#cdnedchat

My mom left the house REALLY early this morning to go meet Grandma. I think I heard her alarm at like, 5:00 a.m. THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS! 

I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s tradition. My mom and Grandma always sneak off for the day and hit the stores for Boxing Day deals. I guess it’s smart, because, we all got a few gift certificates in our stockings this year (Chapters for me!) and I know there are some MAJOR sales going on. 

BUT.

You will NOT catch me at the mall today. I don’t mind shopping, especially at the bookstore, and crowds don’t really bother me. It’s the line ups. One Boxing Day, I stood in line at a bookstore so long, I almost finished the book I was buying.

I don’t know much about Boxing Day, but I bet if I looked up the history of it, there’d be little or no mention of SHOPPING. Which is why this year, I’m sticking around the house with my little sister. Maybe we’ll read. Or sleep. Or, maybe we’ll do some crafts… 

Huh. What if we made some things out of BOXES?! Like shadow puppet stages, keepsake or idea files, a playhouse (for Amelia, of course), or even art canvasses. If we get REALLY ambitious, maybe we’ll try one of the ideas from this website: http://www.redtedart.com/2014/01/02/cardboard-box-craft-ideas-2/

Cool, right?! 

Okay, I gotta jet! If you ARE out there braving those line-ups, stay safe!

Ta da! 

Bet you didn’t see THIS costume coming! Instead of my typical (and predictable) costumes this year, I chose to go with a “character” from one the Superman Duffy comics, Amelia Xerces Duffy. (I wanted to be a Beetle Mite from the new book, Beneath the SOIL, but I couldn't find anything close.)

Kinda creepy, right? The truth is, most spiders in Alberta—even Wolf Spiders— are pretty harmless to humans. You’ll find out more about them in the book…but trust me on this. The author took some creative liberties to make the fictional ones more scary. 

Speaking of authors, I’m going to do NaNoWriMo this year. You know, take part in National Novel Writing Month. You’re supposed to write 50,000 words in November, but that’s a bit ambitious for me since I’m only in elementary school. So, I’ve set my personal goal at 100 words a day. Multiply by the number of days in November and it’s definitely a short story! (Besides, the object is to just get people writing…)

NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow (Nov. 1)—so tonight I’m going to show off my new costume, eat some candy, and then get a GREAT night’s sleep…because I’m going to need a rested brain to start  this new writing project. I can’t wait!

Are you doing NaNo?

It’s FINALLY October — the most SPOOKTACULAR month of the year. Pumpkins and costumes and candy and… 

…A new FEAR STREET book! Yes, it’s true — the creeptastic R.L. Stine has a new FEAR STREET coming out this month, just in time for Halloween. It’s his first one in almost 20 years! 

I also love his GOOSEBUMPS series (I’ll read anything scary), but his FEAR STREET novels are the best. (I have a GIANT collection of them…) And guess what? You can read the first chapter of PARTY GAMES here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/20535094-fear-street-party-games-excerpt#sthash.TxtLrB3Q.dpuf — it’s FREE! 

Speaking of NEW books…I’m also excited about the “Superman Duffy” comic that will be published at the end of the month. It’s called, BENEATH THE SOIL, and if you like thrilling reads as much as I do, you’re going to want to get your hands on this book. It’s guaranteed to give you goosebumps!

Until then…don’t forget to read the first chapter of R.L. Stine’s new FEAR STREET book. I have and it's AWESOME!

Gotta jet — it’s time for ME to start thinking about what I’m going to be for Halloween this year! I can hardly wait to go costume shopping.

We’re learning about fables in Language Arts right now — and of course, we’re talking about Aesop. No matter how old (or young) you are, chances are good that you know a few of his stories. Like, The Tortoise and the Hare. (Side note: Cut! To the Chase… the sixth book in the Superman Duffy adventure series is actually a RE-TELLING of this classic story…fun, right?)

Anyway.  Even if you don’t know the specific details about each of Aesop’s fables (other than most of them are about animals), you probably know quite a few of the expressions we use EVERY DAY that were inspired by his writing.

“Slow and steady wins the race” is obviously from The Tortoise and the Hare. But, did you know that “Honesty is the best policy” is from Aesop’s tale Mercury and the Woodsman or that “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” is from the story, The Mountain in Labor?

My mom always tells me not to “count my chickens before they hatch” — she probably doesn’t even realize that expression comes from Aesop’s fable, The Milkmaid and her Pail. And sometimes, I forget to “look before you leap” which is, you guessed it, another expression from an Aesop story, The Fox and the Goat.

“Birds of a feather flock together” comes from the Farmer and the Stork and to have “sour grapes” was first used in Aesop’s tale, The Fox and the Grapes. Who knew?

Wow. Aesop really did write a lot about animals! I guess it comes down to “quality, not quantity” — <grin> see what I did there? That saying is from Aesop’s tale, The Lioness and the Vixen.

Gotta jet! Looks like I’ve got some reading to do!

I love all kinds of fast things — like race cars, rockets, and my new running shoes. But my favourite fastest “thing” is SUPERMAN, the best super hero in the world.

Everyone knows my friends call me Superman because I run so fast. But did you know that it’s Superman’s birthday on Monday? That’s right! And I plan to CELEBRATE by watching Superman movies with my Dad, reading Superman comics with my sister, Amelia, and enjoying one of my Mom’s homemade cupcakes — blue and red, of course.

In fact, I might not even get out of my Superman pajamas ALL day. It’s not like I have to be up for school the next day. <grin>

I’m excited by my SUPER celebration plan. Who is your favourite super hero? Will you do anything special on June 30 in honour of the fastest man on the planet? Let me know!

Gotta jet!

Guess what? Tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!

It’s one of my favourite seasons. Know why? Because so many awesome things happen in the summer. Like, family ice cream trips after the Saturday Farmer’s Market. The end of the school year. My BIRTHDAY! And So. Much. More.

I love summer and this year is going to be one of the best ever! I’m spending a whole week at the Calgary Stampede with Grandpa and some of my friends in the Alberta Canola Producers’ Commission booth. Stop by to check out my adventure comic books, including the newest story, 5-7-5 Errand Boy.

I don’t want to give too much away, but the title is definitely inspired by the story. It’s about my birthday, and how no one remembers it…Instead, my Mom asks me to run a whole bunch of errands for her (ugh), and her instructions are written in the form of a haiku. You know what that is, right? Well, it’s a type of poem made up of three lines. The first line has five syllables. The second has seven. And the third has five. So, the book is called 5-7-5 Errand Boy. Get it? Ta da!

Here’s an example — the first haiku from the book:

At the flower shop Pick dark blue roses and more - Gram’s royal beauties

Curious to know what happens next? Email me at [email protected] for a chance to WIN a free copy of 5-7-5 Errand Boy. 


And don’t forget to stop by the Alberta Canola Producers Commission booth at the Calgary Stampede this year. There are some exciting events planned you won’t want to miss!

Gotta jet!

It’s almost JUNE!

I know that means it’s close to the end of the school year, but guess what it also means? TRACK AND FIELD DAYS! I am so ready.

Well, almost ready. I’ve been practicing hard. In the winter, I ran on the treadmill to keep up my endurance. Now that the roads have cleared, I’m hitting the trails daily, and on the weekend, I’m lapping my Grandpa’s canola field (though some areas are still a bit muddy.)

But if I want to beat my personal best this year, I need to really pay attention to what I eat. Yeah, I know, you know ALL about nutrition. But it doesn’t hurt to refresh your memory. I know I need a good reminder.

The latest Chase “Superman” Duffy comic Cut! To the Chase… is jammed full of tips and tricks for healthy eating. The story is a modern retelling of the Tortoise and the Hare — you know, Aesop’s fable about an impatient hare that thinks he can win the race because he’s FAST. The moral of the story is “slow and steady wins the race.”

Well, in Cut! To the Chase…, the focus is on nutrition. Active kids, like me, should eat six grains, three dairy products, two meats (or meat replacements such as Tofu), SEVEN servings of fruits and veggies, and two healthy fats, like canola oil. Sounds like a lot of food, right?

In the story, the hare eats mostly junk food — like chocolate bars, chips, and soda, which are full of sugar and the WRONG kind of carbohydrates. While these foods can trick you into short bursts of energy, it’s not healthy overall, and the energy won’t sustain you. The tortoise (that’s me!) follows the advice of the school dietician.

So, who do you think wins the race? I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out. <grin>

Gotta jet! Time for some more practice!