The Host

I love reading - and I am a member of a social networking site called GoodReads. Here is a clip of my review of the book I just finished - so if you like to read you should come join me - we can be "friends" on GoodReads and then I can see what you like to read too...


The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read The Host after reading the entire Twilight Series also by Stephenie Meyer - which I loved! So I was looking forward to The Host. I was not disappointed! It took me a little while longer to read it than her others, but mostly because I didn't have as much time to read as I did with the Twilight series. In the beginning I got a bit confused because there are conversations occuring between one person (the Host and the Soul) but don't let that discourage you - read it, then it all falls into place after the first few chapters. Definitely follows her style of writing a story that captures your heart and comes down to the good of people. I think she may be planning a series out of this one, so I am eagerly awaiting that possibility! Add to your "To Read" list for sure!


View all my reviews.

Toothless Tigercub

I seriously do not know where the time goes anymore.... I can't believe it is nearly October already! Myka just finished a week off school and unfortunately I didn't get a week off school. But I did have a good week - I got a 92% on my Fundamentals exam and a 100% on my Vital Signs Skills tests - which means I can officially take vital signs. I started clinicals two weeks ago, and have two MORE tests this coming week: a Health Assessment exam and a Medication Administration skills test - which once passed means I could administer meds orally or injection with my clinical instructor. Very cool - I do like the medication part so that shouldn't be too hard.

Myka is definately ready to get back to school (me too!) and he has his first Tiger Cubs meeting this Thursday. He and Josh have been looking through the Tiger Cubs book and doing some of the things in it, and we went and got his uniform the other day - he is super excited. SO I decided I'd accomplish two things at once:

A picture of him in his Tiger Cubs uniform and a picture of his toothless smile - he lost tooth #4 earlier in the week and now both big front teeth up top are gone, and two on the bottom - he looks pretty darn cute.

So true...

Is it just me, or does anyone else find this as hillarious as I do?

From the wonderful people at despair.com - run over there now and check them out!

Toothless...

Well almost, anyhow! So we lost tooth #2 - a big ol' one up top. And it wasn't even the intended target...

Myka had two loose teeth, one on the bottom, and one on the top, for like the past month. Recently, he wouldn't let anyone get near the top one because it hurt him he said. So on Saturday Grandma Judy went to see if she could pull out the really loose bottom tooth, when her hand slipped and her knuckle hit the top one! Lo and behold - out popped the top one. And we are still hangin' on to the bottom one - he decided he had enough teeth pulling for one weekend.

Now, the first tooth he lost in July (I think it was) he got a whopping $5 from the Tooth Fairy. This time SHE (Josh) thought $5 was too much for subsequent teeth. So SHE (me) finally agree with an eye roll that $1 would do. Then SHE (Josh) went on to say how when SHE (Josh) lost a tooth he got 25 cents. My answer: inflation. But I suppose $1 is fair enough.

We had a nice 3 day weekend, back to school this week for both of us... Myka has his first spelling words and memory verse, and I have a care plan to finish. Wonder if he'll trade me.....

Back to school, back to blogging

Ok so I unintentionally took the summer off of posting on here... This came right around the end of June, which happens to be when I started my first semester of Nursing at Edison. So that is my excuse...

Our summer went by so fast....

Nursing School -

First semester was good - but boy it is a totally different style of learning AND thinking. There's this whole thing called "critical thinking". Sheesh I haven't done that since like...high school? 10 years ago! So that was an adjustment, but I have to confess I was super excited to get going seeing as how I already did all my pre required classes a few years ago.

I have less than two years to go - May 2010 I should be done, provided I don't suffer any major mental breakdown about handling school, parenting a first grader, and trying to bring in some extra cash with my scrapbook site, and Junior League, and whatever else.

This was my first purchase (of many to come) of books I needed for my summer classes, and then most I'll keep using throughout the program in addition to others.

Oh and I did manage to get an A in one class and a B (but sooooo close to an A) in the other. Whoo hoo! Now on to fall semester.. this is where I'll start Fundamentals, Health Assessment, and the anticipated clinicals. Yes - with real live patients. Ack!

Here is my addition to the Massing Library of Nursing Books:

Myka - TURNED 7!

In the world of Myka - we had TWO birthday parties, and one celebration dinner. All for turning seven - life is rough when you are that age. The first party was a family one, then we had a dinner with my mom, sis, and brother, then we just had his birthday party with all his friends at Chuck E. Cheese. This just opened here a few weeks ago and it is "THE" place in town these days among kids (and even some adults). So here are a few highlights from the celebrations:

Star Wars is the favorite now a'days

Yes, he is looking like he is sticking his finger in his nose - but he's not. This is Josh, Myka, myself, and my super cool sis who just got done with hair school, and my cute brother who just moved to Tallahassee for college and all the girls chase him around.

Josh & Ang

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and wait till you SEE what my sweet husband did for me. I'll have to save that for another post since this is getting long enough.

Josh is STILL working on getting his contractors license but it seems we keep having to jump through hoops....

We did finally move out of our house - that lovely after effect of foreclosure and buying a house at peak market values, and then losing most of my income last year - but we know God does have a plan for us, so we are just working now on getting settled in our new place.

I actually did a lot of great reading this summer (notice the new GoodRead widget on the side (I didn't read all those this summer, are you kidding?) including a great series, the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer which I loved! Yes, it is considered in the Young Adult category but I heard about it and it sounded good so I read the first 3 in the series in less than a week, then my sis and I actually went to the midnight release of the 4th one - and so that was fun too. But I start fall classes next week so we'll see how much time I have to read.... for enjoyment. If you like to read check out the Good Read site - and then sign up so we can be "friends" - it is a cool way to keep track of what you have read, and plan to read, and see what everyone else is reading too.

And then school started...

So this brings us to now - the first week of FIRST GRADE! I can't believe it. I think Myka will have a super year this year and he seems so grown up sometimes now. Here he is on Monday ready for school.

So that is the latest from the Massing household.. I think.. I don't know I probably forgot some major updates but I don't know what they are right now. SO this was a good start...

The whole nine yards...

Myka loves "army guys" and of course Josh does too - and being the avid collector of military things that Josh is - he has tons of stuff. A few years back he got Myka his own little army suit or whatever it is called - and he plays dress up with it all the time. So the other night it was a real treat, to say the least, when Josh told Myka he would get down all his "army stuff" and they could look through it. THEN it was even more of a treat when they decided to get all dressed up.

Josh said something of the effect of "We can get it all out, and put all the gear on, we'll do the whole nine yards". So now Myka tells everyone he did "the whole nine yards" with dad's army gear... He has no clue what that means but boy does it sound SOOOOO COOL!

And of course - I had to snap a few pictures:

Oh yeah, our blog!

Ok, so I didn't FORGET about our blog, I just didn't post for a week....

Not sure what has kept me so busy - Myka started "Science Specialists" camp which is in the afternoons for two weeks at his school, and he has been continuing with Tae Kwan Do. He also started his SMILE group that he does where he goes for Occupational Therapy - and he loves that!

*Summer Reading Update* He has read 14 books now. WAY TO GO! We figured out a reward for each list of 10 books HE reads- he would get $2. Now while some may say it is downright BRIBING him to read, I take a different perspective LOL He is trying to learn about money, and the hard life lesson that it does not grow on trees (dang it) and he gets easily frusturated when I explain why I will not buy him a $20 toy when we go anywhere that has any sort of toy. So we are learning the concept of money, saving your money for something you want, and that mom & dad aren't going to just buy him something anytime he wants it.... and lets be honest - little trinkets don't pull any weight with him as something he earns for reading 10 books. So I figured this would be a good balance. And he does like to read - so this keeps him working toward a goal, keeps him excited about how many books he is reading, and lets him earn a few bucks at the same time....

As for me, I have been wrapping up all the things I need to get done before the Nursing program starts NEXT WEEK! I took a BLS/CPR class over the weekend to get certified through the American Heart Association, and this week I need to get all SEVEN of my books I need for my two classes: Intro to Nursing and Intro to Pharmacology & Math Calculations. I am super excited and I am sure the inevitable panic attack will set in shortly - about how on earth will I be able to study, be a good mom, earn money for our family, and sleep somewhere in there. But I know that God has plans for us, and He will make it possible for me to handle this all!

Josh is doing good - he got in with a new Gastro doc to help hopefully figure out some of the stomach issues and he seems very on top of things and very thourough - the doc, that is - and Josh went in for an Endoscopy today, which the doc said he did about 16-20 biopsies, and he does have an inflamed esophogus and stomach - ordered some more tests in addition to the tests he ordered last week, and put Josh on a new medicine he'll take every morning before breakfast. So I am praying that we continue to move forward and at least get some answers.

So thats the update! Have some cool things I want to share so I'll post those soon...