Seven Picture Books You'll Love, Too

Parents, guardians, older brothers and sisters, babysitters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors should all read to the children in their lives.

Do you have children you need to read to, but can't find a book to interest them and yourself? While I don't have children, I am a teacher in an elementary school. There are definitely books or stories I enjoy more than my students, and the other way around. I am going to try to compile a list here, however, that both adults and children, in my, albeit somewhat short, experience have enjoyed.

7 Picture Books:

1. Two Bad Ants, by Chris Van Allsburg          This adorable and story about two naughty ants who go on an adventure is not only funny, but makes you think. Told from the perspective of the "bad ants" inside a human home, it is fun to use the pictures and descriptions to determine what household item the ants are encountering. Those ants had one crazy advernture!
2. Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons            Daisy is a duckling who likes to play with the dragonflies, watch the fish, and hop around with frogs. Unfortunately, Daisy does not stay with her mother, which creates fantastic opportunities for children to make predictions ("I predict...") or personal connections.
3. The Frog Prince Continued, by Jon Scieszca     Adults may get more of a kick out of this "sequel" to "The Frog Prince" than the children, but it is more than worth the read. Basic background knowledge of fairy tale witches and reading with character voices is a necessity.
4. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszca   Another book by the same author sure to get some giggles is the story of "The Three Little Pigs" told from the perspective of a very sympathetic wolf. There are always at least two sides to any story.
5. Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China, by Ed Young The illustrations are beautiful, and it is wonderful to work on compare and contrast with the typical, Western version of "Little Red Riding Hood".
6. Rain, by Manja Stojic This simple story takes place in Africa during the rainy season, and my 8 year old students loved it. It is a fantastic book to focus on patterns as well as the five senses. We used it for expressive reading. If it says the porcupine whispers, then the reader better whisper! The illustrations are amazing as well.
7. Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale, by Verna Aardema   This was one of my favorites as a child. Beautifully told and illustrated, this children's book is fascinating even to adults.

Can you think of any particular children's picture books you and the children in your life have enjoyed? If so, please share with the rest of us.

Watch for a future post concerning chapter books children and grown-ups alike will enjoy to read together.

9 Reasons I am an Honest-to-Goodness Adult

The fact that I need to write this to prove to myself and others that I am, in fact, a real, true, honest-to-goodness adult, should indicate to you that it has recently been implied or insinuated that I am not.

1. I pay my bills, and I pay them on time.
2.  I take care of myself, the cat, and the fish just fine. We all eat, live in mostly clean and orderly habitats (mine, partially shared with the cat, is the messiest), and are healthy.
3. Despite the fact that I hate doctors, I schedule, attend, and pay for the various doctor appointments necessary.
4. I have a real job with benefits, etc.
5.  When I go grocery shopping, I don't just buy cookies, ice cream, and pizza. No, I cannot claim I do not have ice cream for breakfast occasionally, but for the most part, I try to eat real meals.
6.  I have a savings account. This is not intended to one day pay for my undergraduate degree. What now?
7.  I am comfortable doing things on my own, such as seeing a movie, going to an art show, attending a concert, etc. if that is what would make me happy at that particular time. Sometimes it is because no one else can or wants to go with me, and sometimes I go solo because I just want some time to do what I want to do at the speed I want to do it.
8. Sometimes, other adults come to me for advice. Granted, it is almost exclusively regarding work, but that means I am at least viewed by some other adults as a professional, and professionals must be adults, right?
9. Because I said so, and I am an adult!

Super Awesome Facts

To balance things out from my disgustingly feelings-related, mushy, lovey-dovey post yesterday, I am going to try to make a super awesome facts post. To find these super awesome facts, I used the very scientific method of typing "super awesome facts" into google, then taking the top fact from the first ten pages that came up. Please note that because these facts are super awesome, I have not, nor do I intend to, do any sort of research or fact checking to make sure they are credible. Believe the following 10 super awesome facts at your own peril.

1. Odontophobia is the fear of teeth.
2. There was no punctuation until the 15th century.
3. Facebook's stock is apparently worth 5,600 billion dollars.
4. ROBLOX has made about seven hundred ninety three "useless" trailers for their video games. I don't know what ROBLOX is, but you should know the next statement after that fact was, " And boy, do they lie!"
5. The average human adult has 206 bones, while the average human child has 300 because bones fuse together as we grow.
6. Groupon's business model is facing scrutiny.
7. The phrases "super fun" and "communist" are not compatible.
8. Bio-reactivity research about Kava is hard to come by.
9. Despite going into the playoffs as the #6 seed, the Green Bay Packers were the favorite for the 2011 Super Bowl.
10. If you put Saturn in a giant tub of water, it would float.

10 Reasons There Should Be More Kissing in My Life

Someone has recently jogged my memory, and now I remember that I like kissing. Again, I am a bit of a liberal prude, so I don't go around kissing people all the time, but I do rather enjoy it. Anyway, there's this guy that has voluntarily kissed me on a couple of occasions now, and I feel pretty good. Let's just say that there is a little extra spring in my step, and a friend commented that things must be going well because I literally bounded down the stairs earlier today.

Feeling good is just one of the many perks, however. With the help of the internet, trashy women's magazines, and recent personal experiences, I have compiled a list of 10 reasons why kissing is good (in no particular order).

1. It feels nice. Alright - it feels pretty awesome.
2. With the right person, it gets your heart beating just a little bit faster.
3. Kissing burns two to three calories per minute (bestkisses.com). According to Reader's Digest, however, it can actually burn between two and six calories a minute. I guess it depends on how you're doing it?
4. Kissing is a stress reliever. Apparently, according to bestkisses.com, anyway (and if you can't trust them, who can you trust?), it lowers your cortisol level. Reader's Digest says that kissing increases your level of oxytocin and dopamine as well.
5. There are 100 times more nerve endings in your lips than in your fingertips (cosmopolitan.com), so I guess that's what makes it feel so awesome.
6. Kissing, as well as chewing gum, helps prevent lockjaw, which I guess is good (5 Healthy Benefits of Tongue Kissing).
7. The extra saliva provided by your kissing partner apparently helps wash bacteria off your teeth and break down plaque (webmd.com). Does that mean I get to postpone my dentist visit even longer? Unfortunately, Matthew Messina, DDS, says that he does not recommend kissing as a replacement to brushing.
8. Kissing is good for your immune system. Sharing your particular brand of germs with your kissing partner and vice verse supposedly strengthens your immune system (webmd.com).
9. You get to get pretty close to the person you are kissing.
10. Kissing is really fun. Besides putting that spring in your step, it can also plaster a goofy half-smile on your face.

Update On My Exploration of Southern Minnesota

On June 6th, I made my goals for this summer concerning my exploration of Southern MN public. I am embarrassed to say that I did not accomplish much (only visiting Trout Run) between June 6th and July 22nd, but things are really starting to pick up now. I will blame my work schedule and the state shutdown for my month and a half dry spell.

The following is the list I previously shared, and now I can start crossing things off! This is very exciting!

1. Mystery Cave, Forestville State Park, Preston
• I went here yesterday with Mr. Sturm and had a wonderful time. We went on a one hour tour with one other couple and a family with two young boys. The park ranger who gave the tour was very knowledgeable and explained things very well, in my opinion. Also, I was impressed with their lighting and walkway system they have installed for the one-hour tour trek and how little it detracts from the natural beauty and artifacts of the cave. We saw a bat, and little, tiny white insects named springtails. Concerning the insects, however, the guide could have been pulling our legs and simply telling us those white specks in the water were insects. We really couldn't get close enough to see. So, in conclusion, Mystery Cave was a success, and it gets a recommendation from me!
2. Niagra Cave, Harmony
• After Mystery Cave and a detour to downtown Preston, MN and Lanesboro, Mr. Sturm and I continued on the Niagra Cave in Harmony, MN. While Mystery Cave is part of a state park, Niagra Cave is privately owned. The cave itself was really very cool, but you could tell it wasn't as well taken care of as Mystery Cave. Also, the tour guides did not seem nearly as knowledgeable as the park rangers at Mystery Cave, but that is to be expected. Niagra Cave, unlike Mystery Cave, had a lot of running water. We went to go see the 60 foot waterfall, and it really was something else. The view of the waterfall was from above, but it was still something to behold. All through the cave tour, you could hear the running water, and the water dripped down on us from above. Unlike Mystery Cave, the ceilings were generally taller at Niagra Cave, and it seemed like most of the time, the roof was about 70 feet above us, although the passageways were much narrower. Niagra Cave had two themes for their cave, it seemed. The theme acknowledged by our guide was one of love and marriage. The one I saw as a trend but was not formally labeled was what I like to call, "Things That Are Gonna Getcha!" For the love theme, there was a little chapel in a room that looked like it had a steeple, a formation that looked like a veil, a wedding cake, the Titanic, and a high heeled shoe. There was also a rock that used to be called The Kissing Rock, I guess, where they let people go up and kiss on it, then if they got down safely, they were supposed to live happily ever after. In my opinion, the way it was described, this also ties to the  "Things That Are Gonna Getcha!" theme which also included skeleton hands, crocodile heads, and claws. Overall, I would recommend, but only if you also go to Mystery Cave.
3. Downtown Lanseboro
•  Everyone is always telling me how great Lanesboro is, but I don't really see it. My favorite part was the spoon shop where the guy makes wooden spoons by hand. One of the spoons stood up and looked like a dog, with the spoon part as the head. He also made crazy little creatures out of dried walnuts and other odds and ends. Perhaps if I went back to Lanesboro and did more of their active things, such as kayaking or tubing, it would be a more enjoyable experience. Of course I had a nice time anyway, but part of that was the company I was keeping.
4. Mayowood Mansion, Rochester
5. Zollman Zoo and Oxbow Park,  Byron
• Scheduled for Wednesday.
6. Trout Run, Fillmore County (Chatfield)
• Very cool. Probably infinitely more cool if you are into fly fishing.
7. Spam Museum, Austin
8. Honkers game, Rochester (I can see them from my yard!)
• Other Ivy and I just went to go see the game this afternoon. We both got in for free because it was active transportation day, and we both used our bodies instead of cars to get there. That was pretty exciting. The weather was nicer today than it has been the past week. There was  a slight breeze, so that helped us feel as if maybe, just maybe, this blasted heat wave is on the way out. The Honkers played the Thunder Bay Cats and won! YAY!!!! I definitely recommend a Honkers game if you enjoy baseball.
9. Roosters game, Rochester
• Scheduled for Saturday.

So I have accomplished five things on my list of nine, and have two more scheduled for this week. It seems that perhaps, against all odds, I may actually complete my list for exploring Southern Minnesota!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

I am a northern girl who loves the seasons and prefers cold weather to hot. Unfortunately, right now at 5:30 in the evening, according to my local weather people, it is 92.5 degrees Fahrenheit but feels like 112. What is that? This is not ok! And so I am sitting in my underwear as close to the window air conditioner as possible, sweating profusely. In fact, when I get up to move, I will probably leave a puddle of sweat. Yuck. That's kind of gross.

This video with music by Buster Poindexter makes being hot seem like more fun than it really is. Below are ways to cool down on hot, gross, Minnesota days like this. Most of them should be done in your home, and you probably don't want other people around. Just sayin'. For you normal folks out there, I'll throw in some "normal" ways to stay cool.

1. Don't go outside.
2. Sit as close to the window air conditioner or fan as possible.

3. Leave the house and go somewhere like Starbucks or the mall where the air conditioners keep everything a frigid, slightly uncomfortable 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Buy yourself a milkshake or iced coffee or something along those lines.

4. Fill the slip covers or your couch with bags of frozen vegetables (peas and corn work best). Sit on the couch in your underwear, possibly with another bag of frozen vegetables on your forehead.

5. Fill a bathtub with cold water. Empty all your ice trays into the tub. Get in.

6. Drink lots of water.

7. Buy and freeze fruit such as pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Once frozen, place these fruits in a metal bowl and hold in your lap. Stick whole pieces of frozen fruit in your mouth and try to eat them. This is most enjoyable if you are sitting on your couch filled with frozen vegetables that you have placed as close as possible to the window air conditioner.

You are of course encouraged to mix and match any of the above for maximum coolness and/or enjoyable-ness. Any other ideas?