A Sister Site is Born

ATTENTION PLEASE

A SISTER SITE HAS BEEN BORN! LITTLE MISS FUN 46'S BLOG IS NOW MOVING. READERS, PLEASE CONTINUE FOLLOWING MY BLOG, BUT NOT THIS BLOG. THE NEW SITE WILL BE REPLACING WWW.LITTLEMISSFUN46.BLOGSPOT.COM. IT'S NEW WEB ADDRESS IS: WWW.LITTLEMISSBLOGGER46.BLOGPSOT.COM! THANKS!!

Lauren

White Water Rafting

Hi everyone and happy Memorial Day! My family and I just got back from a white water rafting trip in 3 different states: Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. For my mom, brother, and I, it was our first time on a rafting trip. My dad had gone before and so had some of the other families with us had too.

Yesterday was the frantic day of sports. In the morning we got up early for an hour drive to the rafting place. We rented bikes and rode down to Harpers' Ferry and had lunch there. Then, we took a bus to the beach and split into groups for each raft. I was with two friends, a few adults, and of course, a tour guide. We set out onto the cold water and the adventure began. At first, we stayed in the calmer water, but as the tour progressed, we moved onto some fun rapids! There were three rapids, which were all very enjoyable. The first one was like sitting on an electric chair because it just rattled your boat along. The next was more dangerous and it was the most common place to fall on the whole trip. There was a sharp turn of water and many rocks that brought you quickly down a hill. We all got soaked, but it was amazing! Sadly, one of the people in our family's group (not raft) fell out of the raft. Luckily, she, like everybody else, was forced to wear a bulky helmet and life guard. The last rapid was supposedly the most intense, but I didn't think so. There was a bunch of rocks going downwards, like a staircase. They rapidly made our raft plunk down one by one.

The white water rafting trip was loads of fun. I would definitely go back to do it again, although, I think I'd prefer a more challenging course.

5th Grade Graduation

It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks my classmates and I will have completed Purchase school! Wow! It's already been 6 years! The graduation is at the high school and it's on June 21. I'm very excited to graduate, although it's sad, too. I will miss all my fabulous teachers here and all the fun times we had in class. Not to mention class trips and of course, field day! LMK will be a big change and a hard transition, but hey, it's a whole other experience! I got a gradation dress yesterday. It's really cute: black with a big bow. I'm also planning to get these new shoes that are silver. I can't wait until graduation night!

iPad

The Apple iPad is amazing! Wow! It's basically like a portable laptop, but it's even smaller and lighter. There are so many apps you can download. Whether it's to play, learn, or entertain, there's apps for practically anything! I think the iPad is so cool because if you flip it, the screen will rotate to a horizontal view. The iPad is kind of like a Kindle, iTouch, and computer all at once. It's like a Kindle because you can read books that can be downloaded directly from iTunes. It's like an iTouch because it has apps and an internet browser. Lastly, an iPad is like a computer because it's a decent size and can be for almost any use!

Philadelphia Trip

We just got back home from a 5th grade field trip to Philadelphia. It was really interesting and lots of fun. We got to visit many of the important USA buildings including the Betsey Ross House. Then, of course, we had Philly cheese-steaks for lunch. We also got to do a little shopping at the gift shops. I got a miniature Liberty Bell and a Philly bracelet. They're something I'll always be able to remember the class trip to Philadelphia with! My favorite part of the whole (long!) day was getting to see the actual singing place of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. It was so cool to see the old-fashioned furniture and everything! The bumpy bus ride was around 4 hours, but I'm pretty sure it was worth the wait. Have you ever been to Philadelphia? If so, what was your favorite popular attraction?

Softball

I am exhausted! No wonder... I just got back home from a 2 hour softball game! I love softball because it's a team effort and we don't care about winning; we're just out there to have fun and spend time with our friends! I like playing softball because each position is very important and all the players need to work together... they're a team. It's really fun to yank on the dug-out fence and sing these annoying baseball songs super loud. It's even more fun to hear your teammates encouraging you. What is your favorite spring sport?

Scrapbooking

One of my favorite things to do is create scrapbook pages for my giant pink scrapbook. I am very creative and scrap-booking just lets my imagination overflow! I love all the fancy little scrapbook paper, stickers, and ribbons. It's so easy to fill a page with words and pictures. It feels like I've just climbed to the top of the Mout Everest when I finsih another scrapbook page. The page I'm most proud of is the one where I won a tennis tournament. There were three pictures of me: one of my hitting the ball, another of me holding up the trophy and smiling like crazy, the last was one of my mom and me together. I found this really cute swirly picture with a rainbow design on navy paper. Then, I cut that in half and pasted it onto black paper. I glued on the pictures and typed up a few sentences and put them on, too. Do any of you enjoy to scrapbook?

"To the World, You Might be One Person... But to One Person, You Might be the World"

While I was checking out my new sleepaway camp over the weekend, we stopped in the local town to do some shopping and grab a bite to eat. We went into a cute little store on the corner, and there were all different kinds of things there: soap, bird baths, clothing, purses, jewlery, and furniture. I notice some coffee mugs there that had sayings on them, my favorite. I picked one up and found a powerful statement: "To the world, you might be one person. But to one person, you might be the world."

I thought that saying meant a lot to me, because it's true. People are always trying to be fabulous by buying expensive products to show off and purchasing their dream mansion. But that's not all there is to life. It's more than things you have, it's your family and friends. The love and support you give them. You can always buy a diamond ring or something, but you can't buy people to look out for you. If you're kind to someone, they will always remember that. But if you aren't, then they'll remember that too. But, you should always treat people nicely, so they will be there for you when you really need them.

Mother's Day

As you all know, Mother's Day is right around the corner. In fact, it's in only 2 days! Well, this week, I've been planning to surprise my mom on her special day. Around this time, I always think about family and how important it is. Everyone needs family; someone to care for them and always be around. During Mother's Day, my family is going to my aunt's house for brunch. What is your family panning to do? Well, Mother's Day is very important and it's a great opportunity to thank your mom for the many things shes' done for you, whether she wanted to or not! Some of the things I'd like to thank my mom for are: feeding me, playing tennis with me, helping me with my homework, supporting me, encouraging me to do my best, and always being there by my side. Who was the person who brought you into this world? Mom. Who was the one who took you to the bus-stop and held your hand on the first day of kindergarten? Mom. Who taught you how to be honest and kind? Mom. Who drove you everywhere you needed to be? Mom. And those are just a few things. Make your mom happy by wishing her an amazing Mother's Day. Give back what you owe.

Glasses

Last weekend, we were at the store, Costco and my mom needed to pick up her new prescription glasses. We realized that there was an eye specialist right in the store. My family always thought I needed glasses because my vision isn't too great. I'm nearsighted. Well, we went into doctor's and he checked me. I needed glasses. So, I chose a pair of JC ones that are pink and white... cute! We're picking the glasses up on Monday or Tuesday next week.

DARE Essay

I am speechless right now, which is exactly why I'm typing, not talking. Well, I am overjoyed about some of the wonderful news I heard at school today. So, our 5th grade class just finished a program called DARE which stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It's when a police Sargent comes in to teach the class about drugs, alcohol, and smoking. Over the past year, DARE has taught me so much. That's why at the end of the program, everyone in the class was supposed to write a DARE essay to reflect on the learning experience. There are four schools in our district and of course like the rest of life, there's a winner. We presented the reports on Wednesday and my homeroom teacher announced the classroom winner. On Friday afternoon, she said, "Drum-roll please," so everyone banged on their desks and then she exclaimed, "Lauren!" I couldn't believe what I had just heard! I was NOT expecting that to happen! Well, while the rest of the kids were taken down to lunch, I silently rehearsed my essay in the classroom. My teacher came back, gave me a big congratulations hug, and we went into another homeroom, my social studies teacher's. There were other winners there too: two other girls and a boy. They were the winners from all the other classrooms. So, one by one, we listened to each others' essays and all the teachers were watching, so was the school principal! Well, as you could imagine, I was scared... horrified! Luckily I didn't freak out too much and everything was fine. The next day (today), when we were walking in from recess, all the 5th grade teachers told the kids to go back into the courtyard where we had come from. There's picnic tables and a garden in there. So, we all sat down and the teachers lined themselves up. One by one, the homeroom DARE winners were called up. We each received a DARE medal and the whole grade clapped and yelled. Next, everyone quieted down. It was time for the 'big winner' to be announced. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion. I looked at my competitors who were crossing their fingers and closing their eyes. I just stood there and one of my teachers shouted, "LAUREN!!" I was shocked and thrilled at the same time. All my friends congratulated me and I felt on the top of the world. The teachers shook my hands and while walking into the building, I felt like the president or something. All the other kids were asking my questions and shaking my hands! I was amazed. Well, since I won, I am going to rehearse later on. I need to read my DARE report aloud to the whole school district. Yep, you heard me... everyone: the teachers, principals, siblings, parents, my classmates, and the middle school principal! I am so happy it's not even funny. Well, I need to go practice so I'll blog later. Thanks for reading such a long post with a lot of exclamation points>>!!!

Converse Shoes

 My favorite brand of shoes is Converse. They're perfect for my feet: narrow and long. Plus, Converse are very comfortable and I like how they look. I've got a pair of red, hot pink, navy, and green All-Stars. Chuck Taylor's have been around for a long time (since my dad was a kid- whoa!) and they've evolved a lot. I LOVE CONVERSE FOREVER!!

Post-It Mosaic Video

 In art class, we were working on mosaics. So, my teacher showed us this really cool YouTube video about a college grad who made a whole stop-shot video of collages made of Post-Its! It's amazing how he put every single Post-It up just to take a picture. He probably used around 10,000 Post-Its and 100 rolls of film to create this inspiring video! To watch the clip, just click on the link below:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpWM0FNPZSs&feature=player_embedded

Please post a comment about your favorite part, if you liked the video or not, and something you were inspired to do by the video clip. I hope you liked watching it!

Preparing for Summer

I'm so glad it's time to prepare for summer! That means, getting ready for camp, swimming, staying up late, barbecues, no school and best of all, my birthday! I can't wait for the summer heat and jumping into my pool. It's so relaxing and fun to spend time with family and friends. Reading my by backyard hammock is great, too. I love to have lemonade stands with the neighbors and use the profits to go buy some ice pops. We've been ordering new furniture for the backyard. In fact, a few new lounge chairs just arrived! I love summer foods like watermelon, ice cream, and fresh fruit salads. It's always really fun to watch the bursting fire crackers on the 4th of July, so we're always purchasing fireworks and hearing protectors. The only bad thing about summer is the mosquitoes! There's such pests. I get eaten up alive, with welts all over the places. It's too tempting to scratch!! Well, I'll post some more when we get to the summer season.

Color Contest

Join in the fun with a color contest! Here's how to play:

• Comment your favorite color in CAPITAL LETTERS
• Underneath the color, list all the things you can think of that are that color
• Please do not type anything gross.... :(
• Do not be specific --- only general things (my <><><> is....)

 Here's an example:

ORANGE (my favorite color)
1 - pumpkin
2 - red fox
3 - orange fruit
4 - fire flames
5 - basketball
6 - goldfish
7 - nectar in flower

Whoever has the most creative and unique words listed, will be given a prize!! You must participate to find out the lucky winner and their little prize! GO! Start listing your favorite colors!!!!!!

Melanie Oudin

BELIEVE is the word on young tennis star, Melanie Oudin, has on her shoes. Melanie Oudin is now 18 and she played in many tennis tournaments, such as last year her biggest, the US Open. Melanie is my favorite woman player because she proves that anything's possible. Oudin defeated some of the top ranked players last summer. She never gave up and fought to overcome many challenges, even while injured. She would win many matches even when she was the underdog and was losing drastically. Melanie's strategy is to catch up in the end! Kind of like me while playing tennis, but sometimes I fail to catch up!!

The Truth Behind Reading

There's a lot more to reading than just reading the words and finishing the book. You have to spend time thinking about what you just read, making connections, predicting, creating character charts, jotting down anything on a Post-It and collecting background information! At school, we've been learning reading strategies. One of the things I always make sure to do in my reading notebook is starting a character chart. For those of you who have no idea what a character chart is, well, it's basically a list. All you have to do is write down the names of any characters in your book and then you can include their characteristics. For example, I just finished a book called Lost and Found by Andrew Clements. So, I wrote Ray Grayson and then wrote: brown hair, likes to play soccer, not too good at math, likes the Cubs. Another thing I'm always sure to include in my reading notebook is a Fact vs. Fiction Chart, but be careful with this one. It only works if the book you're reading is historical fiction. You just need to make a T-Chart, one side Fact and the other Fiction. Based on the book, you write anything in the book that really happened or background information that's real on the Fact side. Leave the other one for anything that was made up from the author's imagination. Another great way for me to keep track of my thoughts is Post-Iting. I like to mark important parts and write why on the Post-It. I also like to write down any questions or comments I have. Once a week, I try to do an activity about my book. Sometimes I write a letter to the character, make a collage, write down similar book titles, draw a comic strip, and much more. I hope this post was useful to all of you and that sometime, you'll give one of these strategies a try!

Candy Sushi

Candy sushi is one of the funnest foods to prepare and eat! It's pretty simple and the results are fantastic! Here are some tips and tricks on how to make candy sushi.

What Materials You Need:

• Rice Crispy Treats
• Dark colored Fruit Roll-Ups
• Red and black licorice
• Swedish Fish

Step 1: Flatten the Rice Crispy Treats to make the rice stuffing. If you flatten too much, you won't be able to wrap the Rice Crispy Treats, so make sure they're right in between thicknesses.

Step 2: Lay a wide strip of Fruit Roll-Up(s), to make the seaweed wrapping.

Step 3: Put the Rice Crispy Treats over the Fruit Roll-Up and make them stick together. Then, any way you want, you can put in the licorice, Swedish Fish, or even those Extreme Air Heads in.

Step 4: Roll the Rice Crispy and Fruit Roll-Up around the candies you've chosen to add and your very own candy sushi has been prepared!

Step 5: Enjoy your delicious candies and go back onto my blog to post comments!

Here's a couple different rolls of candy sushi:

Trampoline Experience

Do to all the blog party preperation, I haven't posted in a few days. Well, I wanted to tell you a story about my friend and I.

So, we were jumping on the trampoline on a nice sunny day. We were having a a lot of fun and everything. But after a couple minutes, we got a little bored. So, my friend asked, "Do you want to have a competition?"

"What type of competiton?" I asked her.

She grinned, "A jumping one!"

We decided to be the contestants and the judge. So, my friend and I got our cell phones and videotaped each others jumps and flips. It was a lot of fun. We made up some crazy ones like a banana peel slide, a diving board jump, and the horse trot. It was a lot of fun, but I got tired of moving around so much. My two favorite jumps were the back-flip and the diving board jump. The flip is just a regular backwards flip, but without any hands. The diving board jump is really fun because you go on 'tipy-toes' and them jump forwards, landing on your face. At least the trampoline is pretty soft!

After getting ourselves completely worn out, we went back inside to watch the videos. I made popcorn and we had lemonade. Exhausted, we slumped onto the floor and watched ourselves doing jumps. Each time the other person agreed that their friend had done a good job, the person was awarded a point. In the end, we had a tie of 14 points each. That was a problem. But of course, we both wanted to win so we decided on a grand finale.

Panting, we dragged ourselves back outside to finish up the game. After her performance, she decided to quit it was so hot! So, that was how our game ended. It was a tie. But dying of heat, we didn't care one bit.

IT'S A PARTY (#1)

I am writing this special post to invite you all great friends to join in Little Miss Fun's first official blog party!!!

When: Thursday, April 22

Where: this blog

Time: around 3:40

Purpose: to just have fun!

I hope you can all attend my first blogging party. Please join in the fun! There will be (virtual) food and drinks, chatting conversations, and so much more fun! Thanks so much for coming...

~ Little Miss Fun 46

Summer Penpals

I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE SUMMER!! There's so much to do and places to see during the summer. It's a fun time to hang out with family and friends. I really appreciate how lots of you comment and read my blog. So, I was thinking of some ways we could keep in touch. I know the majority of my readers are people I already know and they are my friends and relatives. But, I was just wondering if anyone would be able to spread the word about my blog. In other words, find a friend or anyone that you might know and trust to invite to my blog. I would love to be summer penpals with a lot of you! Just comment or email me about it. I would be able to write to you all over... from camp, home, and even on vacations! Having a summer penpal is a great experience. You get to know someone much more and it's fun to talk to someone, especially different people. I once had a penpal in South Korea and it was very interesting to learn about her history and background. Hey, look, now the girl and I are really good friends! Please help out in my new summer penpals program! Thanks!

Me

Hi, all my wonderful blog readers! It's really important to me that my readers know who I am, what type of personality I have. All that boring stuff. But it's because, the way you read my blog might change a little bit. I just want you all to get different perspectives from each of my posts. So, in order to do that, I'll tell you a little bit more about myself.

Well, I'm an energetic and curious girl who loves the summer. I spend almost my entire summer writing. Whether it's realistic fiction, poetry, or an informational article, I love to read and write. Even though I'm still very young, I love to travel all around the world. I also enjoy learning new languages and keeping up with my pen-pals. One of my goals to help make a difference in the world is to create peace worldwide. There's too much fighting between the countries. Too many bombs and missiles being fired at one another. Why can't we all just be friends? Well, I have this journal called "My Dreams" and it's full of pages filled with ideas that just burst out of my head. Outrageous things like opening a candy shop on the moon or publishing a story that every child in the whole Earth would know the title of. Since you probably figured out I'm really creative, I minus well just tell you that I love to scrapbook. It's really fun for me to put together words and pictures, making a memory flashback in my head. I love spending time with my family and of course, friends.

Now that you have learned a little bit more about the writer, please tell me about yourself. I'm really interested in learning about my readers, too! Thank you so much for all your help and support. Happy commenting! :)

Buddy Day and the Dance

For me and all my other classmates, this Friday was very busy. Right after getting to school, we got onto a bus to go to the middle school, LMK. There, we met up with our 6th grade "buddies" who we had been exchanging letters with for a few weeks. My buddy was a girl named Sydney. First, we sat in the auditorium and listened to the principal talk to us. Then, we went to one of the cafeterias for a bite to eat. For lunch I had a chicken Caesar wrap (it was MUCH better than the elementary school food!). Then, my buddy took me on a tour of the school and she introduced me to a few teachers. Lots of students and teachers kept saying, "Hey, I know your older brother! He looks just like you!" and I would just nod. After that, we headed back to the auditorium to listen to the band, orchestra, and chorus. That was the end of the fun day at LMK. But it wasn't the last fun part of the day.

A few hours after school had ended, the 5th grade dance party was happening! I went back to the middle school with a bunch of my friends and walked into the gym. IT WAS SO LOUD I COULDN'T EVEN HEAR MYSELF THINK!! The DJ was playing the music so loud that we had to scream to even say something to another person. It was crazy! Well, we danced around and sang; just had a good time. There were dance-offs for prizes, freeze dance, and "random song time". It was really fun, but I felt bad for one of my friends. She got a really big headache and had to get picked up to go home. We were really sorry for her because the dance was a lot of fun. We got to meet lots of new people from buddy day and now we were able to have even more fun with them.

Well, that Friday was very tiring, but it was lots of fun!

When I Grow Up

I've been recently been thinking about life when I grow up. It's kind of weird to imagine myself when I'm a grown-up. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. When I grow up, I want to make a difference in the world. I don't want to be a model or something worthless like that. I either want to be a teacher or an author, possibly even both. I think teachers are the most important people because they teach you everything: how to make friend, how to do math, how to read and write.... everything. I've always loved to write, even as a preschooler and when I was in kindergarten. Books are also really important to me because they can teach you just about anything and they can be so amazingly well written and fun to read. Sometimes I feel like I'm actually another character in the book because of how the author wrote the story. I have been recently doing a lot of volunteer work around the Purchase community. In fact, this upcoming Saturday is the senior citizen pancake breakfast. My classmates and I are going to our school and making pancakes and we've been working on place-mats and everything. We're going to serve the elderly food and we'll talk to them. Later that morning, I'm playing a song for them all on my violin. Well, that's one of the ways I like to make a difference in the town. But, when I get bigger, I want not only to make a difference in my state, but to do something that affects the whole world. Someday, I'll be someone important. But right now, all I can do is dream and believe.

Lice

I am staying home from school today. It's because this girl in my class got lice and her locker is right next to mine, so of course, I was the lucky one to also get head lice. It's SO annoying! I am really scared about going to school because I need to go to a specialist. That means I might not be able to go to school tomorrow. And that is a horrible thing. We're having a huge field trip to meet all the other kids who will be at LMK too. It's also the 5th grade dance. I am so annoyed at the girl because she's always keeping her locker open and never pushes her bag or coat in properly. Which is the only reason I had to get lice. Right before the end of the school year. It's going to spoil the best part. AHH.... I AM SO MAD!

The Absolutley True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

I am reading a really funny book called *The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* by Sherman Alexie. I just read the part when the main character, Junior, starts school at a white high school out of his reservation. Everyone is acting like Junior is a threat to their 'coolness' and no one wants to be his friend.

I don't think it's very nice of the other teenagers to do that to Junior because, I mean, he's a person too. Who cares what color his skin is and what his background is like? I feel really bad for Junior because he is being bullied by the other kids and has been taken advantage of.

On one of the pages that there's a sketch, it's a picture of a person split in half, one side's Indian and the other is white. Since people on the reservation are poor, Junior's shirt is from K-Mart, his backpack is a garbage liner, his shoes are made of clay, and his pants are from the Sale isle in the Safeway Supermarket. Meanwhile, the white half is wearing a Polo Ralph Lauren collared shirt, khakis from Tommy Hilfiger, a Timex watch, the latest Air Jordans, and is holding an ergonomic bag (with fancy cell phone). I feel bad for Junior because everyone is judging him by skin and clothing.

On example is when Junior was just minding his own buisness, the cooler group boys came up to him and yelled. The teased, "Chief, Red-Skin, Tonto, Sitting Bull, Squaw Leader!" and started to laugh. Poor, helpless Junior could do nothing but sit there and try to ignore them. He knew he couldn't fight back or they'd beat him up, but... it wasn't very nice of his classmates.

*The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* is a great book, but some of the word choice is really inappropriate, so I'd only recommend it for older kids. Many of the parts are funny, but deep inside, this book is meaningful and sad.

"Don't Cry Because it's Over, Smile Because it Happened."

I think that one of the most powerful things Dr. Seuss said was, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." That means so much to me and it's actually pretty sad.

I always tell people to stop remembering the past and planning for the future, but to live the present because that's the most important time. I think what I say is related to what Dr. Seuss had said many years ago. I think he's trying to say, stop regretting that it's over and be happy that is actually occured.

For example, if you were an orphan and then your mother came back to see you again, you would be so thrilled. But if she could only stay for a day, you would be sad when the time was up. I guess I'm trying to say that you should be happy for the time you had, not be greedy for more. Does that make sense to you?

I picked this quote to write about because it made my eyes fill with tears. I think it's so powerful to say that, because that's what many people actually feel. But, they just can't come out and say it. The clock will always be ticking, so you'd minus well just take advantage of the time you can have. Trust me.

New York Pet Rescue

For years, my older brother and I have been trying to convince my mom to get us a dog. Of course, we haven't succeeded. We were at a friend's house last night and the mother was talking about their dog. It was rescued by the New York Pet Rescue Organization a few years ago. The puppy is so well trained and never bites anyone, no matter the circumstances. The other mom was telling my parents all the pros about getting a dog: the kids do all the work, you're saving an abused animal, the kids will stop nagging, etc. So, I was looking at the website that she recommended and found the cutest puppy ever. Here's some information on the small, black puppy named Asia:

An adorable female 8 week old Labrador Retriever puppy and around 5 lbs. She is a very sweet and playful puppy, who likes lots of attention. She is the sister to Ari and Athena. She is the smaller of the two, but definitely can hold her own when playing with her siblings. She is the more cuddly one out of the three and likes to be close to her foster mom, especially when napping. She is doing really well with the paper training and is already starting to work on her housetraining and is starting to go outside. She will also let you know if she wants something. She likes to play with lots of toys. She is also in a home with three cats and everyone gets along. She should not be in a home with young children due to her age.

Other Blogs

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to recommend some other blogs to you that are written by my friends:

• Michaela: http://www.blowandpop101.blogspot.com/ 
• Zehra: http://www.spreadingpeacetogether.blogspot.com/
• Leela: http://www.blackcoatgirl.blogspot.com/

I hope all you Little Miss Fun readers enjoy their blogs as much as you like mine! 

Thanks,

Lauren

One Hot Mama's: Pulled Pork Sandwich

I just ate a pulled pork sandwich at One Hot Mama's Barbecue restaurant. It was a huge sandwich with a baked potato side dish. Overall, I thought it was decent. The menu said that it was award winning, but I was kind of wondering who gave it an award... :) Well, the sandwich was pretty flavorful and the bun was warm, but it was a little dry. The pulled pork sandwich was definitely better after I added a little bit of barbecue sauce. The baked potato at One Hot Mama's was good but loaded with half a stick of butter... it was pretty gross. I don't like eating too much or having anything super fatty and has too much topping. Well, I really don't think I'd ever go back to One Hot Mama's, even though it was voted the best barbecue in town.

Opinions

Hi, blog readers. I was just wondering your opinions about my blog. This is a page where you should feel free to post comments with suggestions, your opinion, or anything. I already know a lot of the commenters, but there might be some "ghost" readers out there. Please be as critical as you can, because truley, I don't mind. I just would like to have some idea about my readers and their thoughts or questions.

Thanks and good fun,

Lauren

The Meanest Doll in the World

I am almost finished reading The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann Martin and Laura Godwin. I can't forget this book's illustrator, Brian Selznick, because of his amazing pictures on multiple pages. The Meanest Doll in the World is in a series (titles in order): 1 The Doll People 2 The Runaway Dolls 3 The Meanest Doll in the World. This book is about two dolls who come to life and they accidentally end up at their owners school. The girls decide to take a look around the school and then get back into the backpack. When they reach home, it's not the Palmer's house they're used to. The girls are in a messy room that belongs to a boy, not their owner, Kate. A horrible doll, Princess Mimi (Mean Mimi), comes to attack Tiffany and her friend Annabell doll. They meet some trolls, the Cutouts, and three other mini dolls who have been bullied by Mean Mimi. The two dolls need to help save the others when Mimi attacks. Mean Mimi is mad at the other dolls because they don't want to be her friends anymore, due to her bullying them. She is also angry at Tiffany and Annabelle because they are helping the others. Mean Mimi controls some of the timid dolls and they attack too. There's a big commotion in the boy's room, but the dolls must be sure they won't be seen alive by a human.

I think Tiffany Funcraft is my favorite character in The Meanest Doll in the World. This is because Tiffany is adventurous. She is daring and always wants to explore, unlike picky Annabelle. Tiffany always loved her adventures with Auntie Sarah, Annabelle's aunt. She wasn't afraid of spiders or even Princess Mimi. Tiffany stood up to Mean Mimi when all the other dolls were so scared she was going to damage them. Tiffany was always nice to Annabelle, even when Annabelle hadn't treated her the same. Tiffany was always happy and cheering people up. She encouraged the other dolls to not give up and keep trying. That shows that Tiffany was brave and helpful. She always tried her best at everything, even if she wasn't interested.

I'm predicting that in the last chapter I have, everything will get back to normal. When Mean Mimi followed Tiffany and Annabelle home, she caused even more trouble. Now she was being seen in front of humans (alive!) and was being very rude and disruptive. Then she jumped off of a book shelf in front of Kate  (ut-oh!) and went to PDS. PDS is Permanent Doll State which rarely happens, if a doll is fully seen by a human. Mean Mimi looks paralyzed because her doll life is over. Everyone feels relieved, but it's sad. If I were of the the dolls who was having to deal with Mimi, I wouldn't care. I know that seems mean, but, it's true. Mean Mimi was a bully and she was putting dollkind at risk.

I SERIOUSLY RECOMMEND YOU READ THIS BOOK, BUT YOU SHOULD START FROM THE BEGINNING. THANKS FOR READING SUCH A LONG POST!! :)

Dreaming

Dreaming is one of the strangest things. They can be good or bad; sad or happy. I don't understand why we dream in our sleep. I don't think anyone does, not even scientists. Dreaming is like a Magic 8 Ball. They're never the same and can mean anything, if they do make sense. Some people dream in color which is supposed to mean they're more creative and are good at imagining things. Some others dream in black and white and they don't think out of the box as much, or care about being stylish or artsy. In my opinion, either one is fine. Everyone is different, just like their dreams, and that's okay. To tell you the truth, I don't remember any of my dreams or how I dream them. I'm guessing that because I'm creative, I dream in color but I remember a few dreams. I think that one time I had an outlandish dream and it was it tye-dye. Hmm... I wonder why we dream what we do...

iTunes

My favorite music website that's free is iTunes. iTunes is made by Apple and it's a site where you can download movies, apps, games, songs, albums, podcasts, and more. I think it's pretty cool that iTunes can operate that fast when hundreds of people are using it at once. I always download my favorite songs and interesting podcasts when I go on. It's amazing how iTunes has so many high-tech abilities. One of my favorites is called Genius. It takes the songs you have bought and recommends other songs and artists to you. That's how I find a lot of the music I like. Well, I suggest you all download iTunes if you don't already have it. Just go to www.apple.com and press downloads. From there, you can just click "Download iTunes" and it's free to install.

Braces

A lot of my friends have braces or are going to get them. Not me. I wonder why some people want to get braces. I don't see a single reason why someone would like braces. To tell you the truth, I don't think braces are too pretty. Besides, you can't eat gum, corn on the cob, or popcorn... some of my favorite foods! But if I end up having to get braces, I'll probably get orange or purple braces. I have to admit that it's pretty cool that the dentists can give you colored braces! The old-fashioned braces were so big and bulky: :( No offense to people who had them or still do!!

Easter

Easter Sunday is coming up very soon. I'm sure many people are going shopping for ham, but they're also picking up some candy and Easter baskets. Lots of people are buying marshmallow Peeps, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and even lollipops. What is your favorite Easter candy? I think I like the Peeps best, but all the other sweets are good too. Easter is one of my favorie holidays because it's fun and happy. Every year, family gets together and has a nice meal together. I love having Easter egg hunts. It's really exciting to look around everywhere outside and look for the special eggs. The best part of Easter is decorating the eggs in pastel water colors. Some of the ways to decorate them are making stripes, polka-dots, Easter bunny pictures, or even make smaller Easter eggs within. In the mornings, many people will be taking place in their local churchs to listen to the services. Easter is such an important day of the year because it is the reserection of Jesus Christ. We are so lucky to have plenty of food, drink, shelter, and clothes.

BrainPOP

I just wanted to tell everyone about one of the websites we often use at school. It's a great education website for practically anything: math, English, science, technology, health, social studies and art/music. www.brainpop.com is a website that has thousands of all educational videos for any topic you can think of. Tim and Moby can teach you about stocks to bruises or Albert Einstein to pi. There's even a BrainPOp Junior which is recommended for kindergarteners through 3rd graders. I think BrainPOP is the funnest way there is to learn about everything in life.

Picture of the Week

Hi everybody! I just wanted to announce that now I will be posting a picture of the week! :-) Please don't forget to comment with picture recommendations or anything else. Thanks!

THIS WEEK'S PICTURE IS:

I hope you all like these pictures of 'barking flowers'! They are amazing pieces of art made by a Japanese floral artist which had been designed for spring. I love these little dogs and I hope you enjoy them too!

The Big Transition

Today the principal, guidance counselors, and a few students came to our elementary school. Since I am in fifth grade, they were here to talk about the big change between finishing elementary school and moving onto middle school. Our class made a long list of lists we came up with. The principal, Mr. Scott Fried, told us all about the food (which is MUCH better than ours), teachers, rules, lockers, detention, and many other topics. I am really nervous but excited to go to LMK (school). Everyone says it takes a few weeks to get adjusted to the daily routine, but that middle school's an invitation to let your creativity flow and to meet new friends. I can't wait until I meet my new teachers and classmates! Well, I'll post on the first day of sixth grade! :)

Standing Up For Yourself

Standing up for yourself against a bully is hard. But standing up for yourself against a friend is a nightmare. It's so hard just to go up to a friend and say, "Please don't do that anymore. It hurts my feelings." I don't know why, but I think you're more comfortable around them. It makes you feel awkward to ask them to do something than it is to a bully. When I need to stand up to someone, I pretend it's just a regular person, someone you don't care about as much. This makes it easier because you really feel okay about saying your feelings about someone. Just saying, don't back down.

Text Art

One of my friends just told me about a really cool website: www.chris.com. He is an artist, a different type of artist. Chris makes what he calls 'text art' from real characters on a keyboard. I suggest you check out the link that is on this post. This is one of my favorites, a Snoopy dog writing a story:

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Wii Sports Resort

Currently, my favorite Wii game in the whole world is Wii Sports Resort. It is so addicting! There are a lot of interactive games: fencing, ping-pong, water-boarding, skydiving, plane flying, golf, and many more. My favorite game on Wii Resort is sword fighting, or as we call it, fencing. You can duel the game or a friend, enter a quick-cut challenge or even battle multiple characters. It's actually a really good workout! I played three rounds of an activity and had already began to sweat. Wii Resort allows you to also play against players who aren't playing off the same game console as you. In other words, you are able to play with people in other houses, they can even be in different states as you! I highly recommend Wii Resort to everyone who has a Wii.

Posting

Hi, all my wonderful readers! I just wanted to apologize for not being able to post as much. I have really been trying to write about my feelings and thoughts often, but that can be hard with a tight schedule. I hope you all understand and I will be trying to post more this month. Thank you for understanding.

Happy blog reading,

Lauren (Little Miss Fun 46)

Taking Tests

Taking tests can be (very) nerve raking, I know. That's why I am writing this post. Here are some of my tips for taking tests:

• ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR FIRST INSTINCT: when you're not sure if the answer is one or the other, always put down the first thing you thought about. Following your first instincts are important because with all that studying, it's easy to mix up two answers.
• DON'T GET DISTRACTED: there will always be those people who have to tap their pencil against the desk, or rattle the chair while taking a test. If that annoys you, don't listen and block out any other noise. You need to concentrate on the test.
• HELP YOURSELF OUT: studying is probably even more important than taking the actual test. You need to think of ways you can help yourself remember what you have trouble with. Thinking of ways to connect the answer to the question is always helpful and you can do your best on the test.
• GET PREPARED: some other kids have a special good luck charm they hold while takings tests. Personally, I just need a good night's sleep, a hearty breakfast, and some orange juice and a few TicTacs to boost my concentration.

I think tests aren't very fun for kid, or teachers. Many teachers are forced to give out tests, they don't do it to bore you or put you under any stress. Tests aren't so bad if you are ready. Always pay attention to the teacher and your classmates. If you daydream while your peers' questions are being answered, nothing good can happen. The teacher might have forgotten to say something important that would be on the test that another student said while you weren't paying attention. 

Best Friends

Best friends. Everybody needs one. A best friend is someone to laugh with and tell your deepest secrets to. They're the one person you can always rely on, no matter what. Best friends are supportive and cheer you up, turning that frown upside down. Your best friend is the person you've known for all your life and have trusted them all throughout the journey. Best friends are the ones to back you up and cover for you. They are creating the happiest moments of your lives. The things you'll remember for all your life.

Kindness: Pass it On

This year, I read an amazing book called One Smile which was written by Cindy McKinley. It's about a little girl who smiles at a man who's lost his job in the park. That inspires him to go on a job hunt and find a way to support his family. The young man helps a woman with her car and she is so happy that she helps someone else. The kindness in this little town has been passed on many times and in the end, everyone is happy and feeling better about themselves. The big idea of this book is to treat others nicely and that one little thing can make a big difference in someone's life. It can help many people, not just the person you smiled or said something nice to. Showing you care for someone is very important. It can cheer up their day and motivate them to do something good.

Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye is hard, but if you look at in a different perspective, it can be a new beginning, too. When someone close to you has to leave, whether it's by choice or not, you'll miss them. It's normal. Saying goodbye to someone you love and will miss with all your heart is very sad. But, you shouldn't sit around thinking that nothing good can happen without them. You have to capture the fun and exciting moments, the laughs and secrets you told each other. Saying goodbye is inspiring and brings back the 'good times' you shared. Saying goodbye brings tears to your eyes, but deep inside, they are tears of joy. Joy that a person will be remembering you for the rest of their life, joy that someone will excel and that was with your help. Goodbyes aren't always bad, just remember that.

Free Rice

Play and feed hungry people! I just discovered an amazing website called: www.freerice.com. It's a site where you put another definition for the word that pops up. When you answer a question correctly, the website automatically donates 10 grains of rice to starving people in poor countries. Just think how fortunate we are to have enough food and a home with heat and beds. Many people can't support their families and I think it's very important to help out around the world. In 2008, Free Rice raised 43,942,622,700 grains of rice! How would you feel if your developing country got that much rice from many supportive people?

Save the Polar Bears

Help save the polar bears who are suffering because of global warming in Antarctica! Many cubs and their mothers are dying off due to the lack of cold enough weather in their habitat. Too many people are being careless and only thinking about themselves. They dump their waste in places they shouldn't which causes the polar bears' living space to heat up. As you know, polar bears can only survive in a cold climate with icy conditions, but their habitat is getting destroyed. To help the needy polar bears, please, do not waste anything and encourage your family and friends to go green.

Bullying

What does being a bully mean? It means that you're either teasing or hurting someone's feelings and it's continuous. Why do kids bully each other? Bullying may seem like it's the only way to relieve stress about something going on in your life, but it's not. Some bullies might feel like their target is better than them, maybe have more friends, so they want to get revenge. How does the person who's being bullied feel and act? The kids might act differently, but they always feel the same... hurt and sad. Some targets might have more confidence than others and they will stand up to the bully which takes a lot of courage. Others might walk away and ignore the behavior. How can you help someone who's being bullied? You can stand up to the bully and tell them it's not nice to treat people like that. You could also tell a teacher that you saw someone being bullied or made fun of. What is bullying? Well, bullying can be making fun of someone about something they can't change at the moment (like saying they're overweight). Don't be a bully, be nice!

Ruby Bridges

A few years ago, Ruby Bridges came to meet the fifth graders in Purchase Elementary School. She came to talk about her struggles in school and everything she was put through. Mrs. Bridges was a very interesting person. She spoke about her helping teacher and how she felt as the angry whites protested against her. If I were Ruby, I would so scared to have people yelling at me just because the color of my skin and burly bodyguards trying to protect me. I would also have to be very brave and shy. If Ruby tried to rebel against the crazy parents, she would get into big trouble, maybe even die. Ruby was a very courageous young girl trying to fight for her rights of going to school in peace.

Harry Potter Exhibit

For winter break, my family and I drove up to Boston for the week. One of the things we did was check out the Harry Potter exhibit which was located in the museum of science. Since I love Harry Potter, the exhibit was amazing. There were a lot of the real props from movies in cases all around. There were the wizard chess figures, costumes, wands, suitcases, and even real rooms from the set. The Harry Potter exhibit was very cool and I would strongly recommend you buying tickets if it comes to your destination.

Fruit Smoothies

Doesn't it seem like everything that's healthy tastes bad and that everything that tastes good is bad for you? Well, fruit smoothies are good for you and delicious, not to mention simple. I like to use the frozen mixed berry packages from Trader Joe's, a Greek yogurt called Chobani, a banana, and some sliced strawberries. Honestly, you can add whatever you'd like to your smoothies. Just put everything in the blender, chop and then puree it all. When you pour your smoothie out and take a sip, you'll be able to taste everything yummy all in one place: a simple and delightful smoothie.

Escape Under the Forever Sky

I have almost finished reading a great novel called Escape Under the Forever Sky, which is written by Eve Yohalem. It's about a 13-year-old American girl whose mother is the ambassador of Ethiopia. Lucy Hoffman never is allowed to go out and do things like any other teenagers. She sneaks out with a friend, but gets kidnapped by 3 strangers. Lucy decides to try to escape from her jail cell and run for it. She manages out into the wild and has to overcome many fears and challenges: hyenas, lions, dogs, the kidnappers, and has to find a way to get water and food, fast. 

I feel very badly for Lucy because she never gets to have any fun like anyone else. If I were her, I'd hate being all cooped up in a palace with no social life. If I were kidnapped, I would also be courageous and run away. I do many of the same things that Lucy did: hide in a tree, try to find a stream for hydration, and be silent during the night if I heard hyenas.

I would really hate my life if I were Lucy, but I wouldn't have a choice. I would try to avoid thinking about the cons of being alone in the wild and try to think of the good things. At least Lucy is an animal expert and she knows almost all the behaviors of wildlife in Africa. Lucy needs to be brave and keep trying or else she will be found or worse, killed.

Posting Comments

Hi Little Miss Fun 46 readers,

I'd really appreciate if my readers left comments on any of my posts. It's easy and anyone can do it. All you have to do is type what you'd like to say under the post and click: Publish Post. It's as easy as that! When you post a comment, feel free to answer questions from the post, state your opinions, or ask me a question. All I ask is that when you leave a comment, to leave your first name and the state you live in. I'm asking you do this so I'm able to be aware of my various readers. Thank you for following the rules and respecting my blog policies.

~Little Miss Fun :)

Valentine Boxes

We're going to have a Valentine's Day party on Friday. Everyone's supposed to make a box for their candy and cards at their houses. I was trying to be creative with mine and I have some tips and tricks for whoever wants to make their own. Well, I used a simple shoebox for the box and got some cute Valentine's Day paper, some glitter glue, foam letters, and stickers. I pasted a piece of the paper around the box and decorated it. I used clippings from magazines or ads in the newspaper to make my box dazzle with pink and red. I hope this post helps you with your creative Valentine's Day boxes!

Snowday

Today's a snowday for Harrison. School ended up being canceled yesterday since the weathermen said there was going to be 12-18 inches. It turns out to only be 6-10 inches, but that's enough for no school! Everyone's out sledding, making snowmen, and having snowball fights. I'm glad to be in the warm house drinking my hot chocolate and going on my laptop. I guess I'm just a summer person. But I still really like snowdays, even though it's blustering cold out there. Cross you fingers that tomorrow there'll be no school!

Make a Difference

We've been doing many fundraisers at school. For instance, our Caring Kids club is having: Harrison for Haiti, a pancake breakfast for senior citizens, Daffodil Days for the American Cancer Society and many other events. I think it's such a big deal to help out around our community because many families are needy. Doing these fundraisers at school makes me feel good because I get to change someone's life; make someone sick smile. Another supporting act we're doing at school is called Math-a-Thon. You get sponsors to pay you for doing a math workbook. After that, you bring the money to your teacher and they send it to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Many children are suffering, even around us... we've got to help them.

A Grammy for Taylor

Young popstar, Taylor Swift, has won a Grammy award! She performed at the Grammy Awards and was given 'best song of the year' for her everpopular, You Belong with Me. Taylor Swift put on an amazing show for the crowds and everyone was so happy for her. 'Best song of the year' wasn't the only good thing that happened to Taylor Swift on January 31, 2010. In total, Taylor won four awards, which was super close to Beyonce's six awards. Going back to Nashville with four awards from the Grammy's...not so bad for a twenty-year-old!

Tuck Everlasting

I've been reading more of Tuck Everlasting and it keeps getting mire and more exciting. Right now, Winnie is still at the Tuck's house since thye kidnapped her. She goes out in the morning with Miles, trying to catch some fish for breakfast. When Miles catches a trout, Winnie can't stand even looking at the pain the fish is going through. "Put it back!" Miles looks at Winnie's scared face with tears in her eyes, and relcutantly releases the fish.

I think Winnie acted this way because she had just talked to Tuck about living forever and she didn't want the same to happen to the fish. I think the author, Natalie Babbitt included this chapter into the book because it has powerful connections. She's trying to say that the Tuck's live forever and they're just stuck on the wheel of life. They can never die, but eventually the fish will. Winnie wanted to let the fish swim away because she wanted to let it enjoy the time it has left.

Type Racer

I just found another really cool website called TypeRacer.com! It's a really fun place where you can race with other live people on the site and you type quotes from books, movies, songs, or even plays. It's really addicting and the website even gives you a MPH score and it tells you which place you came in. You can even make an account, if you'd like that better than being a guest. Type Racer is so much fun!

Sony Vaio W

Today I got a new notebook laptop. It's a pink Song Vaio W and has a webcam. It's really cool and easy to use. The Vaio W is very light and it about ten inches across. It's my first laptop and I'm really liking it. If you're thinking about getting a laptop, definitley consider the Sony Vaio W.

Electrify Your Strings

There's a man named Mark Wood who used to play with the Tri Presbyterian Symphony. He is doing another Electrify Your Strings program in Harrison. The elementary schools, middle school, and high schools in Harrison will be doing a concert with him on February 6, 2010. We're going to dye our hair different colors and wear fun clothes. The songs we'll be playing are: Yellow Submarine, Strings Will Rock You (it's just We Will Rock You), and Hoedown. I'm really excited for the concert which will be at the Harrison high school.

Decorating Cakes

I recently found something really fun to do on rainy days. Decorating cakes! It lets your creativity go wild and you can be very precise with your details. I found that it's easier to have a replica of the real object. If you are doing a Coke cake, take a real Coke bottle to copy from. It's really fun but you have to be patient. Always sketch out your cake on paper before starting, in case you make a mistake.

Up

Up is probably my favorite movie ever. It won an award for best animated film of the year in 2009. The big idea in Up is to always be kind to others and to be optimistic. This great movie with Edward Asner and Jordan Nagail is great for all ages. It's sad, but Russel and Mr. Fredrickson have an amazing adventure in Paradise Falls. No matter where you see Up, you'll love it, but 3-D is the best.

5 Best Apps

1. Doodle Jump is an awesome game where you try to jump up to the top of the screen and you can buy it for $0.99

2. Light Bike is a free app that is very addicting and you have to not crash into any other of the bikes but or hit their lines
3. Google is probably the most hand app ever invented; you can talk to it and it recognizes you voice and does a search on the web
4. The Moron Test is a very tricky but fun app where it asks you questions and you see how smart you really are
5. Spin Art is an app where you can create your own amazing pieces of art- art that has been spun by you and it's only $0.99

Spanish Fiesta

Yesterday was the last day of Spanish classes for the fifth grade. We celebrated with a party or in Spanish, a fiesta! Everyone was responsible to make something that comes from a Spanish-speaking country. There were a lot of delicious things like flan, churros, chips with salsa, tacos, enchiladas and so much more. Everyone had a lot of fun down in the school cafeteria. We had music playing and there was a lot of talking in Spanish, seeing how good we'd gotten before moving onto Italian. The fiesta was a lot of fun and all the food was a huge success.

Mary Poppins

Last weekend, I went into New York City. We went to go see the Broadway show, Mary Poppins. It was really good and all the other kids loved it too. The scenes are very realistic and there's a big doll-house thing which they use as their house, but you can see every room at a time. The actors and actresses are very good and they're costumes were amazing. At one point, Mary Poppins comes soaring through the crowds and she's holding that umbrella. The children have a lot of fun with their new nanny and so does Mary. It's a very good show that I'd recommend to almost anyone I know.

Paper Ornaments

Here's how to make an exciting and colorful paper ornament:

1. Chose your colors, the minimum amount is three and you need to have two of each color, accept one that goes in the center
2. Lay out the colors you want to use and put the single strip of paper in the middles
3. Cut the strips so that the one in the middle's the shortest and the other ones get longer and longer
4. Pick the paper up, starting on either the left or right, but NOT the middle
5. Hold them from one end and staple the top, but still hold onto the other papers
6. Take the two colors to the left and right of your center piece and loop them around to meet up on the bottom

7. Keep doing the same process (step 6) until your ornament is finished and just staple it on the bottom

These fun ornaments can be for Christmas or even any other holiday, since you can chose the colors you'd like.

Tuck Everlasting

In school right now, we're reading this book called Tuck Everlasting. I really like it because there is a lot of description so it's easy to create pictures in your mind. The author, Natalie Babbitt, does a very good job of setting the scene. She often uses vivid details like "sunsets smeared with too much color" and "the melancholy creases folded his daytime face". The storyline of Tuck Everlasting is amazing and it feels like you're on the adventure with Miles, Jesse, Mae, Tuck, and Winnie!