My Top 5

1. Jedi Mind Tricks – In your own home!

All I have to say about this is….I want one!

2. Soda is like Tobacco?

Well, I guess the effects on your body are similar, anyway. Interesting read and one that might just make you think twice before picking up that next diet soda.

3. Getting rid of the clutter-bug.

What needs to be my next project, but one I seem to tackle every year. I guess I’m not the only one. That’s good. For me there’s comfort in numbers.

4. Giant Chinese dustball is circling the Earth

Well, that’s comforting.

5. You Can’t Be President!

Another book to add to my never-ending wish list!

1. Another apology? WTF?

This man doesn’t need to be asking for forgiveness anymore…We don’t need his apologies – we need his letter of resignation. From the comments that have been posted thus far, I’d say that most people agree with me. So why he is still around??? Wake up, SC, it’s time to kick him to the curb!

2. A movement to save newspapers

Interesting read here. It’s called the Newspaper Project and it’s a grassroots movement by newspaper executives. Seems we’re not the only people concerned about the quality of the content we get when we (god forbid) must pay for our news.

3. How a Famous Sign-Off was born

So not even Cronkite gets it right all the time on the first try. I guess there’s hope yet for all of us who will never be giants in our industries. :)

4. Digital Theft – By Amazon?

What is the world coming to that a retailer can now remotely access a reading device and delete electronic copies of items you paid for? And is the fact that they refunded you the purchase price enough to compensate for the violation committed in the deletion? Wow! My mind races with thoughts of “what if” real store were allowed to barge in my home and confiscate any item they decided they should not have sold to me. Scary, I tell you, very scary.

5. C-Street in Washington: Male run brothel or something even scarier?

I don’t know what bothers me more – the fact that those that live there considered themselves the “chosen-ones of God” or the fact that morality is shunned at the core of this little society AND we have elected them to lead us. Watch the video and I’d love to know what you think!

1. Jon minus Kate: Stepping out with the Plastic Surgeon’s kid

I know a lot of people are sick and tired of the whole Jon & Kate thing, but for me, someone who rarely watched the show except for those rainy weekends that coincided with a marathon running of the episodes, this definitely has my attention. I cannot understand what in the heck this man is thinking. For someone who always seemed so committed to the family, his wife, and his adorable children, this is just sickening. The French Riviera?!? A 22-year old?? What? And you say this is the daughter of Kate’s plastic surgeon? WTF?!?
Anyone else notice that his comment, “it started out as a friendship and then became something more” sounds an awful lot like Mark Sanford’s explanation of his affair with his “soul mate”. I guess Jon didn’t know where Argentina was and just jetted off to the next best sexy sounding place on the place. Nice work.

2. Penguin goes straight!

I don’t know when the last time was that I saw such an adorable story. Who knew?

3. Harry Potter: The movie I can’t wait to see this summer.

Yes, I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd. I’ve read all the books, but can’t wait to see the newest installment. It’s a tradition in my family with the kids and I think we’ll put this on the calendar for next week. Yay!

4. Tracing the First Lady’s slavery roots

Who knew her roots would lead to Georgetown, SC – quite literally up the road from me? Interesting. Of course, I also find it interesting that very little attention has ever been given to the genealogy of other First Ladies.

5. Shelfari: My favorite place to document my reading life

A great place to track the books you own, want, lend out. You can also rate and review the books you read and then get recommendations on what to read next. Tons of other great features, as well. Check it out!

1. What I'm Reading...

2. Summer Reading:

The worst thing about Summer Break is the brain drain that happens with children who don't pick up a single educational thing (aka book) during the summer. Some experts say that they easily lose up to 2 months worth of grade level education by completely vegging out the entire break. However, if you're like me, your children go to school in a district that is struggling to pay for the very basics of education and didn't even have the funds to create a grade-level specific summer reading list/program. What was sent home with my oldest child (rising 7th grader) met the reading levels of my younger two children (rising 2nd and 4th graders). Yep! And they wonder why our children are entering high school with 4th grade reading levels around here.

As an avid book lover, this just wouldn't suffice. I researched the various methods for "grading" a book's grade level as far as vocabulary and comprehension levels that should be attained after reading. Lexile was the site I loved the best. Most of all because it has built in a book finder database that goes all the way to graduate level books. My kids and I built our own lists this summer and then shopped used book stores for bargain finds. They have all read at least 2 books and we still have 6 weeks of summer left!

FIND A BOOK WITH LEXILE

3. My Favorite Photo Printer

This printer has been one of the best things I've ever purchased. It's making the work of putting together my daughter's "What I Did This Summer" scrapbook super easy. We go out, have a blast, take some pics, and come straight home to hook up the camera and print away. Makes a great gift for any photo lover!

4. My Favorite Comedian

Eddie Izzard...simply the best. As chaotic and serious as my life seems to be on a daily basis, this guy has the ability to make me laugh until wetting my pants becomes a serious threat. Check him out!

5. Most ludicrous news story of the day:

Yeah, I'd love to see how much money they'll waste ATTEMPTING to enforce this one!