. . . Let Me Sum Up . . .

Our July vacation was beyond wonderful. I think everyone must visit the Pacific Northwest. The trees, the weather, the seafood . . . sigh. Wonderful. But just in case you were thinking this was going to be a travelogue post, think again! We'll get to that, but first, 'what did you read on vacation, Juju?' I'm glad you asked.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor. Newberry winner from 1977. This was a painful read, but I can't wait to do it again. If you want to do a little civil rights study, pick this one up. It's so painful to think that this story took place in my parents generation. This was not 200 years ago, safely removed from all of us. This is a safe read for kids. It's dark, but not grotesque. Thanks to our road trip, I went through this one in a flash.

Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale. Newberry honor from 2006. Fantastic! So fun, but with a great message. I read on Shannon's blog (note how I call her Shannon, pretending we actually know each other?) that she never sets out trying to write a book with a 'message', but they usually just end up that way. This is a darling story, but not a 'useless princess is saved from the mean ogre by the all-capable warrior prince' story. I don't want to give away too much on this one. You MUST read it! Also a very quick read and not too hard for the young kids. Bug read this one in the second grade, and still remembers it.

Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Holy Cow! I purposely avoided this one, not wanting to buy into the hype. But any book that keeps me totally engrossed for 12 hours is a definite winner. BJ bought me this one before we came home, knowing he'd have four children asking him 'are we there yet?' every five minutes unless he did. The plot twists in this one were crazy. Totally unique plot, well written, fast paced . . . perfect vacation reading! I'm so excited for the second book in the series. I'm only number 128 on the library's hold list! Yeah, me!

And since we returned from vacation, I finished The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Newberry Award winner from 1994. Ever wondered what life would be like if we had chosen Satan's plan? Read this book and find out. This would be an amazing book group choice. Tons of discussion threads, an easy-quick read. And for the literary critic in all of us, lots of technical 'stuff' to chew on. I personally did not care for the ending. And from reading reviews on Goodreads, most agree with me. But, I think the way Ms. Lowry ended the book was totally intentional, and meant to be another book group discussion topic. ;)

On my nightstand right now? (drum roll please) Dracula, by Bram Stoker. So far I'm loving it. It's kind of like Jane Austen decided to write a horror book. There's murder and mayhem going on all around, but we're being very polite about it, and we're all impeccably dressed. Only downside is this is not the quick read-pick it up at bedtime-for a busy lady who still likes to read, kind of book. There is much concentration and slow turning of the pages going on right now.

And don't worry, I'll get to that travelogue soon. And the first day of school, and the toothless wonder at our house, and the finished landscaping . . . sigh, I need a nap!

By Popular Request

Just don't tell her you saw this. ;)

Keep On Smilin!

Don't Land In The Brocolli

Has it been over a month?! Well, I was distracted by non-Newberry reading for a bit. If you're interested in those, you'll just have to check out my goodreads list! Are you intrigued yet?

My return to Newberry-land was a doozy! 2010 Newberry Award winner When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, was fantastic! You've really got to pick this one up and check it out for yourselves, especially if you're a fan of A Wrinkle In Time. It won't take you long to read, don't worry. I finished this one in a few days of quiet before-bed reading plus a mini road-trip.

The writing in this book is excellent. The voicing, the format, her syntax . . . they all combine to draw you into Mira's world. A special treat was how the author inserted great descriptions of Mira's surroundings. I could feel the textures of the walls as she describes them. Excellent! The story is so clever and unique and tackles several ideas seamlessly. And don't quit before the end or you'll miss one whopper of a plot-twist! Well, maybe I should say, it was quite a twist for me. A contributor to a message board I read said he had the whole thing figured out. I guess I'm just not quite that fast on the uptake!

Definitely put When You Reach Me on your reading list. And then call me so we talk about it!

I've got quite the road trip coming up, so I'm packing two books with me: The Princess Academy, and Mr. Popper's Penguins. Stay tuned, everybody!

Have You Ever Felt Like You Just Didn't Belong?

I recently finished The Moorchild, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, an honor award winner from 1997. For anyone interested in 'fair folk,' Scottish folklore, and an interesting commentary about who 'fits in' where, give this one a go. As I'm reading these Newberry books, I'm learning that a big part of what makes a Newberry a Newberry is a timeless story with several levels of meaning, that could hold meaning for an adult just as well as a child. A literary onion, if you will.

On the downside, this was kind of a chore to get through to the end for some unknown reason. I guess a great thing about the library is the deadline. And I'm nothing if not sensitive to a deadline. Ithink if I didn't 'have to' finish it, it would still be sitting on my nightstand. And my nightstand is a pretty busy place right now.

I'm taking a temporary Newberry detour for my next few books. Those pesky libraries and their deadlines! I've had these books on request from the library for so long, I totally forgot about them. But don't worry, I'll be back! Think Penguins and Pigs and Princesses, oh my!

Why Bri and Adam Should Sleep With Their Camera Under Their Pillow

Random Monday afternoon, not much to do but play with Bri's camera!

This little one definitely has the Hallstrom eyes, but her mother's Type-A tendencies. Remember how there is absolutely no middle ground with this little girl? Euphoric happiness or the depths of despair. Take your pick.

This tween of mine (yikes!) has discovered iPods, biking with friends, and e-mailing. Lucky for me, she hasn't discovered boys yet. I'm really not ready for that yet.

Apparently, Guy's pics were so great, the computer was jealous and won't let me post them. But trust me on this one, my Guy can take a picture.

I'm frantically trying to get prepared for the summer months. So far I've got zoo trips, movie madnes, lots of reading and (gasp!) music practicing, rec classes, swimming lessons, museum trips, art projects, maybe teaching the girls to sew (meaning I'd have to learn first myself) . . . I figure that should last us until about June 15th. Ahh, summer!

Those Lucky Storks . . . and two Guest Interviews!

I just finished The Wheel On The School, by Meindert DeJong, this afternoon. This book was the Newberry Award winner from 1955. I was a tad worried about the 1955 issue, but found the story to be sweet, charming, and engaging. I felt I was reading one of those Russian nesting dolls. Stories weaved into stories, and those stories had stories to tell. Plus, I have a new, sudden urge to make myself wooden shoes and a weird pointy hat.

What I learned: This would be a great story to read if your children are studying European History. It would lead into a great discussion of what life was like in Holland at this time, and what Storks meant to their society. In fact, we may just have to do that here at home. Ooh! A summer acivity in the making. My children won't know what hit them.

Now, on to new and better things: a Guest Interview with Bug, quizzing her about the book she just finished: Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater, a Newberry Honor book from 1939.

Me: So, Bug, did you like this book?

Bug: It was good.

Me: Fascinating. What made it good?

Bug: He took care of 12 penguins and went all over the country to perform.

Me. I see. Would you like your friends to read this book?

Bug: Yes.

Me: Care to elaborate?

Bug: In the end, he goes to the North Pole for two years.

Me: Sounds like a great place for an ice cream cone. Well, thank you, Bug. You've been great to have here on my blog. Now go to bed!

Bonus: Guest interview with Belle, who just finished Mercy Watson to the Rescue, by Kate DiCamillo, Newberry Author extraordinare. This is an easy-reading book, but with all the wit and fun of a DiCamillo book.

Me: Belle, you just read Mercy Watson's first adventure to me. A perfect book for a 1st grader getting into reading indepently. What did you think?

Belle: It was really, really, good.

Me: Sounds wonderful. What was your favorite part?

Belle: I think it would be the part where Eugenia was chasing Mercy.

Me: My stars! Belle, this is the first book in a series. Are you going to bug me until I buy you the rest of the books?

Belle: Yes.

Me: Well, talk to Grandma. She's the one with the Barnes and Noble card. Now, off to bed with you!

We're having a great time with our evening reading. Both Mr. Popper's Penguins and Mercy Watson were bestowed on our family by my mother, a former elementary school teacher and librarian, who has a little known talent: she has absolutely 100% fail-proof taste in books, especially kidlit. Don't believe me, ask for a recommendation. You won't be disappointed.

Next up: Mr. Popper's Penguins (you didn't think I was going to let Bug have all the fun, did you?), The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw, and The Baseball Box Prophecy, by Bruce Newbold (Brett's Mom handed me this one, and I can't resist). I think I may need to wish for a back injury, a massive bout with insomnia, or something of the like. Then again, maybe the pile of books on my nightstand will topple over and kill me in my sleep. ;)

Happy Reading, Everyone!

P.S., if you'd like to see some incredibly cute and well-bred children, take a peek over here.

Can You Scrumb Your Savvy?

I just finished Savvy, by Judith Law, last night. Can I just say I'm loving reading these books? There's so much less pressure reading a short kidlit for a few nights right before bed than an 800 page epic, requiring a dictionary and several e-mails back and forth to my more intelligent friends, asking for clarification!

Savvy was a Newberry honor book last year, and is a perfect fit for the pre-teen crowd. It has a fun story, but also has a lot to say about growing up, friends, and finding your place in the world. I tried reading it to the girls with my best midwestern drawl, but I'm afraid I left a little to be desired. I thought the character of Mibs was a great example to girls; someone who didn't have all the answers and wasn't perfect, but still knew right from wrong. Plus, there's nothing like a bunch of kids getting themselves in one crazy mess to make a story really interesting!

In conclusion ;), I feel totally comfortable recommending this book for you and your little ones. Or just you. Or just your little ones. You get the idea.

And just in case you were worried, I am working on a multitude of other projects. Summer's coming on fast (!), and I'm going to be ready! Plus (wait for it), I sewed yesterday! Yep, that's right. Don't get too excited, it was just a straight seam, but baby steps, right?! Plus, I'm a few closets closer to being able to die peacefully. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. The chance that my mother will be the first person in my house in case of my untimely demise keeps me extremely healthy!

Next up on my nightstand, The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong, Newberry Award winner from 1955. This could be interesting.

A Project! Because Apparently I Have Nothing Else Going On

I stumbled across a couple blogs this last week of people who set about to read all the Newbery Award books. The Newbery Awards have been given out every year since 1922. That's a lot of books to read, even in the kidlit division! So, I'm beginning the task of chipping away at that list. So far, I've finished the 2009 and 2008 winners.

The Graveyard Book, by N. Gaiman. This was very fun to read. A very unique story, extremely well written. Kind of dark in a Harry Potter/Twilight way (but then again, isn't everything these days?).

What I learned: When referring these books to children, don't just assume that if they won the award, they're totally appropriate for any age. Check for a YF or JF designation. YF is for Young Adult fiction. The Graveyard Book is definitely Young Adult fiction. JF is for Juvenille Fiction. Much better for the younger ones.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, by L. Schlitz. Totally interesting, well written, containing new information to me from the medieval period. The play format was very cool, and I could see my daughter's 4th grade class reading and performing this book aloud. Absolutely safe for children of any age. I read this one in a couple of hours over about three nights.

What I learned: A Newberry book should be a book that is written very well, and one that children will enjoy reading. Although this book is written very well, there is no way 99% of the children of the world would pick this book up and read it for enjoyment. It would be like one of us saying, 'Gee, I think I'm going to pick up a copy of Grey's Anatomy and peruse it this weekend'. Sorry, not going to happen.

Right now I'm reading Savvy, by I. Law. This was an Newberry Honor book from 2009. I also just received from the library The Wheel on the School by M. De Jong, the 1955 award winner, and The Moorchild by E. McGraw, a 1997 honor book.

What I'm enjoying most about this list is I can just do a little before-bed reading and get through these pretty quickly, for the most part. I know I'll slow down at some point and actually read a book meant for an adult, but for now I'm having a great time.

If you'd like to read a few of these with me, check out this link. http://www.slcolibrary.org/rc/rcwr/pdf/booklists/booklistNewbery2010.pdf. This link is courtesy of my friend the librarian. Doesn't everyone need one of those? I think so. Again, check for the YF or JF designation when deciding to let little ones read these, or to read these to little ones.

Oh, and remember how I'm really offended if you're not a Goodreads friend with me? Yep. I am. And there's only one way to redeem yourself. You know what to do.

Merci Beaucoup!!!

I have such an amazing support group of family and friends. It's positively marvelous! As of this afternoon, our team has raised over $1,200 for the MS Walk 2010! That's so great for our first year doing this. Thank you all so much! Really, you are all wonderful. You support us in so many ways, and to have you contribute by walking and donating to this cause so close to us, is just fabulous.


There's still time to join us tomorrow or donate. Here's the link for the walk. http://walkutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WLK_UTU_homepage

From this page you can either sign-up to walk or donate to our team or an individual walker on our team. We're the Hallstrom Family Team. (Note to Self: think up a much cooler name for us for next year! ) For all you bikers, the Bike MS ride in Logan is coming up in June!


Again, thank you all so, so much!

Well, Have You Signed Up, Have Ya, Have Ya?!

We're getting close to the Salt Lake MS Walk date, Saturday, April 24th! I would love it if you would come walk with us. Or even better, donate to this great cause and walk with us!

We are so close to a real stop to this disease, I just know it. The MS Society helps fund research going on around the country, and provides services to people fighting MS and their families.

Let me know if you're interested in joining us, and I'll send you a link. And if you have signed up, you should have received an information packet by now. You have to bring the donation envelope (even if it's empty) and a waiver form with you to participate next Saturday.

Love to All!

Bon Anniversaire, Ma Belle!

So we spent Belle's birthday driving back from Canada. 12 hours strapped into a booster seat. Happy Birthday! But, we partied like it was 1999 on Friday, and as you can see, she seemed to do just fine for the most part on her big day.

How we love this little munchkin! Some of the Belle Highlights of this year -- 1st Grade! Full day school, school lunch. It's all very exciting

-- New House, New School, New Ward, New Friends (that one took about 30 seconds)

-- Riding a Two Wheeler, all around the neighborhood, all the time!

-- Lost her First Tooth

-- First Sleepover

-- First Cupcakes all by herself! Pink and Purple, of course.



We just adore our little sweetheart. Her absolute favorite thing to do is help people. Brother, Sister, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Cousins, Friends . . . she loves them all and loves to help them and feel grown up.

Happy Birthday, Belle!!

Oh Yeah, and Then There Was Easter!

We had a really great Easter this year. Conference was amazing as always, and I'm feeling really motivated to do better. But, since none of you read my blog for my random blatherings, hear are some pictures of the kids. I know where your loyalties are!

But wait, Juju, don't you have three children? Why, yes I do. But my third was naked at this point in the day and refused to put his outfit back on. So, stay tuned for Easter outfits redux, including all three children and much, much, much better pictures!

Notice the Guy didn't miss the candy portion of the day.

Goals for Next Year: Easter Egg Hunt (didn't get that done this year), decent Easter pictures (my camera! oh, my camera!), baskets on the Saturday before Easter (you know, to celebrate Easter, not the arrival of the Easter Bunny), and an Easter countdown. So, all of you check in on me next year and see how I did, ok?!

Next up, a certain little girl has a birthday!

So, What Do You Post About When You Really Have Nothing To Post About?!

I'm constantly harassed by my 'blogging' friends about how often I post. "This is your Family Journal," they say. "Your kids will look back on your blog and wonder what you did as a family!" Well, let's try to sum up the last two months, to catch y'all up!

-- Belle is up and running on her two-wheeler! Yeah, Belle! She's having a great time crusing the neighborhood with her friends.

-- Guy's decided he wants to ride the smallest two-wheeler, with training wheels. Sometimes. Some days, it's just 'too big.'

-- We survived another piano evaluation season for Bug. Two Saturdays of performance and other evaluations in sight reading and technique. I think we're both a bit worn out, because there has not been much practicing going on this week, since we've finished up.

-- New cabinet pulls and a new patio! Stay tuned for sprinklers and grass and everything! Woohoo! And we're using under our stairs as a new reading cave for the kids. They love it! Plus, it keeps that area much neater than using it for toy storage. What a nightmare that was!

-- Severe crafty blahs! I have plenty of projects screaming my name, but all I want to do is sit in my chair and read. If you're not a Goodreads friend with me, by the way, consider me offended.

-- Niece Maggie arrives this month! We're not sure when exactly her parents are going to get to hold her. Maybe they can have the 10 pm - 7 am shift. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. But I can't wait to hold a baby again! The smell, the tiny head, the cute little tongue . . . heaven.

-- On the other end of the spectrum, my oldest nephew will be married next month and moving away to Ohio. I was one of the first to babysit him after he was born. Is he really old enough now to be getting married? Am I really that old?!

-- I am desperatelyl seeking a new hairstyle! I have a great friend who cuts my hair and does a great job, but I'm so styling deficient and have SO MUCH hair, it always ends up looking the same. Suggestions? Kind ones, please!

-- Conference starts tomorrow. Everyone make sure and watch Sunday morning session, you may just see a familiar face. Just saying.

Have a wonderful week everybody. I promise to post again soon with finished projects, home projects finished up, and kids lapping up the sunshine!

So This Is What The Sky Looks Like!

For the President's Day Holiday, we ventured down south for a little sunshine. January is depressing enough, but it seems like mother nature always agrees with us and seals our little valley of happiness in a grey, smoggy, nasty haze from December 26th to March 1st. Very blahh.

But down here, the sky is shining, the birds are singing, the kids are playing soccer (a lot of it), and the retirees are cruising around in their custom golf carts.

This sums up our vacation very nicely. Lots of playgrounds. Yes, we do have them here, but apparently not only is the grass greener, but the slides are, in fact, slipperier on the other side. We didn't do Zion's, no jaunts to Vegas or Mesquite for a $.99 all you can eat prime rib dinner. It was a quiet, slow, great weekend.

What vacation would be complete without a corndog the length of your arm? This was the real deal folks, dipped and fried while you wait. And The Guy ate every crumb.

No fathers were harmed in the making of this photo. I didn't think my dad had this in him. There's certainly something to that Dixie air.

These kids were spoiled like crazy by these favorite people of mine all weekend long. They're already asking us when can go back. I think Grandma and Grandpa need a little recoup time, but we'll definitely be back.

*Ahem* Merry Christmas!

Just to demonstrate that I am not a bad mother, shirking my duties of "memory preservation." I present now, my painfully cute children.

Please ignore the slight glossy look in Belle's eyes. She tore her tights at church (don't ask, you don't want to know), and was very upset that I might include her knees in the picture. This one's future husband is going to have the ride of his life, let me tell you!

Doesn't he just look like a GQ, Jr. model? We all agreed that vests are a fabulous look for him. I'm currently in the market for a cryogenic freezer to keep him little. The thought of him growing up makes my heart break, just a little.

Whever I look at this picture, I think of a song from The Sound of Music. I must have done something good somewhere along the line to deserve these beautiful spirits in my life.

Have a fabulous week, everyone, and be sure to appreciate every blessing in your life!

MS Walk 2010 -- And This Time I Mean It!

OK, so I'm not giving myself any excuses this year! My team is all set up and I'm registered. The Salt Lake walk in on April 24th at the Gateway. I hope you'll all come with me.




For even more info., click here: http://walkutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WLK_UTU_homepage

Send me a comment or an e-mail, and I'll respond with our team name. It doesn't cost anything to sign-up and register, but they do give you a suggested fundraising goal. Anything we can do will help, I'm sure. My goal is to have 30 people on our team this first year, whether you walk or not.


So let's all get signed up and get going!

p.s. There is also a bike ride and walks in other areas around the state and nation. No excuses here, people!