Family Pictures - August 2012

 

Happy Birthday James!

Look - James can tell you how old he is!

This is my little man. He's sweet, he's funny, he's ornery, he's snuggly... and now he's one!

Crystal Light Organizers

I have finally found uses for all those crystal light containers I have saved. Tony scoffed - "Why are you keeping trash, again?" But, as it turns out, I was right... again ;)

First, I used some to keep bulliten board supplies close at hand. I covered them with paper, then used a push pin to stick them to the bulliten board. Now I always have scissors, stapler, pens, and anything else I need right there at the ready, and also where the kids can't reach! A friend suggested velcro for attaching them, and I think that would work great too.

Next I decided to give Cadence's crayons and markers a new home. At our old house I used a cup in her art cabinet, but the play room is on the other side of the house now, and she likes to color in both places. There wasn't really a good place to put a cup in the playroom, especially since James likes to dump things out - and them put them in his mouth. So -

Crystal light containers again! Now Cadence has easy access to her supplies, and James... well, he doesn't. 

For the markers, I used a tall container, wrapped in paper, then tied with a ribbon. Since we don't have normal walls in the playroom, I used my handy suction cup hooks, and hung them by the ribbon. For the crayons, I cut a container down to the size I needed, then repeated the rest of the process. It was surprisingly easy to cut with plain scissors, and didn't leave sharp edges like I expected. The lid even stays on still. 

If she wants to take her supplies with her, she can just lift them down and put the ribbon on her arm. She loves it!

I also went ahead and covered a box with wrapping paper for her to keep all her paper in. It is all working out rather well, and I am so excited that she can color again now - without it being a big supply gathering ordeal.



Vespers Rising: 39 Clues Book 11 {Cahills Vs. Vespers}

Vespers Rising: 39 Clues Book 11 {Cahills Vs. Vespers}

This review is geared toward people who have read the first ten 39 Clues books. I loved those books. They were very fun, with lots of suspense, great characters, and plenty of reader participation in the plot and clue finding.

 After reading the first 39 Clues series, I never dreamed I would say this – I am really disappointed in this book. I enjoyed reading it, but I have two bones to pick with this one.

1.      It was too dark. Oh, I’m not saying it was evil and dark and I wouldn’t let my kid read them. But let’s face it – the first ten books were very innocent. In spite of the competitive, winner-takes-all-its-worth-any-price theme, they were light and funny. This – not so much. The tone was different. I mean, people actually died. Violent deaths. And the scene where they turn around and see blood pooling under a shut closet door? Not exactly the depths of scary, I know, but definitely not the same tone as the rest of the series.

2.      There wasn’t much suspense, clue finding, or letting the reader figure things out. I know this was because they were trying to cram so much plot history into the book, yet still keep it short, that they had to quickly spoonfeed the clues, but it was still disappointing.

Overall, I still enjoyed reading this book, and am excited to read the next ones. I hope, though, they will return to the fun, sleuthing, let’s-figure-out-these-clues-with-our-awesomely-fun-personalities tone.