Play it Again, Pal! or 2:48 Minutes More

Reruns played a huge part in my summertime's past. (And, good or bad, are the reason why Gilligan's Island, Petticoat Junction, Beverly Hillbillies,  "Dah-dah-dah-DA-daaa/Dah-dah-da-DAHHHHHHH"* & "People Let Me Tell You Bout My Beeeesssst Friend**...are high on my personal playlist.) We never minded--frankly enjoyed--watching reruns. Still Do!

With that in mind, I'm rerunning my blog post FREE BABYSITTING from a few weeks past. For those of you who viewed it then, and aren't into reruns, take heed: If you scroll to the bottom, you'll find a SURPRISE!!!! 2.48 minutes more (Thanks to Ink In Motion) and a chance to win a sweet SURPRISE!!!!

Here's What You May Remember From the July 30th Episode of Kelly's Fishbowl:

Summertime is fun time.  Summertime is laz time. Summertime is read-all-those-books-you-don't-have-time-for-other-times. Summertime is I-don't-have-an-original-thought-in-my-head time.

Here's something that addresses all those Summertimes, especially if you may have had a little too much sun or fun time and need some laz time:

                 FREE-ABSOLUTELY NO OBLIGATION--BABYSITTING SERVICE!

"We want to hear you read it!" they tell me. "How do you say:

“ Bom bom bom baaaa Ba ba ba booo Bo bo bo beee?”

“ Oogie, boogie, bah bah lou.”

“Glug . . . Glug . . . Glug . . .”

The wondering is over! Thanks to my nephew Will O Bennett who recorded me reading,  and Ink In Motion for their video magic, Author Read-Alouds are now available on U-Tube.

So, here's my Summertime Free Babysitting Service:

Settle your little ones in front of the monitor, click on an Author Read-Aloud video (below), and let them watch and listen while you enjoy some lazy time. Okay, you can view, too--if you promise to act  OUR age!

And a preview of coming attractions:

If all went well, you've enjoyed 12:49 + 2:48 minutes = MORE! free time.

                                                Don't you feel terriffic!

P. S. Should you need more time: Teaching Guides, Activities & Puzzles for these books and others are downloadable from my website. Click on the ACTIVITIES tab.  

BTW: Yes, it's Beethoven's 5th Symphony on the sousaphone courtesy of Curtis.

* ** Play "Name the Theme Song" Correctly match these theme song snippets with their associated TV programs, post the name of the show in the comments section and you'll win a sweet surprise! (One entry per reader; No limit on how many can win!)

Bonus prizes if you sing one!!

Click on SUBSCRIBE if you'd like to receive email notification when entries are posted on Kelly's Fishbowl.

Spending My Summer Vacation

Were your "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Back-to-School essays fact or fiction? Or like mine, some of both.

I used to think you had to "go somewhere else" in order to have something "interesting" to write. I'm learning what Tam Smith and Sharry Wright, blog sisters on Kissing The Earth

seem to have known all along, and what led young reader-me to spend countless satisfying summer days curled up in a cozy spot, reading: the landscapes of a book can be a real, as captivating, as life-altering as any. In case you're wondering why  I haven't been posting, it's Summertime. I'm spending my Summer Vacation. I'll write you all about it, later. . .

SAVE BOOKSTORES SUMMER

Saturday, June 25th,  was SAVE A BOOKSTORE DAY. Part of a movement to support local bookstores. I read about it on one of my favorite blogs Writing On The Sidewalk.

Agent Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary Agency sent out the call to rally everyone in support of bookstores and books.

Why is a "buy a book" campaign needed? Because, as Kelly wrote in her letter promoting Save Bookstores Day, "Bookstores are dropping like flies and we want them to stay alive!"

I'm hoping Saturday every single one of you went out and bought a book. All those who did breathed a little life back into the bookstores. But it's going to take more than that to save them. So, let's give them more. Let's dub this, the summer of 2011:

Save Bookstores Summer!

DO YOUR BIT...BUY A BOOK