Recap of Blog Club

Blog club members,

I have sooooo enjoyed hanging out with you in blog club this year, getting to know you, and hearing your fun stories!

Answer these for me, if you would:

1) What have you enjoyed most about Blog It! Club?
2) What have you learned that you didn't know before you started club?
3) How has Blog Club helped you with your writing, if at all?
4) Do you plan to continue your blog after club finishes 5/16?

I certainly hope that you continue with blogging. It is sure a fun place to share your thoughts and try to get new readers and comments. Share your blog with your friends and with your family. Challenge them to make a comment. Sometimes it is the only way to know if you have readers other than watching your Live Feed.

I will miss seeing you every week! I hope you enjoy some of the yummies I brought!

Assignment for 5/16/11: Recap of Blog Club

What have you liked most about blog club? I would love to hear.

Answer some or all of these questions. This week it is optional to have photos. The goal is to have fun and reflect on our club we've all been a part of this year! See my post as well, and please make a comment on my post!

Assignment for 5/7-5/9/11

As you know, I'll be out next week, but one of our blog members would like a post for the week. Here you go Sunshine and Rainbows!

1. If you could go do any activity in the world with just your dad, what would it be and why?
2. If you could go do any activity in the world with just your mom, what would it be and why?
3. If you could play any instrument, without practicing, really well, what would it be and why?
4. If you had $100 to spend on your pets, what would you buy and why?
5. If you could travel anywhere over a weekend (could be as far as you want), where would it be any why?
6. Which of your relatives are you most like and why?
7. What are you most looking forward to next school year?
8. What is one thing that is really special about who you are?
9. If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?
10. If you could have an ideal (perfect) day, what would it include?

How Would You Describe Me?

1. What is one word to describe who you are?

SILLY

2. Why does this word best describe you?

I really like being goofy and making people smile.

3. If you were a color, what color would you be?

 RED

4. Why would you be this color?

Red is a color that makes me feel happy.

5. If you could be a car, what car would you be?

A VOLKSWAGON PASSAT FROM ABOUT 2005

6. Why would you want to be this car?

I really like the body style of the car.

7. If you could be on a television show, what show would that be?

AMAZING RACE

8. Why would you want to be on that show?

I think it would be so much fun to race across the world.

9. If you could have a favorite food every day the rest of your life, what would it be?

PIZZA SOUNDS GREAT TO ME!

10. If you could go shopping at any store and spend as much as you wanted, where would you go and what would you buy?

NEW YORK AND COMPANY AND I'D BUY CLOTHES

11. If you could stuff yourself with a salty or sweet food until you felt soooo full, what would you eat?

SALT AND VINEGAR CHIPS

12. (Iron Giant's Life) What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?

 WATCH MOVIES

13. (Masterblahwasabi) If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?

A YEAR LONG TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

14. (Cats, Pie and Peter) What is your favorite kind of chip?

EITHER NACHO CHEESE DORITOS OR SALT AND VINEGAR

15. (Sunshine and Rainbows) What is your favorite kind of flower?

RED DAISY

16. (Heavens and Earth) What would you look like if you were an alien?

I WOULD BE SUPER TALL WITH A NORMAL SIZED HEAD (NOT BIG LIKE ALIENS ARE SHOWN) WITH BIG FEET.

17.  If you could have any career, what would it be?

BESIDES BEING A TEACHER, I'D LOVE TO BE A ZOO DOCTOR. BUT I'M KIND OF QUEASY AROUND BLOOD...

18. If you were a shape, what shape would you be?

A TRIANGLE

19. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

A LARGE CAT, LIKE A COUGAR (This is really a picture of a mountain lion.)

20. Why would you be that animal?

I've always had an affinity for cats.

Assignment for 5/2/11

For this week's assignment, you are to comment on:

HOW WOULD YOU BE DESCRIBE ME?

Answer the following 20 questions, in complete sentences, and include 3 images of your own or from the web. I'm going to suggest you copy and paste the questions, and somehow make your answers easier to read.

1. What is one word to describe who you are?
2. Why does this word best describe you?
3. If you were a color, what color would you be?
4. Why would you be this color?
5. If you could be a car, what car would you be?
6. Why would you want to be this car?
7. If you could be on a television show, what show would that be?
8. Why would you want to be on that show?
9. If you could have a favorite food every day the rest of your life, what would it be?
10. If you could go shopping at any store and spend as much as you wanted, where would you go and what would you buy?
11. If you could stuff yourself with a salty or sweet food until you felt soooo full, what would you eat?
12. (Iron Giant's Life) What is your favorite thing to do outside of school?
13. (Masterblahwasabi) If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?
14. (Cats, Pie and Peter) What is your favorite kind of chip?
15. (Sunshine and Rainbows) What is your favorite kind of flower?
16. (Heavens and Earth) What would you look like if you were an alien?
17.  If you could have any career, what would it be?
18. If you were a shape, what shape would you be?
19. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
20. Why would you be that animal?

Also try to comment on 3 or more posts others have written.

Who am I?

Here are my answers to this week's assignment:

1. What is your favorite color?  

I like the color cranberry, a deep red.

2. What is your favorite sport? 

I really like mountain biking, but I find it hard to find the time to do it in my life right now.

3. What is your favorite food?

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mexican food, mainly shredded beef enchiladas or tacos or chimis. YUM!

4. What is your favorite thing to do after school?

I really like spending time with my husband and son.

5. What is your favorite age you've been so far?

The year I turned 26 was a really good year. I did a lot of traveling, camping, and rock climbing as I finished up my teaching degree.

6. What is your favorite show to watch?

I really love the show Parenthood (because I'm a parent), but I also really like Survivor, American Idol, and Amazing Race).

7. What is your favorite movie right now?

I have many favorites, but one is How to Make an American Quilt.

8. Who is your favorite friend? (Just describe...don't give a name.)

My husband is my best friend. :)

9. What is your favorite item of clothing?

I love just a plain white t-shirt.

10. What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?

I love to spend time outside on the weekend.

11. What time do you go to bed on a school night?

I'm an early bird and go to bed by 9:30 PM, but I get up at 5:15 AM.

12. What would you buy if you had an extra $20 in your pocket to spend?

I might buy a new piece of jewelry with $20.

13. What do you think you will ask for for your next birthday?

I would love a pedicure!

14. What is your favorite number?

My favorite number is 18, since it is the day of my birth.

15. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I really do like my name, so I'd want to keep it, but someone once told me that I look like a Samantha. What do you think?

Assignment for 4/25/11: Getting to Know You

For this week's assignment, you are to comment on:

WHO ARE YOU???

Answer the following 15 questions, in complete sentences, and include 3 images of your own or from the web. I'm going to suggest you copy and paste the questions, and somehow make your answers easier to read.

1. What is your favorite color?
2. What is your favorite sport?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. What is your favorite thing to do after school?
5. What is your favorite age you've been so far?
6. What is your favorite show to watch?
7. What is your favorite movie right now?
8. Who is your favorite friend? (Just describe...don't give a name.)
9. What is your favorite item of clothing?
10. What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
11. What time do you go to bed on a school night?
12. If you had $20 in your pocket to spend, what would you buy?
13. What do you think you will ask for for your next birthday?
14. What is your favorite number?
15. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Also try to comment on 3 or more posts others have written.

Assignment for 4/18/11: Next Year

For this week's assignment, you are to write about:

Next year, you will be starting a new grade. You could be afraid or hesitant for some reasons and excited about others.

What are the things you are looking forward to next school year, what are you hesitant about and why?

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 word minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Year

This week's prompt is about what you are excited about or hesitant about next school year. Since I'm not in school, I'm going to reflect on what it was like for me, moving from 6th grade to 7th grade, way back when.

When I was in sixth grade I went to an elementary school. All of us did back then where I grew up. Elementary schools were grades K-6. Junior highs were grades 7-9, and high schools were grades 10-12, that is right up until I left high school, and after that year, the freshmen (9th graders) moved up to the high school.

Anyhow, I was leaving sixth grade to go to junior high. It was kind of scary and kind of exciting too. We only had two junior highs in our town, one where all the kids went to that lived more or less on the south side of town, and another where those that lived on the north side of town went. We didn't have financial differences in our town locations, like there are in some town, where one area is poorer, we were all just sprawled out.

I was excited because all my friends from my school were going to the junior high. I was also going to be there with some kids that I'd made friends with in summer camp at the YMCA. I loved summer camp there each year!

I was also highly involved in band, and looking forward to playing with the new teacher and meeting new kids. I played the clarinet (no, that's not me).....

and later the bassoon.

I even tried out and played the bari sax for awhile.

I was really looking forward to being able to store my things in a locker. So different than having a desk!


(Okay, that's not me either....just a stock photo.) But, one of the fears we all had was being a little guy on campus and getting shoved into a locker. This photo reminds me of that! It didn't ever happen to me, whew...but it was still a fear!

I got moved up to a higher math class, prealgebra, which really help my passion for math grow.
Do you like math? I was also in Math Counts, a competitive math program that we have here at our school too.

I ended up really loving junior high, making new friends, listening to great new music (that would be after school with my friends), attending dances, and going to Disneyland for the first time. I went with my best friend, her mom, and two other friends.

Junior high (for you, middle school) was such a great social time for me. It had its hard moments as well as its fun ones.


What are you looking forward to next year in whatever grade you'll be in?

Fun in the Sun

I love this warm weather. Not the hot, can't breathe, sweltering weather, but the "I love being out in the sun, doing fun things," weather.

First of all, I am thrilled about spending some extra time with my three-year-old outdoors, and how much fun he'll have doing these things at this age.

These are some things I'm hopeful we can do together or as a family:

1. Go to the splash park.

2. Go to the park and have fun playing ball, soccer, or just running around.

3. Have picnics in our backyard or at a park.

Secondly, just being out in the sun makes me feel good, really really good. If ever I'm down, one of the best things I can do is to go outside and typically do something active.

4. Go on some hikes.

5. Take our bikes out for a ride.

6. Go camping.

7. Take our dogs out for a walk.

We can also do some different things we can't do in the colder weather, or it is not as fun.

8. Go fishing.

9. Go out for ice cream on a hot night.

10. Go swimming at the community pool or a friend's house.

11. Go watch bugs and talk about them (with my three-year-old)

12. Go to the mountains.

13. Go feed the fish at the zoo.

What do you look forward to as the weather warms up?

Assignment for 4/11/11: Thinking about Fun in the Sun

For this week's assignment, you are to write about:

As the warm weather comes upon us, I begin to think about all the great spring and summer things I like to do and am looking forward to doing this summer.


What are the things you are looking forward to in this spring and summer weather?

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 word minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

Think warm thoughts!

Sock Monkeys

Peter, one of our blog club members, LOVES sock monkeys. So did I when I was younger (and even now). My mom made my son a sock monkey a few years ago, that hangs out in his room. Last month, the monkey made its way into my son's bathroom for a pose.

You might wonder what is on his head. It is a white sailor's hat that I got on a ceramic duck as part of a flower arrangement, and somehow, it ended up on his head.

If I Were the Last Person Alive in the World

I picture this...
I wake up one morning and it is dark outside when it is supposed to be light.
  I don't hear my dogs whining, like they usually do for their morning snack.
    I look at my alarm clock, which is battery operated, and see that yes, at 7:10 AM, it should be light.

      I walk into the kitchen and the light won't turn on. The microwave clock is off.
        I certainly can't make coffee without electricity either. That's a first thought.


I look outside. There are no street lights. I realize I won't be seeing the sun rise like I usually do.

I look in the room where the dogs sleep and they are laying very still. That makes me sad.

I think that immediately I need to gather all the clean water and food that I have.

I wonder, what if the water is contaminated?

What am I going to do? Are others around me safe? Am I the last person alive in the world?

What a scary thought that would be, wouldn't it, to feel so isolated?

Assignment for 4/4/11: If I Were the Last Person Alive in the World

For this week's assignment, you are to write about what it would be like if you woke up and you were the last person alive in the world. See my sample post for ideas.

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

Have fun!

Assignment for 3/7/11: Something New

For this week's assignment, you are to write about something new and exciting that you have been doing in your life or hope to do soon. See my sample post for ideas.

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

Have fun!

Something New and Exciting: Running!

I have discovered something new and exciting in my life, that come unexpectedly: RUNNING.

I've always said I aspire to be a runner, but just aren't cut out for it. A friend of mine at work started doing the Coach Potato to 5K program. It sounded interesting and a great way to exercise, interval training and with a friend!

I started about 4 weeks ago, running 90 minutes, walking 90 minutes, and so on, for about 25 minutes, working up each week to running more.

A few weeks ago I got an email about a 5K run taking place February 20th. I really felt the urge to register for it and my friend did too. I was soooo excited to train for it. It was quite a goal to reach for. A week ago Sunday I ran the longest and furthest I've ever run, for 20 minutes without any walking. That was a big accomplishment for me. Maybe that would be easy for you, but at my age and fitness level right now, I was excited I had worked up to it.


Sunday the 20th, were were there, ready to run the race, resting when we needed, but with the hope we could run the whole thing. Here I am, lined up waiting.

WE DID IT! We ran the WHOLE distance, 3.1 miles! I was so thrilled!


I am now so excited to set higher goals and run a 10K before it gets too hot this summer.


I never knew I'd be doing this, even just a few weeks ago, but I love it!
Maybe I'll look this great in my next race?

What is something new and exciting you are doing or looking forward to?

Assignment for 2/14/11

For this week, your prompt is to write about one of the following:

10 Things I Will Never Do

or

10 Things That Make Me Laugh

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

Have fun!

10 Things I Will Never Do

Have you ever thought about the things you would love to do? I bet you've not often thought about things you will never do, have you? It is kind of interesting, at least to me, to think about.

Here is a list of 10 Things I will never do (or at least don't want to right now) and why.

I will never:

1) SKYDIVE.
This is something I always wanted to do, prior to being married and having a child, but I think now that I am responsible for a family, I would just be taking too much of a risk.

2) BUNGEE JUMP.

This is something that has always terrified me. I'm not afraid of heights, but the idea of all my body organs being suddenly stopped mid-air, then tossed the opposite direction just does not appeal to me. If I ever got to participate in the show "Amazing Race" though, I'd probably have to do it. I would do it, however, for the chance to win a million dollars. Would you?

3) MAKE AN APPLE PIE.

 You see, I don't care for apple pie. Maybe you'd call me unAmerican, but that's just the way it is.

4) GO TO NORTH KOREA.
It is too scary of a place. Enough said.


5) EAT A DING DONG IN JUST A FEW BITES.
I love to eat around the outside, bite off the top. It is an experience, and one that only comes around every few years. Thanks for the Valentine's Day gift today Mrs. Christensen!

6) WANT GLITTER IN MY HOUSEHOLD.
Just the other day, as my son was making some Valentine cards, he asked for "sprinkles" for them. I knew he meant glitter, and glitter scares me. It sticks to everything and won't come off!


7) LOVE TO PLAY OR WATCH FIGHTING/WAR-BASED VIDEO GAMES.
They are just not my thing.

8) CLIMB MT. EVEREST.
I love being in the outdoors. I love hiking and rock climbing, but that is taking it to the SUPER level of extremes. I love watching films and movies about expeditions up there and back, but I would never want to do it myself.

9) WANT TO BE PUT IN A TANK FULL OF SPIDERS FOR A MILLION DOLLARS.
Scary, crawly, and unimaginably awful. Those are the words that describe what that would be for me.

10) BE A PROFESSIONAL FRISBEE THROWER.
Ask my husband. I am just terrible at throwing a frisbee. :(

What are 10 things you'd never do?

Assignment for 2/7/11: Places of Interest

For this week's prompt, you may choose from any of the following ideas:

• What is your favorite room in your home and why?
• What would happen if everyone lived in space? What type of houses would they live in? What type of clothing would they wear? What type of food would they eat? How would they travel? 
• What if everyone lived under water? Where would people live? What games would children play? What would school be like? 

As always, be descriptive and add lots of detail. We have our 150 minimum post, 3 images of your own or from the web, and the goal of commenting on 3 or more posts that others have written.

Places of Interest: Space Living

What would happen if everyone lived in space? What type of houses would they live in? What type of clothing would they wear? What type of food would they eat? How would they travel? 

When I was back in 5th grade, long, long ago, we were asked to think and write about what life would be like in the year 2000.

Wow, I thought, that is a LONG time away, and things will be soooo different! Here are some of the highlights of what I thought life would be like. Boy, was I ever wrong. It was sure fun to think about though!

One of the first things I believed back then was that we would all be traveling in our vehicles in the sky. Wouldn't that be amazing? I tried finding a photo to post, of what I saw in my head, but of course, they don't exist. Picture something like a Volkswagon beetle up in the air, but with no wings. This is a photo of a prototype out there right now, but nothing like what I had in my mind.

As far as houses, I think people would live in big, big complexes, like apartments, where everything is contained in one area. You could do all of your shopping, exercise, and get your education in one area. Or, it could be like in the movie, The Fifth Element, where, because the streets filled up so much with cars, more transportation had to take place in the sky, and there are layers and layers of cars that could pull up to their homes, whether on the first floor or 25th floor.

Clothing would be so unique. I'm sure back then, I thought we'd dress more like this, from Star Trek.

but I think as far as we've come with fabrics, our options would actually be endless. We might wear thicker layers too, because further up in space it will be colder.

As far as food, well if we all lived in space, we probably wouldn't have as much fresh produce. We wouldn't have the land to grow all of it, and what we could grow in greenhouses would be fairly limited. It could be that we eat a lot of packaged foods, or dehydrated things that we just add water to, like those packets you can take backpacking.

That doesn't sound very appetizing though. On top of that, these peaches are $25.00! Food might be a lot more expensive.

It would still be a lot of fun to live in space though, wouldn't it?

What would be one thing you would love about living in space?

Assignment for 1/24/11:Things about YOU

This week, I'm going to offer up 3 different different prompt ideas for you to choose from. As always, you need at least 150 words, and 3 images that go along with your post. Also remember to comment on at least 3 others' posts.

Select one of these starters:
1. If I could be someone else when I wake up tomorrow, I'd be ____ because___.
2. Write about three things that make you interesting.
3. If you saw someone walking down the street who looked exactly like you what would your impression be?

See my post for a sample.

I Would be SOOOO Surprised!

If you saw someone walking down the street who looked exactly like you what would your impression be?


I saw this writing prompt and it really got me thinking. It happens occasionally that someone will tell me they saw me somewhere, in the distance, and I realize it wasn't me, that I wasn't there.

There is someone else out there who looks a lot like me! That is kind of a strange thing to think about, isn't it?

Even just this year, I know a student walked up to our school media specialist and said, "Hi Mrs. L!" thinking she was me. Sure, we're both tall and brunettes, but something must cause people to see similarities.

As well, I used to work on the same team as another teacher on campus, Mrs. E. Our students used to call each other by each others' names, and a student even saw me in a store and thought I was Mrs. E.

Anyway, back to the prompt....what if I saw someone who looked like me?

Actually, this happened when I was in my second year of college. There was a girl who had many features similar to my own. We had the same haircut, same type of face and eyes, and dressed very similar. It was the first time I'd ever had that experience. I really felt like I needed to meet her and get to know her, for a couple of reasons. Number one, maybe she and I would get along well, and number two, I was so curious about her, that it would help me get over the strange feelings of feeling like I was looking at myself.

We did get to be friends, and did have many similarities, particularly in music. We were both Depeche Mode fans. We were friends that year, and after I graduated, went our separate ways.

All in all, to answer the question, I'd want to stop and get to know someone who looked like me!

What would you do?

Assignment for 1/10/11: If I were invisible...

This week's assignment is for you to respond to this prompt:

Imagine that you can become invisible whenever you wanted to. What are some of the things you would do?

Respond to this in at least 150 words and include at least three photos from the web. They can be of locations you would visit, people you might see, or whatever you like related to the prompt.

If I were invisible...

If I were invisible there are so many things I would do, so many people I would see, and places I would go! It is a pretty exciting thing to think about really.

People quite often talk about "If I were a fly on the wall, that would be neat to see." I think about that quite often that there are situations I would love to be in, but not be seen.

On a basic level, I would love to spend a day invisible in my son's preschool classroom.

I think I could learn so much more about how he interacts with other children and even learn more about what he likes to do. He doesn't have any brothers or sisters so I don't get to see him interact around other kids all that much. I think it would be so helpful and fun to see as well.

I would also love to step on any airplane I wanted, at any time, and fly to see amazing places in the world. No one would know I was there and I wouldn't have to pay for a ticket. Heck, I wouldn't even have to go through the security gates!

I think this might come in handy, especially in countries where I don't know the language. I wouldn't feel pressure to not be able to answer in the correct language. That happened to me once in Germany. I came out of a restroom and my husband and his family had walked outside the building. I didn't know where they'd gone, and I was so afraid someone would ask me if I needed help or something.

I just realized however, that if I were invisible, unless my luggage were invisible too, I couldn't carry luggage on my trip. Hmm...that's something to consider.

As far as people, wouldn't it be fun to go see a band and get as close as you wanted to their performance, if no one could see you? You could even be right on stage with them! There are a lot of bands or musical artists I'd love to see perform. One artist might be David Cooke. I think he'd be great to see.


What would you do and see if you could be invisible?