Have you ever tried huckleberry? It’s delicious! It tastes like a cross between a plum and a grape.
The first time I encountered the fruit, huckleberry, was on a trip to Montana. The few times I’ve encountered huckleberry was either in the saying, "I’ll be your huckleberry" or in reference to Huckleberry Finn.
Okay, so maybe young adult books are not for everyone (I don't think I will be reading excerpts from The Hunger Games at the next toddler storytime after all), but they are definitely appealing to a wider audience than just our teens.
The most dreaded question of all, "What do you want for the holidays?" Like a deer caught in the headlights, I tend to stare at whoever is asking—confused as to whether I turn and run or take it head on and profess the sad truth that I have no wants for the holiday season. I tend to buy everything I want before anyone else can get to it, even around the holidays.
Each day brings something new, and usually it’s a plethora of emails for me. But among those many threads of communication, I find one inspirational and light-hearted message to be most enlightening—my "visual thesaurus word of the day."
Mem Fox, author of Reading Magic, has said to parents, "Spend at least ten wildly happy minutes every single day reading aloud!" Having positive experiences with books is one of the first steps in a child’s life toward a love of reading. Learning becomes easy and natural when children are engaged and having fun.
Reflections of the National WWI Museum at the Liberty Memorial
First up on my tour of Kansas City Attractions is the National World War I Museum at the Liberty Memorial. Before I get into the details of my visit, I’d like to provide a little backstory.
I remember as a kid heading to my school library to learn about the Dewey Decimal system and to search through the mountainous shelves of nonfiction books for my project on tiger sharks or my project on the stars. Nowadays, nothing is as cool as using a computer to get a project done, and it seems so even for the kids today. I remember a few times wishing that I could find books another way, but being 7 years-old and it being the mid-nineties, computer information wasn’t quite what it is today. I feel old saying that.
I love visiting museums and historical sites near my home. In fact, it is one of my all-time favorite pastimes. (A trait, I might add, that my husband has reluctantly grown to love about me.) These little mini adventures help me learn a lot about a city’s history and culture, and also provide me with some amazing photo ops. It is pretty much my favorite way to spend a weekend!
Can you hear what I hear? Santa Claus! And Mrs. Claus, too? Since when does she make house calls? I thought she always stayed at the North Pole to keep track of the elves' shenanigans. Do you know why elves make the toys and never get them? My theory is that they are always naughty enough to keep them from getting presents but nice enough to not get a lump of coal. I'm sure they keep her very busy, but this is a very special occasion!
