Sid v Max

Look for this to air during the 2010 Winter Classic. Many thanks to Friends of The Show Cathy F. and Nicole G. for finding the link to the article with the commercial.

I Have To Buy an Olympic 'A'

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!

Siddo and Flower were named to the Team Canada Olympic roster! :D Not only did Sid make this Olympic team, he was named an Alternate Captain. (Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer was named Captain.) Anyone of you, like me, who already got Sid's Olympic jersey may now have to find and purchase the 'A' for the chest. I was poking around online and saw that some websites are offering the jersey with the 'A' included, but woodstock got my jersey from a local sports apparel store called Shenk & Tittle, and it does not have the 'A' on the chest. So if I find a place to buy it, I'll post a link on The Show for anyone else who may need it.


With Siddo and MAF making Team Canada and Geno and Gonch making Team Russia, the total number of Penguins playing in the Olympics for certain right now is four. Team USA will announce their roster during the 2010 Winter Classic. Perhaps we'll be adding a few more names to the Olympic list!

This is such good news I almost forgot about the blown 3 goal lead from last night... ALMOST. >:( Because of my season series bet with Johnny Sabre, now I have to wear a Sabres jersey. Hopefully my skin doesn't melt. :P

Tonight the Boys are in New Jersey where Flower will be playing against his Team Canada teammate Martin Brodeur. The third goalie named to Team Canada was, of course, Roberto Luongo of the Canucks. The complete Team Canada roster follows:

GOALTENDERS

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

DEFENSEMEN

Dan Boyle, Ottawa

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles

Duncan Keith, Chicago

Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim (C)

Chris Pronger, Philadelphia (A)

Brent Seabrook, Chicago

Shea Weber, Nashville

FORWARDS

Patrice Bergeron, Boston

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (A)

Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim

Dany Heatley, San Jose

Jarome Iginla, Calgary (A)

Patrick Marleau, San Jose

Brenden Morrow, Dallas

Rich Nash, Columbus

Corey Perry, Anaheim

Michael Richards, Philadelphia

Erc Staal, Carolina

Joe Thornton, San Jose

Jonathan Toews, Chicago

Congratulations, Sid and Marc-Andre!

GO PENS!!!!!!

Pens v Leafs

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday. My fabulous husband got me Sid's 2010 Winter Olympics jersey! :D It's gorgeous! I did my best to get a shot of all those little graphics in the maple leaf, but since it's kind of shiny, the flash kept reflecting back. So I took a picture on low speed with no flash and then used Photoshop to brighten it a little bit. It didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. It has a slightly eerie glow, but at least you can see the detail (which was the point in the first place):


Speaking of the 2010 Olympics... Congratulations go out to Geno and Gonch! Both made the cut for the Russian Olympic team! I have to say it will be strange to be rooting against them. ;) Tonight the Pens host the Leafs before taking off for back-to-back road games.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

From A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!

May your day be filled with family, friends, love, laughter and presents!

Seasons Greetings from TSCS

Best. Holiday commercial. EVER.


Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays to all of you. You've helped make a very tough year (for me personally) a little easier to get through. Thank you with all sincerity. May you and yours have a safe and joyous holiday. :)

Nollaig Shona Daoibh!!!

Christmas Poems & A Christmas Video

I'm re-posting several of my original Christmas poems that have appeared at Wild Rose Reader in the past. I also have Christmas Eve Polka, a poem I wrote for my unpublished collection of memoir poems--A Home for the Seasons. Christmas Eve has always been the special holiday time for my family. We make traditional foods like pierogis for our Christmas Eve dinner. We eat no meat. We exchange gifts--and celebrate family.

When I was young, we gathered at the home of my maternal grandparents early on Christmas Eve. My Babci and Dzidzi had six grandchildren--all girls. We had a grand time together--eating, laughing, dancing around when my Uncle Benny played his accordion. I wrote Christmas Eve Polka in memory of my uncle--who always took time to make his four nieces feel like special people--and the happy times I spent at my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve.

I've also included a special Christmas video for you


Christmas Eve Polka

After dinner
Uncle Benny opens his black instrument case
and lifts out his accordion.
He stretches it open, presses it closed.
We listen to it breathe and sigh.
He straps it over his broad shoulders.
Then he taps his right foot
on the shiny yellow linoleum,
sways from side to side
and makes it sing.
We polka out of the kitchen,
across the tiny parlor,
and down the narrow hallway
back into the kitchen.
Round and round
we dance through the house
making circles of laughter,
making circles of love.


Wrapped around itself,
Red-ribboned
Evergreen, fragrant of winter forests,
Adorned with berries, baubles, bells of gold,
Tacked to the front door...
Home for the holidays.

Trimmed with tinsel, bedecked with shiny bulbs,
Ribboned with red satin, strung with bright lights—
Each twinkling like an earthbound star in an
Evergreen sky.


Santa snaps the reins. Red-nosed Rudolph

Leads the team of reindeer this early winter

Eve. Up, up

Into the sky with a cargo of Christmas

Gifts and goodies they rise, weaving through clouds. Can you

Hear the merry jingle of their silver bells?

Candy Cane

Wrapped in a cellophane of sound:
a striped stick of sweetness,
red as Rudolph’s nose,
white as Santa’s beard.
Crinkle open your peppermint present.
Let your tongue celebrate
the wintry taste of Christmas.


Things to Do If You If You Are a Bell

Ride on a reindeer’s harness.
Tinkle in the icy air.
Jingle across milk-white snow.
Sing with a silver tongue.


THE CHRISTMAS BABKA

We watch Babci make the Christmas babka.
With plump peasant hands
she kneads sweet dough
on the white porcelain-topped table,
places it in a large sky-blue bowl,
covers it with a damp towel,
and sets it on the kitchen counter
near the hissing radiator.
Swelling with bubbles of air,
the dough rises into a pale yellow cloud
flecked with bits of orange rind.
The baking babka fills the house
with the scent of Christmas.
We eat the bread fresh from the oven,
its insides steaming and golden—a homemade treasure
rich enough to warm a winter night.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

At Blue Rose Girls, I have a video of Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and a special Elf Yourself greeting.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Book Aunt.

A Holiday Greeting from the Magliaros

A Christmas Elf Yourself Holiday Greeting from the Magliaros

Horn Book Fanfare: Best Children’s Books of 2009

My new post at Political Verses—Healthcare Joe: A Clerihew about Joe Lieberman The post includes an original poem and three humorous videos.

Here are two Christmas-themed clerihews that I wrote for Tricia’s Poetry Stretch last week. They aren't my best clerihews—but they’re appropriate for the season.

Ruldolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

Led his team into the aerosphere

As they pulled Santa’s sleigh

Up, up and away.

The Grinch hated the Whos.

They gave him the blues.

He tried to steal Christmas away—

But they sang and celebrated that day!

Pens v Devils

WOOOOOO!!! I'm going back to work tomorrow! :) I really miss my coworkers. Being sick for a week makes you feel like you've been isolated for months. I only left the house once this week to go a mile and a half to the doctor! I'm WICKEDLY behind on my Christmas preparations, but honestly, I'm just grateful I'm going to be well enough to see my Gram on Christmas day. :) :) :) :) :)

The Devils are in town. The victor of this game (our Boys, of course) will occupy the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. Eaton is out due to the injury he sustained midway through the Sabres match; Skoula is in. Brodeur broke another record recently, which almost makes me want to respect him... But then I remember that whole sister-in-law incident, and it reminds me why I don't. (He and Tiger Woods - and probably about 100,000 other pro athletes - should start a d-bag cheaters club. Oy.)

I think I'm going to wrap presents while I watch the game. There's snow outside, my kitchen smells like a bakery, there are gifts for under the tree, and there's a great hockey match on the TV. I just LOVE this time of year!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations to ALISSA!  You won the personalized ornament of your choice from Kiddliwink Kreations!

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Wednesday, December 23rd to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.

Pens v Sabres

The Pens simply MUST win this one for me: I have a bet with my Sabre-loving former boss (who will henceforth be known as Johnny Sabre). We've actually got individual bets for each time the Pens and Sabres meet this season. The loser has to wear the winner's jersey on the following dress down Friday. We haven't finalized what will occur when the regular season meetings are complete, but I don't have to worry about that because the Pens are going to win them all just for me! ;)

Just a random FYI: Penicillin is not the miracle drug I thought it was going to be. Oh sure, I know its discovery changed the course of humankind for the better, but MAN! It is not working fast enough for me. I still feel like mud. Luckily, the Red Baron seems to recognize that I'm not well because he's been EXTREMELY mellow this week. I do have be careful, though - if I give him any indication that I'm feeling even slightly better, he stops whatever he is doing to charge me. Let me tell you, there is nothing in this world more terrifying or more adorable than an Irish Setter puppy running at you full on! :)

I've got another week of treatment to go, but I'm hoping to be a little better and get back into the swing of things in time for the New Jersey game. Until then,

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations to NIECEY!  You've won the Maple Man from Wood Toy Shop!

Please e-mail me at afomft@gmail.com by end of day Tuesday, December 22nd to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, a new winner will be chosen.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK CONTEST WINNERS & NEXT WEEK'S THEME!

In case you didn't notice the side of the site, the winners of this week's Picture of the Week Contest are Oliver, Miles, Linus & their mommy (the reader vote):

And Ginny, picked by this week's judge!

Congratulations little ones - you'll each be getting a $15 American Express gift card in the mail, courtesy of our fabulous sponsor, Lil LJ.

The next Picture of the Week theme is KIDS & PRESENTS.  Whether your little ones are tearing the paper off or enjoying a new gift, we want to see your kids with their presents!  And since next week is Christmas, we're extending the deadline.  Here's how the contest works:

You have until 11:59 pm EST Monday, December 28th, to e-mail the photo you want to enter to afomft@gmail.com.  All of the pictures will be posted on Tuesday morning and voting will start.  You can send a link to the POTW poll to anyone you want so it's up to you how all out you want to go!

Voting will continue until Thursday, December 31st at 11:59 EST and I'll announce the picture that received the most votes along with a second photo picked by an impartial judge on Friday.  Not only will the two winners have a place of honor on AFOMFT for a week but the people who submitted the winning photos will also receive a fantastic prize.  What are you waiting for?  Send your favorite pictures with Santa our way!

The fine print:

• Only one photo may be entered per child per week.  If you have more than one child, you may enter a photo of each of them but only one of each child will be included in the contest. 
• You must have the rights to any photos submitted.  
• Please only submit pictures that have been taken within the past three months.
• If your submission was taken by a photographer, include their credit.

Things to Do If You Are a Bell...and More Poetry for Christmas

Here’s a poem from one of my unpublished poetry collections titled Things to Do—a manuscript that has received two rejections to date. I thought Things to Do If You Are a Bell would be an appropriate poem for posting on this Poetry Friday a week before Christmas.


Things to Do If You Are a Bell

Ride on a reindeer’s harness.
Tinkle in the icy air.
Jingle across milk-white snow.
Sing with a silver tongue.

Jack & Rudy

Season’s Greetings from Jack & Rudy
(Jack is my daughter’s yellow lab and Rudy is the cat she got last Christmas.)

Jack loves Christmas. Woof! Woof! Woof!
Rudy loves it too. Mew! Mew! Mew!
Can’t wait to get their presents—
Some biscuits and a bone,
Some catnip and a ball of yarn,
Some meat-scented cologne.
Jack and Rudy love their tree—
Its ornaments and lights,
The gold star at its tippy-top
Glistening and bright.

Woof! Woof! Woof!
Mew! Mew! Mew!!
They're sending season's greetings
To every one of you.
I will now interpret
What they REALLY want to say:

Have a tailwagging purrfect
Merry Christmas Day!

Click on the following links to read reviews of books of Christmas poetry and Christmas stories in verse from Wild Rose Reader and Blue Rose Girls:

Poetry Book Reviews: Under the Kissletoe & Hanukkah Haiku
Poetry for Christmas (A review of Aileen Fisher’s book Do Rabbits Have Christmas?
Christmas Books in Verse
More Poetry for Christmas
POETRY FRIDAY: Christmas Stories in Verse

At Political Verses this week--Stand for Christmas: A Song Parody & a Poem.

Susan Taylor Brown is doing the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

Buying Books for the Holidays

I love to spend time at the Banbury Cross Children’s Bookshop in Wenham, Massachusetts. It’s a wonderful store owned by a woman with a passion for children’s literature. Her staff shares her passion for books. Whenever I need book suggestions or want to see the best new children’s titles, I head over to the store.

At this time of year, it’s nice to support local businesses and independent booksellers who may be hurting this holiday season. I’ve already bought lots of books for gift giving this Christmas. How about you?


Here are some of the Christmas and winter-themed children’s books I’ve purchased recently:

THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC

by Lauren Thompson

Pictures by Jon J Muth

STICK MAN

by Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

CHRISTMAS TREE!

by Wendell & Florence Minor

ZELDA AND IVY
ONE CHRISTMAS

by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

THE LITTLE FIR TREE

by Margaret Wise Brown

Pictures by Jim LaMarche

A HOUSEFUL OF CHRISTMAS

by Barbara Joosse

Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

PETER RABBIT

A WINTER'S TALE

(This little story is based on The Tale Of Mr. Tod, one of Beatrix Potter's Lesser Known Tales.)

UNDER THE SNOW

by Melissa Stewart

Illustrated by Constance R. Bergum

From Banbury Cross Children’s Bookshop:
Holiday Special Newsletter 2009
Poetry—The Forgotten Cousin of Story

UPDATED TO ADD: 105 Ways to Give a Book from Mother Reader. (I don't know how I missed Pam's posting in late November!)

TO DIE FOR THURSDAY: If the Shoe Fits.... Part Two! {DISCOUNT & GIVEAWAY}

A few weeks ago, my TO DIE FOR THURSDAY post featured adorable girls shoes from Cozy Toes by Kathydee.  Afterward, I got a bunch of e-mails from mamas asking where they could find equally cute shoes for their little boys.  Well, ladies, here you go!

Aren't these puppy shoes from Wildcubs too much?  And there are plenty of other sweet styles for little guys too.  Like cars.

Trucks.

Bears.

Lions.

And footballs.

Looking for something for the holidays?  These saddle shoes are perfect for a dressier look.

Or you can really get into the spirit with these reindeer!

But my personal favorites from Wildcubs are these leather boots lined in fleece and faux fur.

How great are they for winter? 

Mothers of little ladies, don't worry - Wildcubs has designs for them too!  This post is supposed to be about boys shoes but I can't help but share a few of the great girls' styles that caught my eye.  The boot in pink:

These adorable purple Mary Janes:

The perfect party shoes:

And this funky flower style.

All of Wildcubs shoes have leather no-slip soles and a hidden elastic loop to prevent any marks on your child's ankles.  They're available in sizes 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months and 18-24 months.  And unlike some similar shoes out there, prices start at just $14.99!

Ready to stock up on some Wildcubs for your wild one?  We've got a discount just for you!

Wildcubs has generously offered free shipping on all orders of three or more pairs of shoes!  Just enter the code TVGWILDCUBS3 in the notes to seller area when you checkout and the shipping costs will be refunded to you via Paypal. 

But that's not all - one lucky AFOMFT is going to win the Wildcubs shoes of their choice!  To enter, visit Wildcubs and leave a comment here telling me which pair you'll choose if you win and who they're for.  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• Become a fan of AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Follow AFOMFT on Facebook by clicking the link on the right side of the blog.
• Visit Wildcubs on Etsy and add the store to your favorites.
  
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter and either re-tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or tweet this giveaway:  Enter to win an adorable pair of shoes for your little one at A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS @AFOMFT - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT or this giveaway (worth 2 entries) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends December 22nd at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on December 23rd. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Wildcubs