Mommy Brain

How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse (The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup the Viking) by Cressida Cowell
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Tales from Shakespeare by Tina Packer
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Peril and Peace: Chronicles of the Ancient Church by Brandon and Mindy Withrow
Flyte (Septimus Heap, Book 2) by Angie Sage

Franklin and the Thunderstorm by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark
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Framed (Nancy Drew: All New Girl Detective #15) by “Carolyn Keene”
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Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano
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Can you believe tomorrow is Halloween? This month has flown by, and we’re heading into snowball season. No, I don’t mean literal snow. I mean the time of year where - for our family, at least - Halloween rolls into my birthday rolls into Josiah’s birthday rolls into Thanksgiving rolls into Natalie’s birthday rolls into Christmas. Whew - I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas, I’m just not crazy about the hecticness leading up to it.

Tomorrow night, we will take the kids to my parents’ church for the ultimate in Harvest Parties. My Dad has built all of these amazing games, and they give out tons of candy - way more than we ever got when we used to trick-or-treat. Which the kids really, really need because they’ve been so, so nice to each other lately. (Can you sense the sarcasm in that sentence?)

What I’m really looking forward to is next Friday. See, it’s my birthday - and all three boys are staying over at Michelle and Don’s house for Nicholas’s birthday, and Natalie is spending the weekend with my folks. So Kevin and I are heading to Spokane to eat dinner and go to Barnes & Noble so I can pick out my birthday present. Can’t. wait.

This weekend will be spent dealing with kids on way too much sugar, while I try to write the four articles that are due by Monday. Sigh.

~ I feel really guilty about complaing when I read posts like this one from Carol.

~ Bookroom Reviews is holding a Book Giveaway Carnival next week - be sure and check out the details at the link if you want to participate, and then check back on Monday for the list of all the bloggers giving away books.

~ There’s a new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer up at Entertainment Weekly.

~ I have a guest review of The Night Country by Stewart O’Nan over at J. Kaye’s Book Blog.

~ Great article by Rod Dreher about one of my all-time favorite authors: Wendell Berry’s time is now.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

In the spirit of ignoring politics until the election is over, I thought it would be fun to do a meme - and then I saw this one at Meg’s.

Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Is knitting an art?
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Have you ever? Let me know if you join in, so I can read your answers.

One of Kevin’s online gaming buddies requested that I post the two different spaghetti recipes that Kevin (apparently) raves about while chatting online. So here they are:

Spaghetti Sauce

1 lg. can tomato sauce (not sure of the ounces, but the largest, squat can)
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 sm. can sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef

Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink; drain fat. While the ground beef is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large saucepan and place on burner on high. When it starts to boil, turn it down to medium-low. Add the hamburger as soon as it’s done cooking. The longer you simmer the sauce, the better it tastes - 20 to 30 minutes is good. If you’re in a hurry and can’t simmer it that long, increase the amount of garlic by a bit and it still tastes great. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles - I use the thin spaghetti.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef
1 large jar of Prego traditional spaghetti sauce (the family size jar)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
16 oz. thin spaghetti noodles
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large saucepan, cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions until just done - you don’t want them mushy. While the noodles are cooking, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When almost all of the pink is gone, add the garlic and continue to cook until all of the meat is brown. Pour in the spaghetti sauce, mix thoroughly, and then turn on low. Combine the sour cream and cream cheese in medium sized mixing bowl; stir until smooth.

When noodles are done cooking, drain. Pour the noodles into 11×15 or two quart baking dish that has been misted or wiped down with olive or canola oil. Spoon about 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce/ground beef mixture over the noodles and mix until all the noodles are moistened with the sauce. Spoon the cream cheese/sour cream mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. Spread the remaining spaghetti sauce over the top, and then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

For this one, I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and low fat sour cream, and you can’t tell the difference at all.

SPOILER ALERT

Oh my gosh, House and Cuddy totally kissed! Really, really kissed. And then, biggest surprise of all, House did the gentlemanly thing and said, “Goodnight” and left, instead of taking advantage of her depressed state of mind.

I cried when the birth mother changed her mind about letting Cuddy adopt the baby.

On a completely unrelated note, I won’t be posting about politics anymore, nor will I be answering comments on any of my previous political posts. I’m more than ready for the election to be over, and I’m tired of talking about it, reading about it, and hearing about it.

I’m giving away four more books at Books and Movies, if you’re interested.

I didn’t do a Links for Friday post last week, since we were in Portland for the kids’ Tae Kwon Do tournament. Since we got home around 8:30 pm Sunday evening, I feel like I’ve been going nonstop: homeschooling, laundry, articles due, laundry, Awana, homeschool class, and did I mention laundry?

It’s fall here, and I’m loving the colors. This is, far and above, my very favorite time of year.

~ Don’t forget to enter my 100,000th visitor giveaway - it’s open until the end of the month.

~ Remember The Pirates Who Can’t Do Anything? Meet The Homeschool Moms Who Can’t Do Everything.

~ Here’s the Ultimate Telemarketer Prank. (Warning: language a little spicy.)

~ Colin Farrell and Edward Norton talk about their upcoming cop movie, Pride and Glory.

~ Ever wonder where they get all those teen and tween Disney stars? Here’s the answer.

~ Extreme Weather Alert: Meteorologists Predict Intensely Brisk Autumn. I dare you not to laugh. Be sure to read the pop-ups on the bottom of the screen.

~ If you have budding writers who are Harry Potter fans, here’s how to enter an essay contest: The Tales of Beedle the Bard Essay Contest.

~ Rotten Tomatoes counts down the Top 50 Animated Films.

~ Goodbye to Dissonance from Tonia at Study in Brown. Here’s a taste:

is it possible that we as a body of believers could put away the assumptions and insults and accusations and assume the best of each other? could we look at the person on the other side of the voting line and believe that they are caring, loving individuals doing the best they can, just as we are trying to do?

~ Beautiful pictures from World Animal Day. The flamingo is my new desktop background.

~ Daily Writing Tips has a new Vocabulary Test.

~ Anyone else excited about the upcoming season of Lost? The promo for season 5 is up.

~ Booklovers take note: this is so going on my Christmas list.

At Books and Movies:

~ Review of North River by Pete Hamill.

~ Review of The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test…

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

27 Impressionist, 11 Islamic, -2 Ukiyo-e, -29 Cubist, -21 Abstract and 3 Renaissance!

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Hat tip: Andrea.

I’m exhausted from our trip to Portland. It all went well, and the kids did fantastic in the tournament. They placed well, were good sports, and enjoyed themselves.

I’m too tired for a real post, so I’m stealing a meme I saw at The Bayer Family Blog:

01. What’s the last TV show you saw?
Life. Friday nights on NBC - please, please watch this show. It’s excellent, but it’s not getting very good ratings, and I’m worried it will be cancelled.

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(Tinker Bell was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Journey into the secret world of Pixie Hollow and hear Tinker Bell speak for the very first time as the astonishing story of Disney’s most famous fairy is finally revealed in the all-new motion picture Tinker Bell.

Have you ever wondered how nature gets its glow - who gives it light and color as the seasons come and go? Enter a land of adventure and mystery as Tinker Bell and her four best fairy friends turn winter into spring and, with the power of faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust, learn the importance of being true to yourself.

Overflowing with fun and imagination, Tinker Bell is a celebration of the beloved fairy and her first motion picture. Expperience this amazing tale bound to delight the entire family.

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Be sure to click over to Books and Movies for my review of Capote in Kansas and an interview with the author, Kim Powers.

(This post will stay on top until the end of the giveaway on October 31st. Please scroll down for new posts.)

Sometime on Sunday, October 5th, Mommy Brain received its 100,000th visitor! I had been watching my stats, but missed the exact moment. That doesn’t make it any less exciting, though!

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(WhoBob WhatPants? was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this feature.)

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(Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas bring you the greatest adventure of all time in a film packed with “sensational, awe-inspiring spectacles” (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull finds Indy (Harrison Ford) trying to outrace a brilliant and beautiful agent (Cate Blanchett) for the mystical, all-powerful crystal skull of Akator in a quest that is filled with “spectacular fun” (Claudia Puig, USA Today). Teaming up with a rebellious young biker (Shia LaBeouf) and his spirited original love Marion (Karen Allen), Indy takes you on an action-packed adventure in the exciting tradition of the classic Indiana Jones movies!

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We’re heading out at 4:00 am tomorrow for Portland. We will be visiting family and then the three oldest will be competing in a Tae Kwon Do tournament on Saturday. The hotel has wi-fi, but I’m not sure if I’ll find time to update. If not, I’ll be back Sunday evening sometime. Hope you’re all having a great week!

(The Happening was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

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