A Tween Turns Twelve!

Guess who's birthday is later this week... ?
Yup the tween. She'll be 12.

ODE to the Tween
Oh to be 12 again.
To meet my first zits.
Finding out the hard way,
Showers are your friend.
Venture the halls of Jr. High.
Algebra.

I'm super glad to be the mom of this particular tween.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I asked her for a booklist and a music list. She has been reading voraciously for years now, I can't keep up. It's official, I know less and less about what is going on in her life. So I give you the faves in her life. Maybe you can find a gift idea for the tween in your life??

BOOKS

Uglies (series) by Scott Westerfield
Midnighters (series) also by same author.
She's told me a lot about these books. One of her current faves. Strange premise, science fiction.

ANYTHING by Sharon Creech
Walk Two Moons, Ruby Holler are two she described to me in detail. I think she's read every single book Ms. Creech has ever written!

Fablehaven (series) by Brandon Mull
Candy Shoppe War (same author)
We once got to meet Mr. Mull at a book signing!

Anything by Gail Carson Levine
(esp. Fairest, her note)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) by Rick Riordan
(I have it on good knowledge that she is literally dying to get her hands on the 4th and newest book... um... don't tell her... I think it might be stashed somewhere ready to wrap itself up for her! Shhhh.)

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Also Inkheart by same author.
(She left me a note: "did not like the next books in the inkheart series.")

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
(She stayed up nights reading the whole series in a matter of months.)

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

The City of Ember by Jeane Duprau
(She notes that she didn't like the next books in the series.)

Music

Falling Down - Selena Gomez
(She tells me she like pretty much all of her music)




Taylor Swift (The whole kit and kaboodle.. surprise huh?)

Jordan Sparks (Ditto)

Songs from the Movie 'Another Cinderella Story' and 'Spectacular'
Not familiar with those movies...?
What... you don't watch the Disney Channel nonstop?

Crush- David Archuleta
(I think she has the crush.)

All the Songs from Wicked
Me too... we are so working on a plan to see this play.. someday... somehow.







What are we missing? What does your tween LOVE?

Ode To My New Life

My little boy was very excited to get his 'HotWheels.com' back.

But I am soooo much more excited happy mirthful joyous delighted to get ALL of YOU back!

And that brings me to a little list. I've been composing it for several days now. It goes something like this.

Reasons I am loving my new life:

One} We had to buy a new microwave (at the old house it was built in). And this new micro? It has the button I have been coveting for FOUR LONG years....wanna know what it is?

(Whisper this)
"Add 30 Seconds"

Two} My kids live close enough to their new school to WALK!
Now. If it rains or snows or is just friggin' cold, yes I will be happy to drive them the .7 miles. But did you hear me? They WALK TO SCHOOL!


Three} My husband's new commute time is 4.8 minutes. MINUTES! I say 'GET A BIKE'!


Four} I just got internet back today. 'Nuff Said.
But I'll say more anyway. I had DSL before. And this is through cable. So far? MUCH FASTER.


Five} They have a community pool here, I know, who doesn't? But um...THIS pool is geothermally heated and outdoor and open YEAR round. (Gets mighty cold here, so I'm dying to see how this all works out?)


Six} I mentioned this in the last post. But it's so great it needed to be mentioned again. There are KIDS. SAME ages as my kids, just up the street. I have a whole post to do about the Mormon network when you move. And as amazing as it was to find a kid family so close, it is totally rockin' amazing to find out they are LDS? Now THAT's a small world.


Seven} I just found out that the elementary school my big kids are attending....had PRE-K. Oh this is big. Big as in, just found out there's a Jo-Anns here(there is). Even bigger? I just found out they have ONE SPOT LEFT in PRE-K! He can go to pre-school in the SAME building as my older kids. Think about that. Still doing extra pick ups, but everyone in the same place each morning....wow.

Eight} I have sunsets. Oh you have those too? Well I have SUNSET, sunsets. EVERY night. Right outside my one hundred windows with a view of TWO (yes 2!) lakes. Seriously every night I've been here (that would be 5 total) THIS is what greets me every evening!

This is SOOC, I don't have my elements back up on the laptop after the big Summer Crash '08. But OH what I could do with it if I just had my photoshop back up?? If you don't know what SOOC means...then you don't know my friend Pioneer Woman... And no she doesn't need a plug from me, with her 4,000 comments...ahem.

Nine} Here's one more and it maybe could have gone in up with the hubby commute item? But it's just so good it gets it's own list item....




Are you curious....?





Still with me....?







Okay. The coolest thing in my new life? My husband came HOME for lunch yesterday. Yup that's it. The absolute coolest thing I could possibly think of. I made him my crazy yummy vegetarian salad. And then. Something I never would have even put on a wish list of cool things.... HE UNLOADED the dishwasher while on this unthinkable lunch break at home! He did. You think I'm making this up don't you? Oh and just to get one more dig in.... He came home for lunch again today. All of that 1.2 miles, for lunch, with me.

I could get used to Oregon.

But watch out,
there might be a 'things I don't love so much about my new life' post in the near future.