne Grimm receive an introduction to their unusual family heritage from an eccentric, kick-butt grandmother they never knew they had. Unfortunately, Grandma Relda gets abducted by a GIANT (a very dull-witted giant with poor personal hygiene) and it's up to the girls to rescue her. Since this is the girls' first time fighting fairytale villains (the destiny and job of a Grimm), they have their hands full not only trying to save their grandmother, but also trying to understand their role in the bigger picture of their world. Along the way they meet all sorts of famous fairytale creatures. My favorite of these were the Big Bad Wolf and Jack (of Beanstalk fame). The story is fast paced, with clean writing, and a smooth, simple narrative that will keep kids entertained. It was fun to revisit favorite fairytale characters and to see the humorous twists Buckley gave to them--the Three Little "Pigs" for example are the town cops (ha, ha). The tale takes place in Ferryport, a little Upstate New York town where all the fairytale creatures known as "Everafters" have settled. G: Magic aside, the town descriptions reminded me of the quaint little Upstate NY town where we went to college, E! E and I went to the State University of New York College at Fredonia... Fredonia is right near Lilydale, a quirky little village near Lake Erie that was founded by Victorian-era spiritualists. E: Yeah, that's right! I forgot about that. Weren't there two sisters of the late 1800's who claimed to be mediums and held seances and stuff. G: Yep. The Fox sisters. You can still go there today and talk to a psychic and get your tarot cards read and stuff if you are so inclined. I understand they have big thing goings-on there each Halloween. Mystical folk still live there... You know something, E, all that sounds right up Jake's alley. (Jake is the main character of the Lost Heir and he can see ghosts!) E: Are you thinking what I'm thinking? G: Road Trip!!! G: So what else do you have to say about The Sisters Grimm? E: The ending was really good. The identity of the villain came as a surprise to me, and I always like surprises in my reading. Also there was a lot of teaser information dropped that sets up the next book in the series. You see, the parents are missing--that's how the girls end up with their grandmother in the first place. They eventually find out in this story that their parents are alive, being held captive. So in future installment in the series, I would expect we're going to see how the girls go about rescuing their parents. G: Well, don't say anymore than that! I don't want you to give me any spoilers For my part, I got about halfway thru before I was so rudely interrupted. I was really enjoying it. Buckley writes with a lot of charm. I really liked Relda. OTOH, Sabrina had the moody tween thing going, so I wasn't feeling too much of a bond with our heroine at times. She had good reasons not to be the happiest kid in the world, but at times, I just found her a little too negative. She refused to give Relda any amount of trust whatsoever. I did get a kick out of the little sister, though. She was more of a sunny type of character. One thing I really liked about Sabrina was her protectiveness toward her little sister. As a big sister myself, I can relate to that! All 3 of my younger sisters know that if anybody messes with them, they're messing with me. *g* E: The Sisters Grimm series is already up to Book 9, The Council of Mirrors, which came out April 2012. G: We've got a long way to go till then, don't we? We're all the way back at Book 2, the Unusual Subjects, which looks cute, too. So, E, tell all the nice lovely people what we did last weekend!!! E: Sure! Last weekend we went to the Annual International Children's Festival near downtown Pittsburgh. Grownups were allowed, too. They had all kinds of things for kids like face painting, crafts, etc, but we wanted to see Mirazozo. What is that, you ask? It's a gigantic inflatable piece of art that you actually go inside and walk through. It's full of tunnels and chambers and it's all sewn out of some special canvas. Inside they have soothing music playing and cool lighting effects... The only downside was that everyone had to take off their shoes so the material it's made out of wouldn't be damaged. Well, G. made the mistake of looking down at the bare feet of the guy in front of us. G: I could puke thinking of it. The guy had hoofs for toesnails. Feet like that could be grounds for divorce. SICK. Get thee a nail clipper, dude. E: LOL. She was so grossed out she couldn't get that image out of her head all night. G: Ew, I don't want to think about it anymore. MOVING ON. After walking thru Mirazozo, we went to the awesome Drums United "World of Rhthm" concert. It was the first time I ever went to a percussion-only concert, and I love doing things I've never done before. They were Awesome. E: Drums United combines master percussionists from all different kinds of musical backgrounds from different international styles - Check it out! Here's a taste of their show from their promo vid. I defy you to sit still when you listen to this. Well, we're going to have to find something fun to do this weekend, too. A Happy Memorial Day Weekend to you all! We're glad this day is set aside each year to pay our respects to all the brave men and women who've given their lives for our country.
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