slim, calm, sexy....and live to be a million.

It turns out, that after oh, 10 years (on and off) of mildly caring about what I eat, the benefits of being thin are just not enough motivation for me to actually eat healthy every day. Yes, I know what you're thinking. It's a good thing I have such a fabulous personality. You know how certain foods are supposed to make your hair soft, your skin clear and your nails pretty? Well, my next plan is to try to eat foods with more omega whatevers and antioxidants so that I can not look like a dried up old lady in a couple of years. And MAYBE doing this will lead to a nicer bod.

I found the BEST book to help me with my new (obviously fool-proof) plan. Slim, Calm, Sexy Diet by Keri Glassman. I mean, I'd like to be slim, a little calm never hurt anyone, and sexy can always be improved upon no matter what. This is a six-week program focusing on finding the perfect balance in your life and eating 100% real foods. Glassman's research and studies focus on your mind, sleep, workout, skin, libido, metabolism and your LIFE SPAN. Hello, I'd like to live to be 120, and still be having sex regularly, thanks.

There is a weekly recipe guide. Lots of chicken, seafood, fruits and veggies. Quinoa, which I love, Greek yogurt and greens. And for you picky ones, Glassman gives you ideas on how to build a meal or a snack. She lists the slimming foods, calming foods, and sexy foods and explains the benefits of each. Not that I need an increase in my libido, but I like the idea of eating for a night of sin, and the more orgasms the better, am I right? There is also a Slim, Calm, Sexy Workout. And let's not forget why I picked up this book in the first place, the Get-Gorgeous Foods are on page 136, folks.

forgiveness found in a cottage by the sea.

To me, author Robin Jones Gunn is most famous for The Christy Miller series, which I could not put down in my early teens. I've been out of the Christian Fiction game for a while, but decided it was absolutely necessary for Gunn and I to rekindle our flame. Her latest, Cottage by the Sea is an emotional story of a woman rebuilding the relationship between her and her recently ill father. Erin drops everything in her busy Southern Californian life to travel to coastal Oregon to take care of her dad who just had a stroke. Although he cannot speak and her ugly stepmother splits under the pressure, Erin stays. She doesn't put him in a nursing home, she doesn't resent him for interrupting her life, she stays. Although it's not easy, the two of them reconnect, and even a girl with daddy issues can see the beauty in a story like this.

Setting wise, I loved this novel. Having traveled to the Oregon coast before (which is gorgeous), it made Gunn's descriptions even more vivid. And I may not have a cottage by the sea, but I do have a cottage by Ontario Lake, which is almost just as good, minus the smell. I was there for the week of the 4th of July, before the craziness of summer school began. Relaxing, kayaking, painting and running. Not a care in the world. My parent's cottage is actually in a campground called Lighthouse Christian Camp, and no, the place did not get struck by lightening when I arrived. God and I have an understanding. In all seriousness though, it's a really charming place. Everyone there always waves to each other and small children run around like no one will steal them. Pretty idyllic.

My favorite spot.

there's always something new to learn about einstein.

Before I begin my review on Einstein's Jewish Science by Steven Gimbel, I'd like to share with you my favorite Albert Einstein quote.

As a teacher, this speaks to me.

And FYI, I am officially a REAL teacher...for the summer. I accepted a summer school teaching position which began two days ago! I pretty much just got really, really lucky. An English teacher backed out, and they had no time to really look for someone experienced, and I was just standing there, looking all hopeful and pathetic, so they chose me. I am out of my mind excited to spend my summer with a bunch hoodrats (and they are ALL hoodrats). I am going to have fun with it. If you need me, I'll just be sitting over here on cloud nine.

Back to Einstein. Apparently he was Jewish, which I was unaware of. My mother was a little embarassed when I told her that. The 'stein' was supposed to give it away, it's a good thing I'm pretty. Anyways, I've got a Jewish friend, so I am pretty fluent in Jew, my politically correctness needs some work though. The main idea of Einstein's Jewish Science is whether or not religious beliefs or backgrounds had an effect on Einstein's scientific endeavors. Gimbel has done a ton of research to make his case on Einstein and a number of other famous scientists. I have never thought of science to be "Jewish-style" or "Christian-style" probably because I was never any good at science. But I can totally see how religion would affect scientists experiments. You are what you believe in. Gimbel has a lot of interesting examples of how these scientists acquired new knowledge and the different ways that each of them went about making new discoveries.

A book like this is an acquired taste. And you should know by now if this is the kind of book you would want to read.

i am apologizing in advance for the TMI.

Let's take a moment and talk about sex. Why? Because it's fun. And if you're not having any fun then you should probably pick up a copy of The Big Fun Sexy Sex Book by Lisa Rinna and Ian Kerner, PH.D. When I received this book, I was super excited. I assumed it was going to be filled with all sorts of dirty tricks. However, it was more like a "how to" improve your sex life in your marriage. You know, for grownups who have been married for a while and sex is more of a chore than anything else. I have difficulties relating, but once in a while when I do feel a little tired, I just tell manfriend to get on top and problem solved. But you married people don't want a childless, 26-year-old's advice, so let's get back to the Sex Book.

Sex matters. SEX MATTERS. That's the first thing you need to come to terms with in your marriage. Yes, you've been married for ten-plus years, you have kids, you work fulltime, you're a prude. Whatever, SEX MATTERS. Rinna and Kerner credit their happy marriages to the kick ass sex they have, so I vote that you listen up. The pages of The Big Fun Sexy Sex Book include: What you need to do outside the bedroom to steam things up between the sheets. Why great sex is good for you. The best sexual positions for the female orgasm (PAY ATTENTION). Oral sex and hand job tips guaranteed to drive a man wild. The best toys to turn you on. They even bring up the elephant in the room, aka porn. Rinna and Kerner cover all of their bases, we are talking body part descriptions, what to eat, because if you feel healthy you feel sexy, and the other elephant in the room: erectile dysfunction.

teaching formulaic writing.

I will never forget how difficult it was to teach an essay during my first student teaching placement in an eighth grade ELA classroom. It was like pulling teeth to get those kids to put pen to paper and write. At the end of each of the three days it took to get through the process, I asked myself, are you SURE you want to be a teacher? Yes, it was that bad. It was my first time ever teaching writing, I was super discouraged, and drank A LOT of wine after grading those essays. Since then, I am constantly on the look out for any books that can help me teach writing. I have found a lot of useful strategies in Kimberly Hill Campbell and Kristi Latimer's Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay, so I thought I'd share a few with you all. You're welcome.

Firstly, I really like the idea of requiring students to reflect on the writing process after certain assignments. The idea in the book is to assign this after a conclusion-free writing assignment is due. Another strategy includes crafting a thesis and defending it verbally, oh my god. Most of my eighth graders could not grasp the concept of a thesis. If I would have made each of them argue theirs verbally, I know they would have understood it after a little back and forth with another student. Light bulb.

Part of the problem with the writing assignment that I gave during my student teaching was that it had to be so damn structured. I hate that. I don't want my students to constantly see writing as rules, rules, rules, or as a test to pass, I want them to see writing about literature as a way to capture their thinking about literature. Stole that from the book. A lot of the ideas in this book are ones I have heard before, or have developed versions of in my own mind. The strategies are what makes it worth the cash, there are dozens, and the whole Reading like a Writer chapter is filled with useful ideas on helping students developing responses (to write down) as they read. I see new teachers (like me) getting the most out of Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay.

I don't want you all thinking that I had a bad student teaching experience. I actually loved it. And it helped me know for certain that I was on the right career path. I taught my kids a lot of really important things in those seven weeks, you know, to prepare them for life.

Roughly 70% of them got question number three correct, and then we jammed out.

"you can't change the world from the rear view mirror."

anything or anyone

that does not bring you alive

is too small for you

-David Whyte, poet

WHOA. I seriously opened my copy of The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle Laporte, did a little intro skim like I do, and these were the first words that popped out to me. I hadn't even gotten into the numbered pages yet. We are talking a Roman numeral epiphany over here people.

Laporte has some spunk let me tell ya, and she would like to help us get to the core of our truest desires. Desires in our personal lives, desires in our careers, in our finances, in our relationships. Laporte says, "your most valuable currency is what comes most naturally to you." For once, how about we take a moment and look at ourselves, who we are, what we want, and stop trying to be someone else. Take what we have and turn it into something amazing. The Fire Starter Sessions has 16 Sessions that focus on a different type of philosophy for becoming who you really are. Who that person is, is up to you. Your life purpose is whatever you say it is. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone. We get so wrapped up in feeling what we think we are supposed to feel, that we don't allow ourselves to feel what's real.

Rant over, but I am going to leave you with this, "it's often best to do the opposite of what your fear is telling you to do." Yeah, you should probably buy the book, it's full of advice like that.


***OR for a chance to win a FREE copy, email your name, address and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!

the 17 day diet.

In our society, there are always new diets popping up all around us. I typically try to review books on the ones that are the most realistic. Dr. Mike Moreno's The 17 Day Diet for instance is the least complicated one I've seen in a long while. Especially after he came out with The 17 Diet Cookbook filled with easy recipes that will help you get through your cycles easier.

Let me explain the cycles for those of you who don't know. The 17 Day Diet is a 4-cycle program designed to take weight off rapidly. The first cycle is a jump start, every diet has one. It's the strictest, and doesn't allow anything fun, unless you think eggs are fun, which I do. The second cycle is more chilled out, and you can incorporate carbs, starchy veggies again and wine here and there. By time the third cycle comes around, you should have developed some kick ass eating habits. It will be more difficult to stray because you can indulge a little more and you'll still drop the pounds. The first three cycles are 17 days each (thus The 17 Day Diet). The fourth cycle is an ongoing cycle, you follow your good eating plans during the week, go easy on yourself on the weekends and holidays. Do this, and Dr. Mike says you'll be thin the rest of your life. I mean, his face looks like it belongs on a soap opera, so I believe him.

The 17 Diet Cookbook gives you recipes for every day during every aspect of the three cycles. These recipes include a lot of fish, chicken, green tea, eggs, and approved fruits and veggies. I can see it really helping those of you who are extremely structured and need to have a very specific plan when wanting to lose weight.


***For a chance to win a FREE copy email your name, address and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com!