What my Kids would think of I was abducted by Martians

Alexandra Sophie

Have you ever wondered, "what would happen if you were abducted?" Or if there really were aliens? I remember a few months ago, my little brother came barreling into my bedroom and proclaimed that something was really weird in the sky that night. There was a group of stars that weren't just "twinkling" they were moving, really moving! Nope, not an airplane or satellite. Doing extensive internet research we came up with one solution. A UFO (unidentified flying object).

When I heard about this opportunity I knew I had to take it, the prompt being, "What would your kids think if you were abducted by martians?"

Well, first off.....

1) I'm sure I would be abducted in the middle of the night. Probably while I was outside through the woods checking to make sure the horses gate was latched shut or the clippers were put away because I couldn't sleep thinking of the "what ifs...." No one would hear my screams, no one would know. Except Bailee and Figment, but they would probably just wonder why I was being so obnoxious and continue munching on their hay. I suppose stranger things could happen!

Anyways, when my kids wake up in the morning, they probably would first wonder why Mommy let them sleep in so late. At first I believe they would be happy to sleep in, but pretty soon they would begin to miss morning kisses.

2) This one is definite - they would miss my cooking.

3) They would very much miss my help feeding the horses, and exercising them, and scooping manure, and, and, and....

4) Bed time kisses.

5) Cleaning!

6) Trips to the park. How they love going on bike rides to the park, and who would swing their swings? And strap their helmets on? Kiss their scrapes when they fall?

7) Grocery shopping, it's so hard to do when you don't know what your looking for or where to find it. I can't imagine my kiddos grocery shopping alone!

8) Fort builders. All the days of building fancy elaborate forts out of pretty blankets and fluffy pillows would be gone. It's so much harder to play pirates or by Alladin and Jasmine without a fancy hide out!

9) Making popcorn. They love when I make homemade popcorn and cuddle up with them to watch a movie, we would both miss this!

10) To and from horseback riding lessons. This one would be much missed from all three kiddos! Hunter jumping training isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle for all of us!

Its amazing to even imagine being abducted by martians. I know I would miss my family just as much as they missed me, ALOT! It would truly be a terrible adventure!

What would your family miss if you were abducted by aliens?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

"The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson"

"A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day."
~Emily Dickinson

When I first picked up to read “The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. Actually, that’s wrong. I had high hopes for the book. I really love historical novels and the only thing that I doubted about Emily Dickinsons story told by Jerome Charyn only in the aspect that, like some historical fictions, it would drag on. Was I ever wrong!

Before reading “The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson” I hadn’t known much about Emily, one of the greatest poetry prodigies. To one who only has studied the basics of her life, they might wonder, how could she have came up with such fire filled, poignant, and deep poems, when she spent years upon years of her life, staying in her Fathers home. By reading “The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson” you become indulged an entirely different point of view of her life, the experiences that she may very likely experienced, that our English teachers probably skipped over. Jerome Charyn did a wonderful job tell Emily’s story in a delightful, interesting way, letting you into Emily’s life and feeling her pain and happiness. From the people she loved, her many heartbreaks, her sweet dog, her moon blindness that she overcame, people that flitted in and out of her life, and others that haunted her for years, many will be surprised and delighted to take a deeper look at what gave her the “lighting” to write such amazing poems, that are still read and admired today.

Disclosure: I was given this book to borrow. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

Share the Happiness!

When I was given the prompt to write a post on the “little ways I share happiness with people around me” a few different things popped into my mind. Right now, I am in the middle of the mountains, we are the only people staying at this campground, the water tastes like chlorine, it’s poring out and super windy, and tomorrows my birthday. Oh, did I mention it’s supposed to snow tonight? In California? While the snow is melting and turning into slush in Minnesota? Ha! Well, it’s easy to dwell on the sorry things in this story that I’m living right now, but it’s so much more fun to look at the other side of it – the happy side. When your happy, everyone else around you seems to feed of your positive energy and embrace it, even if your experiencing less than perfect circumstances at the time!

~Laugh. It’s so easy, to look at the bad things and instead of cry, laugh. A real belly laugh. Think of when you’ll be remembering your story five years from now, you will be laughing, so lets embrace and let the laughter come quicker! One person laughing will soon be two, three, and before you know it, everyone will have a smile on their faces.

~One of my favorite things that seem to have gotten lost as media has developed are letters and sweet little packages. I love to send a hand written card to someone special, a friend, or a family member. Package it up with pretty bows and it will bring a smile to the receivers face, knowing that you thought of them.

~Sharing a compliment is a sure way to bring happiness to someone’s day. Kind words are so easy and take hardly any time to say, and they will stay with someone for the entire day, week, month, or longer, giving them that extra bounce in their step and self esteem. I still remember when we stopped at a gas station and I complimented a lady on her hair, the surprise on her face surprised me!

~Putting yourself down. This is one I catch myself doing sometimes. It’s so simple to do, saying that your bad at certain things puts a negative feeling in the air. Embrace what you are good at and don’t dwell on the things that you still are working on, it sets a good example on everyone else!

How does your mind garden grow? My goal is to have one full of happiness, bright cheery flowers to be picked and handed out to everyone around. What colors yours?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hershey's blogging program, for a gift card worth $25 and some product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Dinner Etiquette

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It seems as if many of the things that family's felt important in older times, the 1900's, 1920's, 1950's, etc, have been lost along the way. Pajamas are worn to the grocery store and movie theater rather than sweet skirts and blouses, are even just a pair of jeans! Our language has become lazy, we send emails rather than letters, and, what we'll be focusing on today, dinner etiquette.

Dinner's used to be a time to spend with your family, a time to share the funny, crazy, wild, and sometimes bad, things that have happened throughout your day. Laughter, smiles, and sometimes tears were shared while eating Mommas homemade chicken noodle soup. Now, it's easy to skip over traditions and grab something on the go, or let your family eat when they feel like it "Sammy - there's canned chicken noodle soup if you want to heat it up for lunch!" While it's sometimes more sensible and easier to eat something fast, it is nice to have those sit down meals to have some quality family time. Here are some of my favorite dinner etiquette tips!

DO Eat together, while the rest of the day is in a hustle and bustle going from here to there and back again, it's nice to have some time to relax with your entire family. You'll find that some of the best conversations happen at your dinner table.

DON'T Put the fork on the wrong side of the plate - don't worry - I've done this my entire life for some reason and can't seem to get it right, creature of habit I suppose? Try not to though, as it results in plentiful of teasing and plus, you'll have to reset them!

DO Laugh Lots! Nothing like a good laughter to make the meal a fun place!

DON'T Forget the salt when company is over! My family never uses salt, so when our company comes over and we don't put it on the table, we usually can't even find it to put it on the table for them! Keep a small stock of salt and leave it in a place that you'll remember!

DON'T Put your elbows on the table if your a lady!

DON'T Text while eating! One of the most annoying habits it texting, or checking your email, while your with friends or family, breakfast, lunch and dinner included! Save your internet time for afterward when you can really concentrate on what your reading!


“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Guest Review! A Summers Secret

A Summer Secret by Kathleen Fuller is a tween book, but I enjoyed it. This book is great for a light summer read, and I think that any age person who loves Kathleen Fuller or Amish books will enjoy A Summer Secret!

I love the fact that this is an Amish mystery, it really adds a level of intrigue to the story, and I believe that this would be a draw to younger teens. 13 year old Mary Beth is a typical teenager, full of pranks and desires and is a bit rebellious. Mary Beth likes to have some time alone, and an old abandoned barn calls out to her, it's the perfect place to get away from her 3 brothers, the only problem is that her twin brother knows her secret, and when Mary Beth finds a button in the barn she is drawn into a mystery, will her brother keep her secret?

This book was very enjoyable and I highly recommend any of Kathleen's books, I have yet to read one that I have not enjoyed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review from Book Sneeze.

Review by Lauri of Knits and Reads

"A wounded deer leaps the highest."

Don't you love her socks and flats? Fffound

So, here we are. Yucca Valley California. The town looks like a really oooollld Cowboy town, somewhat run down, but kept nice and clean at the same time. There are a few lovely antique and vintage shops that I've stopped at and barely was able to drag myself away from this stunning 50's dress. Flouncy, cream colored, classy, and with a red bow in the back. Perfection. I would have snatched it up in a second if it was a bit lower priced than $70. Sigh. I won't forget that dress though.

This campground that were staying at, is...interesting to say the least. There are 14 camp sites, and the water is cloudy, not the least bit clear. The wifi that they promised is truly hopeless.


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A wounded deer leaps the highest.
~Emily Dickinson




However, I wanted to quick let you know about this great book I'm reading. "The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson." I've reached part two and have been sucked in from the first couple of pages. Unlike other historical books retold, this one really is interesting and you feel like Miss Emily is the one telling her story. I've found it's a perfect read to learn more about Emily Dickinson in an easy way! I also think this would be a great read to incorporate into a homeschooling program for history and literature.

Have you read this book? What where your thoughts?

When Angels Fly {Unearthly Review}

Book: "Unearthly"
Author: Cynthia Hand
Rating: 4 out of 5


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Sometimes, you come across a book that with every word you read, you are transported into a different world. You’re there with the character, feeling their emotions as if they were your own, smelling the surroundings, letting everything sink in as if you were a part of the ongoing story that extends much farther than the last page of the book. “Unearthly” by Cynthia Hand is part of this very select group. Another book that I’ve put in this group is the ever famous J.K. Rowlings. When you are watching the movie of the book and you feel as if you’ve already seen what was happening before you ever watched the movie, you know that the writer was able to convey their story in a truly magical way.

“Unearthly” could be the story of a typical teenage girl falling in love, getting confused, and falling out and back into love all over again in new ways. However, it’s not. There’s a twist. Clara is a quarter angel, and soon finds herself, her mom, and little brother leaving everything they’ve ever known in California to the mountains of Wyoming. Everything is different, the school, the people in the school, their house, everything. Clara’s purpose is unfolding and she needs to uncover many secrets before the day comes when she’ll need to fulfill it. However, she finds love in unexpected places and soon has to make choices that could change everything. Cynthia has put together a delightful masterpiece that sucks you in and keeps you wondering even after your finish the last word.

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Discolosure: I received this book for free to review. Even so, I gave my completely honest opinion and expressed my own thoughts.