Hop-py New Year!

Chinese New Year, that is!  The new lunar year starts on February 3, 2011 and it's the year of the quiet and peace-loving RABBIT!

Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration, culminating in a full moon and the colorful Lantern Festival. To the Chinese, it's a truly special time for friends, family, and food. The young and old, married and single, gather to wish each other a healthy and prosperous New Year. In many ways, it really is everybody's holiday!

Each lunar year is welcomed with a respective shengxiao or zodiac. There are 12 guardian animals of the Chinese zodiac. (Think multiples of 12, Tudygirls! Work that abacus!!) They were introduced by Emperor Huang Di almost 5 centuries ago. They are: the Rat (1996, 2008), Ox (1997, 2009), Tiger (1998, 2010), Rabbit (1999, 2011), Dragon (2000, 2012), Snake (2001, 2013), Horse (2002, 2014), Goat (2003, 2015), Monkey (2004, 2016), Rooster (2005, 2017), Dog (2006, 2018), and Pig (2007, 2019). Depending on your year, certain animal traits reflect aspects of your personality. Do you know your shengxiao or animal zodiac? Remember, your guardian animal offers up happiness and luck. Go ahead, look it up!

So a Kung Hei Fat Choy to one and all!  It's time to get hop-py!

How to Say Goodnight...

Losing a best friend is never easy.  So it helps when you have a little book to guide you through it.  No, this isn't a self-help book.  Say Goodnight, Gracie is a bittersweet novella by Julie Reece Deaver that's been around for more than 30 years!  And I think the reason why it's been around so long is because it really helps you understand grief and helps you deal with it.  I know this isn't the usual kind of book I like, but sometimes, Tudy Girls, you've just got to face the hard stuff!  And it's easier when you have a little go-to book like Say Goodnight, Gracie.

So read it, keep it or give it.  There may be a time you'll need to say Goodnight...  

Belated Happy Birthday, Peanuts!

Good Grief!  How could I have missed it!  Last October 2010, Peanuts, the beloved comic strip of Charles Schultz, celebrated its 60th birthday!  We all love Snoopy, and you can imagine why he's Woofy's idol!  And Kawaii only fluffs her feathers for Woodstock!  Meowry has a purring for Linus (must be that blanket!) but me?  I have a soft spot in my heart for Lucy!  Always loved her sassiness!

So better late than never!  Happy Birthday, Peanuts!  You've come a long way!

Happy New Make-over Year!

Hats off! It's a New Year! It's time for a make-over!

Are you contemplating any new resolutions this year? If you are, do remember; the ancient Babylonians were just as quick to make or break those resolutions year after year. So I'm taking my cue from history. I'm keeping it simple and real. I'm looking forward,not backward.

As we welcome the make-over year, let me share a favorite poem of mine. It was written by Shel Silverstein, an American writer, poet, and cartoonist.

Here it is, so read on:

Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.

Listen to the shouldn'ts,
the impossibles, the won'ts.

Listen to the never haves,
Then listen close to me ....

Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.

Hat's off to the New Year! Have a Great 2011!

Jingle Bells, All Is Well!

'Tis the season! And you're probably making your list, checking it twice, thrice even.

But before you get caught up in that gift-receiving frenzy, let that sassy, angst-ridden, first grader, Junie B. Jones, help you discover the true Spirit of the Season. (P.S. It's all about others too!)

Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So does May) is a hilarious take on the holiday, gift-giving experience. It's a laugh-out-loud book for all ages, no matter what grade you're in. 

The book's 118 pages will fly off your hand in no time. It'll have you laughing all the way to the mall, or, for some, away from it. More importantly, it'll help you remember what the Season is all about. Think about it. Aren't the simple things the ones that matter most? Like a new friend in the least expected twists and turns? So read it, give it, keep it.

And, honestly, isn't that red ribbon sewn into the book's binding simply adorable? Stylish yet sooo Junie B.! It really is the "bestest"!

Trust me on this one. It's a wrap!

Pure Dead...

And finally, Frozen!  What seems to be the last of Debi Gliori's Pure Dead series finds the Strega-Borgias in yet another storm, this time of the snow variety!  It's the middle of winter, the devil is hunting them, so are hired assassins, there's a new baby, and a new demon baby too!  The wolves are out, so are the bats, the ancestors can't be framed, and Damp is trying out her magic.   It can get a little too confusing and convoluted with all sorts of mythical and magical creatures running loose (did Ffup really have to have that egg?) but one thing's for sure, it's all very amusing!  So if you're chilling at home because of freezing weather, then Frozen's the way to go!  And don't forget Magic, Wicked, Brilliant, Trouble and Batty to complete your Pure Dead fix.

The Family Tree

FALL
for
leaves!

Plant a TREE.

GROW
up
with
one.

Adopt-A-Woofy Month!

October is the American Humane Association's Adopt-A-Dog Month!  So if you're looking for an exercise buddy, a loyal friend, a faithful companion, or just someone to greet you after a looong, hard day, please consider adopting a dog from a shelter near you!  I know it's a big responsibility but the rewards are even bigger!  You'll make Woofy so proud!

And while you're thinking and thinking and thinking about it, track my TudyPets and adopt them for life!

Games Theory!

Finally, finally, finally!  Mockingjay, the final book of the Hunger Games trilogy is here!  And it does not disappoint, TudyGirls!  Suzanne Collins has brought everything to a thrilling conclusion and even tho you may have a few "why did that have to happen???" moments, you'll realize its all part of great gamesmanship and even better storytelling!

So grab a copy and follow Katniss as she plays her most dangerous game yet! Or will she be played in the end?

Before school gets too busy (and you know it will!), sneak in a little more down time and play this cool and free Trial by Fire and see if you've got what it takes to survive the Hunger Games!

Mad Over the Moon!

It's the Autumnal Equinox in the western hemisphere AND the Mid-Autumn Festival in the east - the first time since 1991 that just when the nights start getting loooonger, the moon will be at its biggest and brightest!  Chinese tradition celebrates this time of the year with paper lanterns and moon cakes - yummy breads filled with lotus seed cream and egg custards!  Western traditions celebrate the last and plentiful harvest before the long winter months, which is why the September moon is also called the harvest moon!

So wherever you are in the world, TudyGirls, celebrate the magic of this special time of the year - look up and go moon-gazing!  And when you've got your sights earth-bound again, try out this little quiz on the the loveliest orb in our night sky!

Plant More Rice!

It's better than ever!  I hope you've been testing your mental skills on one of my Tudy raves, FreeRice. It's the "click and give" website where you play educational games and raise money to fight world hunger. Founded by John Breen in 2007,  FreeRice now covers more subjects and is more interactive! Try the 2.0 version where you can tweet your results!  It's all about social networking and social giving!


And it's still all for free, Tudygirls. How smart is that?

Walk Like an Egyptian!

And walk into the fascinating world of Egyptian gods with Rick Riordan's The Red Pyramid!  This isn't your run-of-the-pyramid curse-of-the mummy book.  This is a world of Egyptian gods walking among us. Or at least, really bothering the Kane siblings, Carter and Sadie.  Having siblings is usually enough of a problem, but when you've lost your mom, have been apart for most of your lives, and have a dad who brings back the ancient Egyptian gods, life can't be all frankincense and myrrh!  Oh, and yes, you've got to save the world as we know it in the process!

The Red Pyramid is the kind of book that you finish in one read - you don't want to miss all that action!  And it makes Egytptology a subject you want to really study!  I think that's the best thing Rick Riordan has done - make the myths of ancient cultures fascinating for us all over again!