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Everyone thought Otto was adorable until he learned a new word. Soon his new word became a big problem.

I’m not sure who will get a bigger kick out of this book: kids or parents. As parents, we’ve all been through it. Our kids learn the word “no” and suddenly our happy little camper becomes a contrary, sometimes difficult, little bugger. At the same time, Corderoy respects and understands how the child is feeling. Though Otto liked his new word, at some point it took on a life of its own and made him miserable. That’s when something wonderful happens to turn it around and Otto learns how helpful other words can be.

Not only is this book charming and a bit humorous, the illustrations by Warnes are the perfect touch. He captures so many emotions within Otto’s facial expressions. He also has chosen a color scheme that is subtle and warm.

If my girls were preschoolers, this is a book I would add to our library.

Rating: :) :) :) :) :)

Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Tiger Tales (September 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1589251504
ISBN-13: 978-1589251502

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

No.

It is not always negative thing.

No can save Puppicasso from scratching his butt into oblivion.

No can save you from expanding yours waistline.

No just means enough of the same.

No pictures for Puppicasso today… just pills and rest in a cone.  I think I will follow his lead.

Three easy steps to say no:

I have a hard time saying no when people ask me to do something.  According to Merriam-Webster.com, no means:  not so —used to express negation, dissent, denial, or refusal .  Sounds easier said than done.

I can’t say no to teachers.  Why is it that I revert immediately back to a child when confronted by a teacher?  My son’s second grade teacher asked me to create games for their fall festival.  Immediately I had to raise my hand to ask a question.  Raise me hand?  I’m probably a good 20 years older than her, why am I raising my hand?  Because she’s a teacher.  Rather than just telling her that I’ve already committed to lugging a moonbounce to my son’s preschool, baking a birthday cake for our goldfish AND mowing the backyard after two straight weeks of rain, I hear myself, “How many games?”  I can’t explain the horrific guilt I felt when I pulled in the carpool line and my son was the last person standing there WITH the principle!  She capitalized on this by getting me to run the Book Fair!

If teachers were hard enough, priests are even worse to say no to.  They have this uncanny ability to look out into the pews at service and immediately pick out who they can tap for the next big project.  “Hmmm, need volunteers for the entire summer to dig trenches?  Let’s see…oh, great Kelly Melang is sitting in the back hiding behind a pillar, perfect.”  I try to make it out of service and feel this tap on my shoulder.  I think this is why our priest standing at the back of church shaking hands of everyone leaving, it allows him to hold on and get you to volunteer.  I can’t say no because I picture St. Peter there at the golden gates highlighting my name on his list, “Hmm Melang didn’t want to clean out the bird poo from the rafters of the church, one black mark.”

Then there’s the dreaded brownie/cub scout showing up at your door with the $50 box of popcorn.  I’ve found myself hiding in the house with all the lights off sucking my thumb hoping that I don’t have to mortgage the house for wrapping paper and popcorn.  Or they catch me and I’m wondering why I’ve gained 2 inches on my thighs from the 16 boxes of cookies I consumed.

I am weak, no is a hard word for me to say.  I’ve been employing a new strategy to not over commit myself by using these three steps:

If someone asks me to volunteer, chair, work, watch someone (insert commitment here) here’s how I say no:

“Kelly, can you make 300 cupcakes with all the colors of rainbow and letters of the alphabet on them for the school?”  Here I have a choice, normally I’ll just say yes then spend the next few days complaining as my fingers turn blue from food coloring and my boys go into a sugar coma from licking bowls.  Now I say, “I’m sorry, I can’t really commit to that at this time.”  This is translated into, “I’m trying to say something to get away from you then I’ll hide until the function is over…”  With my luck, they find me hiding in the bathroom stall and next thing I know, I’m in the kitchen.

My second tactial way to say no is, “I’m sorry I can’t do whatever but I can do……”  For example, I’m shaking our rector’s hand and he asks, “Kelly we really need someone to work the diaper changing room this morning.”  Hmmmm, my children are out of diapers and in case no one knows, other children’s poop really does stink.  Now I say, “I can’t do this because I’ll throw up, but I can help push the crying babies up and down the hallway.”   Translation:  Having two small boys means I lost my hearing a long time ago, so pushing crying babies sounds a lot easier to me.

“Kelly, can you commit the next 9 months of your life to running all the fundraising for (insert program here).”  I’ve already committed 9 months of my life twice and believe me I remember the last two months as not much fun.  Rather than saying No, I say, “Let me think about it and get back to you.”  This gives me a chance to think and let everyone tell me that I am crazy for even considering this.  With that chance to breathe, you realize that 9 months is a really long time and just like birth control, you have to say no.  Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone else will step up before you have to make a decision.

How do I limit my schedule when most Moms schedules are jam packed?  I don’t commit to anything unless asked, that way people are coming to me when they really need someone.  We all know those few that setup everything, those completely coordinated, organized, got it together Moms that run the PTA as school.  HIDE FROM THEM!  Whenever they see you, there’s some type of request, even if it’s just licking 600 envelopes for the parish mailing.  I bet you, they are sitting home with eating bon bons- they’ve delegated everything out!

Three easy steps to say no:

I have a hard time saying no when people ask me to do something.  According to Merriam-Webster.com, no means:  not so —used to express negation, dissent, denial, or refusal .  Sounds easier said than done.

I can’t say no to teachers.  Why is it that I revert immediately back to a child when confronted by a teacher?  My son’s second grade teacher asked me to create games for their fall festival.  Immediately I had to raise my hand to ask a question.  Raise me hand?  I’m probably a good 20 years older than her, why am I raising my hand?  Because she’s a teacher.  Rather than just telling her that I’ve already committed to lugging a moonbounce to my son’s preschool, baking a birthday cake for our goldfish AND mowing the backyard after two straight weeks of rain, I hear myself, “How many games?”  I can’t explain the horrific guilt I felt when I pulled in the carpool line and my son was the last person standing there WITH the principle!  She capitalized on this by getting me to run the Book Fair!

If teachers were hard enough, priests are even worse to say no to.  They have this uncanny ability to look out into the pews at service and immediately pick out who they can tap for the next big project.  “Hmmm, need volunteers for the entire summer to dig trenches?  Let’s see…oh, great Kelly Melang is sitting in the back hiding behind a pillar, perfect.”  I try to make it out of service and feel this tap on my shoulder.  I think this is why our priest standing at the back of church shaking hands of everyone leaving, it allows him to hold on and get you to volunteer.  I can’t say no because I picture St. Peter there at the golden gates highlighting my name on his list, “Hmm Melang didn’t want to clean out the bird poo from the rafters of the church, one black mark.”

Then there’s the dreaded brownie/cub scout showing up at your door with the $50 box of popcorn.  I’ve found myself hiding in the house with all the lights off sucking my thumb hoping that I don’t have to mortgage the house for wrapping paper and popcorn.  Or they catch me and I’m wondering why I’ve gained 2 inches on my thighs from the 16 boxes of cookies I consumed.

I am weak, no is a hard word for me to say.  I’ve been employing a new strategy to not over commit myself by using these three steps:

If someone asks me to volunteer, chair, work, watch someone (insert commitment here) here’s how I say no:

“Kelly, can you make 300 cupcakes with all the colors of rainbow and letters of the alphabet on them for the school?”  Here I have a choice, normally I’ll just say yes then spend the next few days complaining as my fingers turn blue from food coloring and my boys go into a sugar coma from licking bowls.  Now I say, “I’m sorry, I can’t really commit to that at this time.”  This is translated into, “I’m trying to say something to get away from you then I’ll hide until the function is over…”  With my luck, they find me hiding in the bathroom stall and next thing I know, I’m in the kitchen.

My second tactial way to say no is, “I’m sorry I can’t do whatever but I can do……”  For example, I’m shaking our rector’s hand and he asks, “Kelly we really need someone to work the diaper changing room this morning.”  Hmmmm, my children are out of diapers and in case no one knows, other children’s poop really does stink.  Now I say, “I can’t do this because I’ll throw up, but I can help push the crying babies up and down the hallway.”   Translation:  Having two small boys means I lost my hearing a long time ago, so pushing crying babies sounds a lot easier to me.

“Kelly, can you commit the next 9 months of your life to running all the fundraising for (insert program here).”  I’ve already committed 9 months of my life twice and believe me I remember the last two months as not much fun.  Rather than saying No, I say, “Let me think about it and get back to you.”  This gives me a chance to think and let everyone tell me that I am crazy for even considering this.  With that chance to breathe, you realize that 9 months is a really long time and just like birth control, you have to say no.  Maybe you’ll get lucky and someone else will step up before you have to make a decision.

How do I limit my schedule when most Moms schedules are jam packed?  I don’t commit to anything unless asked, that way people are coming to me when they really need someone.  We all know those few that setup everything, those completely coordinated, organized, got it together Moms that run the PTA as school.  HIDE FROM THEM!  Whenever they see you, there’s some type of request, even if it’s just licking 600 envelopes for the parish mailing.  I bet you, they are sitting home with eating bon bons- they’ve delegated everything out!

In the first lesson we covered how to say “Hello, how are you?” and “What is your name?” in German. In this lesson we will look at possible answers to general questions. Phrases in brackets are the pronunciation of the adjacent word. NOTE: In German you may come across an awkward character (ß) it may look like the letter B but actually represents a double s. But this character is now only used in special circumstances. For the sake of this lesson we will use ss instead of ß so you don’t get confused.

The most simple of answers are “Yes” and “No”. Which in German are “Ja” (Ya) and “Nein” (nine).

Out loud or in your head say “Yes” and then “Ja”. Repeat this three times. Do the same with “No” and “Nein”.

If your not sure how to answer something I suggest three phrases. “Maybe” - “Vielleicht” (vee-liked), “I don’t know.” - “Ich weiss nicht.” (Ick vise nickt) or “I don’t understand.” - “Ich vestehe nicht.” (Ick ver-shter-hir nickt). Now these are slightly harder phrases to learn if you are not yet familiar with German. Start by revising “Maybe” and “Vielleicht” over in your head.

It should become clear by looking at the other two phrases that “Ich” means “I”. Also you might have been able to tell that “nicht” is “not”. We have “I do not know.” and “I do not understand”. In German, however, they literally say “I know not.” or “I understand not.”. Once you know “Ich” and “nicht” these phrases should become easier to learn.

All you have to learn now is “weiss” and “vestehe”. “Weiss” meaning “know” and “vestehe” meaning “understand”. Write these words down if this is hard to memorise and use this to revise at various points during the day.

Remember to try and practice these phrases with a partner for more practical learning. Thank-you for reading my article and hopefully you can catch the next lesson.

1. How many friends do you have? If you answered less than 5, you’re a loser.
2. Do you go to gaming/movie conventions?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
3. What sort of parties do you go to?  If you answered gaming, or computer parties, you’re a loser.
4. Do you play World of Warcraft or anything like it?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
5. Do you fish, hunt, or anything else of that sort?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
6. How many people are in your phone’s contact list?  If you answered 10 or less, you’re a loser.
7. What level are you in Call of Duty? If you answered a number, you’re a loser.
8. Have you ever pre-ordered a game?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
9. Are you only friends with people of your gender?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser. 
10. Why did you read this article?  If you answered anything besides you were bored, you’re a loser.

1. How many friends do you have? If you answered less than 5, you’re a loser.
2. Do you go to gaming/movie conventions?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
3. What sort of parties do you go to?  If you answered gaming, or computer parties, you’re a loser.
4. Do you play World of Warcraft or anything like it?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
5. Do you fish, hunt, or anything else of that sort?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
6. How many people are in your phone’s contact list?  If you answered 10 or less, you’re a loser.
7. What level are you in Call of Duty? If you answered a number, you’re a loser.
8. Have you ever pre-ordered a game?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser.
9. Are you only friends with people of your gender?  If you answered yes, you’re a loser. 
10. Why did you read this article?  If you answered anything besides you were bored, you’re a loser.

The Hero Archetype

By Andrew Varhol

As long as Man (and Woman, for all you feminists out there) has existed, the stories of heroes have always fascinated us. From ancient Greek epics to the adventures of modern day superheroes, some of our most popular stories involve a hero and his triumph over the villain. And it seems lately that movie studios are churning out these stories more and more. Why do you think ancient epics still interest us today, and how have stories such as Beowulf, Homer’s Odyssey, and the legend of King Arthur affected modern day “myths?” Do you see any similarities between Beowulf and any particular modern day hero?

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The Book vs. the Movie-SPOILER ALERT

By Andrew Varhol

Have you seen the Beowulf movie yet? I went to go see if over the weekend, and not surprisingly, there were some major “edits” made to the story, most notably, the fact that Beowulf does not actually kill Grendel’s Mother and also that the dragon is the son of Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Hollywood has the right to tamper with famous works on the grounds of “artistic license?”

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By Andrew Varhol

Welcome, brave warriors to our monthly OWC discussion! I know that Rebecca is your regular poster, but I had to steal this one from her, just because I love this month’s pick… and also it gave me a good reason to go see Angelina Jolie looking all sexy. But that’s besides the point. Where was I? Oh yes! This month’s pick is drumrolll…wait for it… Beowulf!
(more…)

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In chapter 24 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim complains to the duke that “it got mighty heavy and tiresome to him when he had to lay all day in the wigwam tied with the rope” (143) pretending to be a runaway slave. So the duke comes up with a clever solution, “He dressed Jim up in King Lear’s outfit…and then he took his theatre-paint and painted Jim’s face and hands and ears and neck all over a dead dull solid blue, like a man that’s been drownded[sic] nine days…Then the duke took and wrote a sign on a shingle…Sick Arab-but harmless when not out of his head.”

Wait, it gets worse. (more…)

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Part of a series on invertabrates, Gooey Jellyifsh presents facts about these spineless sea creations in clear short sentences... Read the rest of this post

I feel pretty sheepish admitting this but it took me a while this month to open The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I assumed that since I had read it before, the book would not hold the same magic for me. I was wrong. I spent a nice portion of last weekend relaxing in a hammock reading, dreaming of traveling down the Mississippi with Huck and Jim. I’d forgotten much of the soul searching, gut-wrenching questions about “right” and “wrong” that Huck wrestles with. The book certainly reveals more upon each read.

I’ll save my full reactions for our discussion on the 30th but if you haven’t started reading yet start today. Huck is the perfect summertime companion.

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I’m very excited for this month’s book club pick for two reasons: I have never read Tess of the D’Urbervilles; before (so don’t ruin the ending for me!), and I plan on reading it by the water (in Bucks County) while soaking up some sunshine. Get your copy now so you can join our conversation on Thursday, June 28th. We really do want to hear what you think so feel free to leave comments, questions for others and suggestions. (more…)

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Today isn’t our Oxford World’s Classics discussion day (hence my bad pun about an “unblogday”). Don’t be too upset though, because we will be discussing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on Thursday. Get ready for some maddening discussion!

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