Lesson 210: Did You Ever Notice.....?

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Readers!

That means a 3 Day weekend for Eloise!

I decided to take advantage of the extra time to catch up on a few overdue items left from the holiday.

My Christmas cards finally went out this morning.  If you recall, in December I decided to dump my grinchy attitude and I sent out a big batch of cards, despite the fact that not everyone reciprocates.  I just forgot one little thing........the stamps!  Just think of how excited you'll be to get a card in the mail from Eloise in January!

I'm also finishing up some holiday Coca Cola.  I'm saving the bottles to make vases. 

I think they will intermix well with these next Christmas for a beautiful mantle display.

I had to switch to the light version for my Friday night wind down after the holiday indulging.  They are only 80 calories!

The wind is howling and it is a cold January night in northwestern Pennsylvania.  I'm still going to lace up my sneakers and meet my team Saturday morning for another challenge.  Last week Doc had us hauling rocks. 

Still curious? 

 Contact me and Eloise will tell you more about this fantastic workout for your mind and body.

Other than my Saturday morning workout, and maybe a couple of dog walks, Eloise is stuck inside most of the weekend with the kids.  What's a mother to do?

Natalie practices her cheers.

Ellen draws and sketches.

and Sam........sigh.......he's a little harder to keep entertained.

This is the end result of leaving him with a roll of Scotch tape for ten minutes.

He even taped one of the books I'm reading shut!

GRRRRRR!

I read a lot in the wintertime.  If you noticed, I wrote ONE of the books I am reading.  I usually have about four going at once.  Yes, I am one of THOSE people.  In my experience, there seems to be two classifications of people who call themselves "Readers."  There are those who start a book and plow through it cover to cover.  Northern and Kenyan didn't do laundry for a week when they got engrossed in the Hunger Games series.  I am one of the "Others."  I have many going at once and I pick up whatever I am in the mood for.  My reading style fits with my scattered brain.  

Here is an overview of what Eloise has stacked on her bedside table:  

This is a challenging read.  It was a gift from my friend Patty and her son Jacob, who is my student.   It is set in England in the 1800's and deals with magicians.  It's different, and I like different.

When I am in the mood for non fiction, I pick make a cup of tea and pick up this book, Three Cups of Tea.  It was a gift from my friend Kori and her daughter Madeline, who is my student.  This story amazes me about what great lengths a person will go to, to try to make the world a better place.



I got forced into reading this one by my friends Northern and Wags.  The movie is coming out soon, and they said I couldn't go with them unless I read the book.  I hate romance novels, but I am not one to miss out on a good time, so I read the damn thing.  I can't stand romances.  I like books where things explode in the first two chapters and I have to figure out who did it.  If there isn't cross hairs on a President, then forget it.  This story did have a few redeeming qualities in the end--a very touching letter that made me cry, and something burned down.




This is a creepy tale from Stephenie Meyer.  My friend Southern guilted me into reading the Twilight series.  I enjoyed the books, but became more fascinated with the author Stephenie Meyer, than I did with the main character Bella Swan.  The Host was Stephenie's first stab at another story after she completed her Twilight series.  I am hellbent on figuring out if her theme of forbidden love will continue on in this book.  It is a slow go because aliens creep me out.  What's creeping me out even more is that the eye on the cover almost resembles the one that Ellen was sketching this week (scroll up).  Got to go check Ellen for an implant chip.  Be right back..................tick tock, tick tock, tick tock...

Whew!  Ellen's good, albeit a bit annoyed. I checked over pretty thoroughly and she's free from any alien tracking devices.

By the way, if anyone wants to get me something for my birthday, you can get me that "clock".  It is really a purse sized mirror from the Sephora Cinderella collection.  I went to get one for myself and they were out of stock.


My student Kate recommended this one today.

This smart fifth grader who knows me well said it is "kind of a romance but it is has more action."  I can tell I am going to like it more than Safe Haven because it has a flame on the cover.  Good girl, Kate.  I have taught you well.

And then there is always this one,

That is War and Peace.  I have renamed it The Eternal Flame.  I've been reading it for fifteen years and I am still stuck on page 51.  I just can't get past Princess Ellen with the moss dress.  There are so many characters, I can't keep them all straight.  I figured if I read a page a day, I could finish by the year 2026.  I'm more into fitness goals right now than reading goals.  Carrying logs and rocks up hills with Doc is more fun than delving into Russian history, so by my bedside War and Peace will still sit.  Probably forever.

This one is always there.  

I've read it a few times and I pick it up whenever I am in need of a good story.

It's a really neat tale that teaches you things indirectly, like the importance of reading biographies.  It is chock full of things I like to quote, like this:

I like the book, because in some ways, I am like Jones, one of the main characters in the story.  He notices things and has a way of putting things into perspective.  I am a noticer, too.

For example, I noticed when you sent me Christmas cards with Lamp Posts on them.

I also noticed that you used a black Labrador retriever for the stamp.

I also noticed some of my students are on to my secret identity.

Teachers are good handwriting analysts.  

Eloise noticed.  Eloise is appreciative of the time you took to think of me.  A tiny bit of effort goes a long way in this world.  Remember that.

The book The Noticer is so good, that it does need a blog post all to itself.  So I did today what I do best---make you curious.  Stimulate thought.  Make you think.  That is what Lessons From the Lamp Post is all about, after all.

I'll give you some time to get the book if you want to read it.  In page length it's a short read of about 150 pages.  It is good for almost everyone--adults, teens, men, women.  Anyone would like it and take with them many of the intended messages from the author Andy Andrews.

Join Eloise's Book Club and pick up a paper copy or download one one your Kindle.  It's fun to read a book and see what someone else thinks about it.  I'll check back with you in about a month to give you my perspective.

To entice you a little further, check out the video about the book I posted below.  It gives a overview of Andy Andrews.  The story is based on his life that was full of personal struggles, leaving him living under a bridge for a time in his life.  Because of the intervention of a curious stranger named Jones, Andy Andrews changed his life.

Andrews was so moved by this person, he wrote a book about him.  The Noticer was rejected 51 times in 3 years.  Still, because of his persistence and positive attitude, The Noticer and a slew of other books by Andy  Andrews were published and made the Best Seller List.

I hope this post today gives you some encouragement to pick up a good book, get outside for a workout, or get some post holiday tasks tackled and out of the way.  No matter what you choose to do this weekend, make it good.

Yours Truly,
Eloise